LIONSGATE INVESTS IN LEADING GAME DEVELOPER TELLTALE GAMES

The two companies will collaborate on interactive media opportunities with a focus on original properties

SANTA MONICA, Calif. and SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Feb. 24, 2015 /CNW/ -- As part of the continued diversification of its content business and recent entry into the game space, Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), a premier next generation global content leader, has made a significant investment in leading game developer and publisher Telltale Games, the two companies announced today. As part of its investment, Lionsgate Chief Executive Officer Jon Feltheimer will also join the Telltale Board of Directors.

The investment will continue the extension of Lionsgate's film and television brands into the game space and will bring Lionsgate's expertise in creating and marketing premium content to Telltale's unique narrative-driven, storytelling approach to gaming.  The collaboration will also enable the two companies to explore opportunities to co-develop existing and original IP into episodic games and television.

Telltale has emerged as an industry leader in narrative-driven episodic games with the blockbuster hit The Walking Dead, which has sold 8.5 million copies and topped sales charts on Xbox Live, PlayStation Network and Steam, as well as the hit Game of Thrones, based on the smash television series, The Wolf Among Us, the episodic interactive graphic adventure video game based on Bill Willingham's Fables comic book, and Tales from the Borderlands, Telltale's adaptation of the acclaimed PC, Mac and console video game title from Gearbox Software and 2K Games.

"Telltale is one of the premier storytellers in the gaming world today," said Lionsgate Chief Executive Officer Jon Feltheimer. "Their leadership in narrative-driven episodic games, together with our investment and the potential opportunities created by our premium content expertise, will continue to strengthen their ability to offer exciting new avenues of storytelling to their next generation audiences across a broad range of platforms."

"Lionsgate is one of the most innovative, entrepreneurial and impressive content companies in the world today.  I'm delighted to welcome an experienced executive like Jon, a leader who shares our unique vision, to our Board," said Telltale CEO Kevin Bruner. "Lionsgate has a great track record in developing and marketing feature films as well as platform-defining premium scripted television. This partnership will accelerate Telltale's ability to create not only original games, but episodic television series based on our game properties – an area at the cutting edge of industry growth."

"Our partnership with Kevin Bruner and his team at Telltale continues to accelerate our momentum in the game space," said Lionsgate President of Interactive Ventures & Games Peter Levin.  "The convergence between premium filmed entertainment brands and original game properties is a natural direction in which to continue diversifying our content business, and Telltale is the perfect partner with whom to explore this dynamic area of growth."

ABOUT LIONSGATE

Lionsgate is a premier next generation global content leader with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, video games, digital distribution, channel platforms and international distribution and sales. The Company currently has more than 30 television shows on over 20 different networks spanning its primetime production, distribution and syndication businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as the multiple Emmy Award-winning Mad Men and Nurse Jackie, the comedy Anger Management, the broadcast network series Nashville, the syndication success The Wendy Williams Show and the critically-acclaimed hit series Orange is the New Black.

Its feature film business has been fueled by such recent successes as the blockbuster first three installments of The Hunger Games franchise, the first installment of the Divergent franchise, John Wick, Now You See Me, CBS Films/Lionsgate's The DUFF, Roadside Attractions' A Most Wanted Man, Lionsgate/Codeblack Films' Addicted and Pantelion Films' Instructions Not Included, the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S.

Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rates. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 16,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate and Summit brands remain synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world. www.lionsgate.com 

ABOUT TELLTALE, INC.

Telltale is a leading and award-winning independent developer and publisher of games for every major interactive platform from home consoles and PC to mobile and tablet devices, and is the pioneer of the episodic delivery of digital gaming content. By successfully developing games as an episodic series and frequently releasing in the format of a game season, they create longer consumer engagement than traditional games for each release. Founded in 2004 by games industry veterans with decades of experience, Telltale has quickly become an industry leader with numerous honors and awards from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, BAFTA, the IMGA, and more, as well as being named Studio of the Year across multiple years. Telltale's reputation for quality has been established across more than two dozen different product releases over the years with recognition and acclaim from publications like IGN, The New York Times, and Variety, including over 100 "Game of the Year" awards from publications like USA Today, Yahoo! Games, Wired, Spike TV VGAs, E!, Official Xbox Magazine, The Telegraph, Metacritic, and more.  Telltale is a fully licensed third party publisher on consoles from Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo, and also publishes games on the PC, Mac, iOS, and Android-based platforms. Telltale's investors include Lionsgate, IDG Ventures, and Granite Ventures, LLC.  For more information visit www.telltalegames.com.

For further information, please contact:

Peter D. Wilkes
Lionsgate
310-255-3726
[email protected]

Job J. Stauffer
Telltale Games
415-258-1638
[email protected]

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SOURCE Lionsgate