PlayFirst announced
by Kit

Monday, September 27 2004

Industry veterans raise $5 million in venture captital to create new game publisher.

John Welch, Brad Edelman and Jason Rubinstein are pleased to announce the formation of PlayFirst, a publisher dedicated to a new model of online game publishing. The company has already received five million dollars in first round funding from Mayfield and Trinity Ventures.

"The online game industry is still at its dawn," said John Welch, PlayFirst's co-founder and CEO. "Our management team is bringing a new model of publishing to what we see as an emerging market: popular games. With strong capital, expertise, technology and a focus on this market, PlayFirst plans to bring the best gameplay to all online consumer entertainment platforms - starting with internet downloads."

Welch is one of the architects of the new games business, having most recently built Shockwave.com into one of the top five games portals in the world. The technology and design innovations of Brad Edelman, PlayFirst's Chief Technology Officer, have resulted in the creation of some of the widest-used internet-related applications, including Macromedia's Flash Player, Shockwave Player, Breeze Live, Adobe PageMill and more. Jason Rubinstein, the Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, joins the company from Ubisoft, where he helped establish the company as a top player in all facets of online games; Jason is an industry veteran in the online games, entertainment and technology businesses.

PlayFirst will be a provider of simple but challenging games that become staples of daily gaming life. "We're going beyond the hardcore gamer," Welch said. "We want to reach families, women, and new audiences with games that are easy to play and fun."

"The downloadable games market represents a significant opportunity," said Schelley Olhava, Program Manager, IDC. "We expect purchased downloadable game revenue to exceed $760 million in 2007 in the United States."

"Interactive entertainment on personal computers and other consumer devices have started to supplant traditional forms of media such as music, box office and television," said Janice Roberts, Managing Director at Mayfield. "We see a tremendous opportunity for PlayFirst to expand the market for games beyond today's hard core gamers to the broader market on all relevant platforms."

"At Trinity Ventures, we don't just invest in plans, we invest in people," said Gus Tai, General Partner of Trinity Ventures. "And if anyone has the know-how to make the enjoyment of games as simple and broad as going to the movies or buying music, this is the team to do it. With management experience from companies that represent the best in technology, classic brand development and traditional games publishing, PlayFirst has both the diversity and depth of experience to capitalize on this opportunity."

--- Kit