Australian game developer PlaySide Studios Limited (ASX: PLY) has signed an agreement to develop a new PC title with Click Management Pty Ltd and online influencers “LazarBeam” and “Fresh”.
Click is a multi-faceted gaming entertainment company, representing some of the world’s largest gaming influencers. Their current roster of talent exceeds 700 million views per month.
LazarBeam and Fresh are leading global gaming influencers with large followings across multiple social platforms that entertain their audiences through gameplay-based videos, streams and posts.
CEO Gerry Sakkas said PlaySide, Click, and leading gaming influencers LazarBeam and Fresh will bring innovative design concepts together to jointly develop a new PC title that PlaySide will globally publish with an anticipated release date to occur in late 2021.
LazarBeam (Lannan Eacott) is one of the world’s largest gaming personalities with a YouTube channel ranked in the top 20 globally for gaming channels. He has over 18 million YouTube subscribers and 2.4 million Instagram followers who have been captivated by his coverage of titles such as Fortnite, Minecraft and Madden. He is regularly featured on the global YouTube Trending (gaming) page with many of his videos reaching between 5-15+ million views.
Fresh (Harley Fresh) is the largest Twitch streamer in the Oceanic region. His career accelerated after he transitioned from being one of the top professional Fortnite competitors to focusing on content creation. He was recently awarded Twitch Streamer of the Year, and averages 60 million YouTube views per month. Fresh has 7.1m YouTube subscribers and 2m Instagram followers.
The terms of the agreement provide for PlaySide to fund development and publish the title as a web browser based or PC game. Specifically, PlaySide will be responsible for all game development from programming to creation of art, sound and design for the new game.
Click Management, along with LazarBeam & Fresh will promote and market the game on their social platforms during its life cycle. This includes announcements on each of the Influencers YouTube, Twitter & Instagram platforms prior to launch, as well as dedicated launch streams, YouTube mentions and gameplay streams on launch date. LazarBeam & Fresh will continue to regularly promote and market the game post launch.
PlaySide and Click will retain ownership to their pre-existing IP that is introduced to the game and will grant a royalty free irrevocable license for its use in the game. Furthermore, PlaySide will own the new game source code, front end and user interface designs of the game. Any other new IP that is created for the game will be jointly owned by PlaySide and Click.
The parties will receive a share of net earnings to be determined by achieving specific milestones during global commercialisation.
Mr Sakkas said this is PlaySide’s first new agreement to be signed in its Partnerships division since the company’s IPO and demonstrates a continued commitment to this unique business model within the global video games industry.
PlaySide Studios is a company that at its core was created for Gamers by Gamers. It is a company filled with individuals whose love for video games fuels their work,” Mr Sakkas said.
“This is more than a marketing partnership, it is an opportunity to develop a game alongside LazarBeam and Fresh especially for their audience. It is also an opportunity to further advance Playside as the leading gaming studio in the country and further progress our global credentials. It’s a momentous occasion for everyone involved.”
