Skillshot Media, the esports entity formerly owned by Alpharetta-based game publisher Hi-Rez Studios, announced today the completion of a management buy-out by two former Hi-Rez executives. Skillshot will operate as an independent, publisher-agnostic esports solution provider and agency, and Hi-Rez Studios no longer has an ownership interest in the company.
Hi-Rez Studios Co-founder Todd Harris and former Vice President Nabil Ismail will exit Hi-Rez and serve as CEO and COO of Skillshot Media, and in strategic partnership with INAP will develop an esports operations center and production studio in downtown Atlanta. This new Esports Media Center, operated by Skillshot, will be located at 250 Williams Street NW in Atlanta, co-located within INAP’s flagship Atlanta data center facility.
“With 15 years in game development and marketing, we have seen first-hand how a community-driven esports approach delivers results for both the game publisher and brand partners,'' said Todd Harris, CEO of Skillshot Media. “Players who watch esports are more engaged and spend more money with the game publisher. Those players also have higher spending and goodwill toward partners who authentically support esports events. We believe brands that want to reach the next generation of consumers will discover esports to be the most effective and efficient way to connect with that massive audience, and Skillshot wants to help them do exactly that.”
INAP’s flagship Atlanta data center features low latency network performance enabled by patented route optimization technology and an onsight network operations center to keep game server and broadcasting infrastructure operational and at peak efficiency.
“Gaming and esports is not only the largest entertainment industry but one of the most demanding in terms of performance,” said TJ Waldorf, CMO at INAP. “INAP is proud to have powered esports communities for over a decade, and this strategic partnership with Skillshot allows us to even better serve the fast growing gaming and esports industry.”
Continues Harris, “Esports demands an IT infrastructure built for speed, reliability, and global scalability. Players are competing for millions of dollars and INAP delivers the performance required for that competitive environment. This Esports Media Center is walking distance to the Georgia World Congress Center, State Farm Arena, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and public transportation to the world’s busiest airport, allowing us to easily integrate with other Atlanta venues and hospitality partners for esports events.”
About INAP
Internap Corporation (NASDAQ: INAP) is a leading-edge provider of high-performance data center and cloud solutions with 100 network Points of Presence worldwide. INAP’s full-spectrum portfolio of high-density colocation managed cloud hosting and network solutions supports evolving IT infrastructure requirements for customers ranging from the Fortune 500 to emerging startups. INAP operates in 21 metropolitan markets, primarily in North America, with 14 INAP Data Center Flagships connected by a low-latency, high-capacity network.For more information, visit www.INAP.com.
COO of Hi-Rez Studios and President of Skillshot Media will serve on the 2019 board.
Make-A-Wish Georgia appoints Todd Harris, COO of Hi-Rez Studios and President of Skillshot Media to the 2019 board of directors.
This appointment is an extension of Hi-Rez Studios and Skillshot Media’s dedication to Make-A-Wish Georgia as a community partner and supporter. Each year, Make-A-Wish Georgia benefits from Spring Fling -- an annual, online event that encourages the SMITE and Paladins gaming community to raise funds for local wishes. Over the past two years, the event successfully raised more than $170,000 for the organization.
“I am thrilled to serve on the board of Make-A-Wish Georgia and further our commitment to this life-changing mission,” said Todd Harris, Hi-Rez Studios COO and Skillshot Media President. “As a board member, I look forward to lending my talents and expertise to serving children with critical illnesses and fulfilling wishes across the state of Georgia.”
Harris is a co-founder of Hi-Rez Studios, one of the largest video game studios in the Southeast, and President of Skillshot Media, the largest dedicated esports production company on the east coast. Between Hi-Rez Studios and Skillshot Harris works to advance competitive gaming and help partner brands authentically reach our esports fans.
“We are very fortunate to have Todd by our side as we continue to strengthen Georgia communities by creating life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses,” said Tim Earley, Make-A-Wish Georgia CEO. “Todd embodies the spirit of community and has already made an impact on our mission. The leadership, talent, expertise and energy he brings to the table will help propel our work of granting the wish of every eligible throughout our state.”
About Skillshot
Based in Alpharetta, GA, Skillshot provides a turnkey esports solution for leading competitive titles, including online and offline tournament organization, industry-leading esports production and active community management. Skillshot has more than five years of esports experience in hosting thousands of global competitors, paying out millions in tournament prizing and serving more than one billion esports views to date. Learn more at www.skillshot.com.
About Make-A-Wish Georgia
Since 1995, Make-A-Wish Georgia has been granting the wishes of local children facing critical illnesses. More than 20 years later, nearly 8,000 lives have experienced the impact of a life-changing wish. Make-A-Wish Georgia is a movement, powered by you, to renew families and communities disrupted by serious childhood illness. We all have the power to make wishes comes true. To learn how you can make wishes come true, visit www.georgia.wish.org.
