FOCUS ENTERTAINMENT: FOCUS ENTERTAINMENT becomes PULLUP ENTERTAINMENT on 1 April 2024

Paris, 28 February 2024, 5.45 pm

FOCUS ENTERTAINMENT becomes PULLUP ENTERTAINMENT on 1 April 2024

PARIS, FRANCE – 28 February 2024 - FOCUS ENTERTAINMENT (FR0012419307 - ALFOC) is changing its name to PULLUP ENTERTAINMENT effective from 1 April 2024 and implementing a new organisation structure to support the Group’s ambitions.

CHANGE OF COMPANY NAME APPROVED BY THE SHAREHOLDERS AT THE COMBINED GENERAL MEETING

The Company's shareholders today voted in favour of changing the company name from FOCUS ENTERTAINMENT to PULLUP ENTERTAINMENT effective from 1 April 2024. The shareholders also voted in favour of changing the Company’s corporate purpose to make it consistent with the activity of providing support services to PULLUP ENTERTAINMENT Group subsidiaries.

SPIN-OFF OF FOCUS ENTERTAINMENT PUBLISHING BUSINESS

Meeting on 27 February 2024, the Board of Directors of FOCUS ENTERTAINMENT authorised the conclusion of a draft partial asset contribution agreement[1] whereby the Company (contributing company) shall contribute to FOCUS ENTERTAINMENT Développement (a wholly owned beneficiary company) all the assets and liabilities related to its long-standing publishing business. Fabrice Larue, in his capacity as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, and having received all the necessary powers from the Board of Directors, signed the draft contribution agreement on 27 February 2024. The contribution is planned to take effect on 1 April 2024.

A NEW ORGANISATION STRUCTURE TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF PULLUP ENTERTAINMENT, EFFECTIVE FROM 1 APRIL

On 2 January, Geoffroy Sardin, with 25 years of experience at Ubisoft Entertainment, took up the position of Deputy Chief Executive Officer for all the business activities of the PULLUP ENTERTAINMENT Group.

Following on from this appointment, the Board of Directors sought to mark a new structuring step for the Group with a new organisation system based on three complementary business divisions:

• FOCUS ENTERTAINMENT PUBLISHING, one of the world’s leading AA video game publishers, is known for its premium production services and bespoke marketing and communication support tailored to each project and audience. The company publishes international successes such as the A Plague Tale franchise, SnowRunner and the highly anticipated Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. This entity is managed by John Bert, Managing Director.             
• DOTEMU, a leading publisher and developer in the thriving independent gaming sector, produces world-renowned licensed games under its Arcade Crew label, including the million-sellers Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge and Streets of Rage 4. As part of the Group’s new organisation structure, DOTEMU is now responsible for publishing all PULLUP ENTERTAINMENT’s independent games. Cyrille Imbert, Chief Executive Officer of DOTEMU, continues his duties while steering these new business activities as Managing Director of Publishing independent games.
• The Development Studios division, encompassing the seven creative studios:

• DOVETAIL GAMES, based in England and a world leader in train simulation games;
• DECK13 INTERACTIVE, voted best video game development studio in Germany in  2023, and creator of the successful The Surge franchise;
• BLACKMILL GAMES, the Netherlands-based studio behind the WW1 Game Series multi-player shooter franchise, including Verdun, Tannenberg and Isonzo, works that plunge players into an intense war inspired by the major battles of the First World War;
• LEIKIR STUDIO, based in France, currently developing a highly anticipated game based on the iconic Metal Slug license, published by DOTEMU;
• STREUM ON STUDIO, specialized and recognized in the development of first-person shooter games, currently working on an original creation;
• DOUZE DIXIÈMES, a French studio composed of talents from the video game and animated film sectors. The meeting of these two segments gave rise to the Shady Part of Me game, acclaimed by critics and players;
• CARPOOL STUDIO, a French studio created by renowned industry veterans and developing a highly ambitious “game as a service” project on a new intellectual property.

The management of the Studios division will be announced shortly.

Alongside these three publishing and development entities, SCRIPTEAM has rounded out the Group’s expertise since December 2023. Specialising in audiovisual production, SCRIPTEAM’s main purpose is to adapt PULLUP ENTERTAINMENT’s video game licences into series or feature films.

Lastly, the Human Resources, Legal and Finance support functions, as well as the Technical Department, which includes the IT, Data and Customer Relations divisions, housed within PULLUP ENTERTAINMENT, will serve all Group entities, reinforcing the synergy-generating integrated model.

PULLUP ENTERTAINMENT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS STRENGTHENED

The Executive Committee will be composed of seven members: Fabrice Larue, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer; Geoffroy Sardin, Deputy Chief Executive Officer; Laure d’Hauteville, Chief Financial Officer; Philippe Perthuis, Corporate Secretary Secretary General in charge of Human Resources and Legal Affairs; John Bert,  Managing Director of FOCUS ENTERTAINMENT, responsible for publishing AA games; Cyrille Imbert, Managing Director in charge of Publishing independent games and Chief Executive Officer of DOTEMU; the Management of the Studios division, to be announced shortly.

At the Combined General Meeting held today, the appointment of Didier Crespel as independent director was approved. Didier Crespel, a graduate of EDHEC, is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and majority shareholder of the MECANEM Industrial Group specialising in robotics and the manufacture of innovative parts. He was previously an independent board member of UBISOFT ENTERTAINMENT between 2013 and 2023 and Chairman of the Audit Committee between 2016 and 2023.

The Board of Directors is now composed of three independent members and three women out of a total of seven members.

SIGNIFICANT LAUNCHES AT THE END OF THE 2023/2024 FINANCIAL YEAR

On 13 February, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden[2] was released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. This new franchise from the award-winning studio DON’T NOD, co-owned with FOCUS ENTERTAINMENT, was an immediate critical success with a press rating of 80/100 on Metacritic[3] and an 87% positive player reception on Steam. Standing apart through its top-quality narration and rich universe, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden has been referred to as an “extremely confident RPG [4]with excellent fights, characters and a world rich in traditions to explore” by British daily The Mirror. French daily Le Monde describes it as a “captivating journey among ghosts and dilemmas”.

[Expeditions: A ]MudRunner Game, by Saber Interactive, will be launched on 5 March 2024 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Developed by the creators of SnowRunner, with more than 15 million players worldwide, Expeditions transforms the famous franchise into a new off-road simulation experience with unique game mechanics. Following the press demos in January, the specialist media outlet IGN France already considered Expeditions as “a gateway to driving in extreme conditions (...). We feel real progress hour after hour, reaching our goal and enjoying the work accomplished.”

MAJOR RELEASES IN THE 2024/25 FINANCIAL YEAR

The 2024/25 financial year will notably feature the release, in the first half, of the improved version of Atlas Fallen developed by studio DECK13 INTERACTIVE, recently voted best development studio in Germany, as well as the addition of new content for players throughout the year on Expeditions: A MudRunner Game, Void Crew and Atomic Heart.  Other major titles will be released over the year, including John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando, developed by Saber Interactive, combining humour, chills and action inspired by Hollywood movies in the 1980s.

Lastly, The Arcade Crew, DOTEMU’s publishing label, will continue early access to Cross Blitz.

For DOVETAIL GAMES, the year will see the launch of several new games and the continuation and growth of the award-winning Train Sim World and Train Simulator Classic series through the regular delivery of additional content. The BLACKMILL GAMES studio will continue to invest in its latest creation of games inspired by major First World War battles with Isonzo, whose roadmap promises extensive new content for players.

Metal Slug Tactics, an adaptation of the famous Metal Slug franchise, published by DOTEMU and developed by LEIKIR STUDIO, a member of the Group, will be launched in 2024.

Published by FOCUS ENTERTAINMENT, the highly anticipated Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2[5], a cult license of Games Workshop, will be released on 9 September 2024. The game is already ranked 13th on the wish lists on the STEAM platform (Steam DB and Game popularity ranking) and already ranks among the most pre-ordered games on the Amazon platform.

Next release:

FY 2023/24 revenue: 18 April 2024 after market

About FOCUS ENTERTAINMENT

FOCUS ENTERTAINMENT is one of the European leaders in video game publishing and development. Publisher of strong licenses such as A Plague Tale, Atomic Heart, Evil West, The Surge and SnowRunner, its mission is to support leading French and international studios in the development, production monitoring, marketing, sales and financing of their projects. FOCUS ENTERTAINMENT generates more than 95% of its sales internationally. The Group generated turnover of €194.1 million in 2022-2023.

All financial information pertaining to FOCUS ENTERTAINMENT can be found at www.focusent.com

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[1] Subject to the regime for demergers in accordance with the option offered by the provisions of Article L. 236-27 of the French Commercial Code.

[2] Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden - Accolades Trailer - YouTube

3 The U.S. website Metacritic is the reference for aggregators of reviews and ratings for movies, TV series, music albums, and video games.

[4] Role-playing game.

[Expeditions: A ] 

[5] Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – Release Date Reveal Trailer