IENT- Is ThrillerNewMedia The Next Microprose?
company is about to emerge in the $8 billion online global games
market, the fastest growing sub-segment of the $41 billion worldwide
games business. And it’s going to be a real-world techno Thriller!
“We’re going after the Tom Clancy’s of tomorrow,” Stealey said.
Why did they have so
much confidence to be able to get a slice in such a fastest growing
segment of the 41 billion USD global video games industry – the
eight-billion-dollar-a-year online games market? They will tell you
with great pride. Many members of the Thriller New Media team have
strong roots in military video games, spy games, FPS action games and
online multiplayer games going back to circa 1985-92 MicroProse, one of
the most successful game brands of all time. The team’s goal is to once
again build a world-class, worldwide, online game company in the
tradition of MicroProse with long term franchise value.
Note: They sold Microprose to Hasbro for $70 Million in the early 90’s.
Company Highlights
-iEntertainment Network, Inc. Acquired Thriller New Media, Inc. Jan. 13, 2010.
-Thriller New Media will operate as a subsidiary of
IENT and operate all of IENT’s current and future military online and
retail games, novels, and movies
-Signed contract with New York Times bestselling authors. They would
have got time Clancy but Fred Schmidt signed them to ubisoft when he
was working with them.
-Thriller New Media signed contracts with Hypernia Hosting Corp, the
leader in online hosting services and solutions for the interactive
entertainment industry
-AS= 50 million OS=42 Million Float= Less than 12 million
-Trading over $10 a share at its peak, with millions in revenues, and more than 75 employees.
-Insiders control 41% of OS, CEO owns 36%
-In 2002 IENT signed an exclusive distribution deal with Activision
-New game is expected to hit local stores in February 2010 “DogFights” “First in Store Release in 5 Years”
-I went to ThrillerNewMedia and noticed their website now redirects
to totalsims.com, so I’m expecting to see a new website appear in the
near future.
-Thriller New Media has contracts with three best selling New York
Times authors. We are expecting to hear the name of one within the next
month. Of course, the biggest military author, Tom Clancy (who signed
his first game deal with Fred Schmidt, Now Thriller New Media’s CEO),
has been claimed by Ubisoft
- Thriller New Media has also developed a concept of an online
military destination community portal, known as ThrillerHQ, where
members can play massively multiplayer online military games, can get
real time information and news about military issues around the world,
and can purchase a variety of products including retail games, books,
DVDs, and movies
- IENT Owns a Revolutionary Patent for Online Gaming
IENT Owns a Revolutionary Patent to Make Online Gaming Much Faster.
Which is a Must for Today’s Demanding Games. “The Company is the holder
of United States Patent no. 6,042,477 – a method of and system for
minimizing the effects of time latency…on interconnected computers.”
Huge Companies Try to Claim IEntertainment’s Revolutionary Patent.
“Another recent patent lawsuit was brought by iEntertainment Network
against Epic Games, Atari, Valve Corporation, Sierra, Sony Online
Entertainment and various Sony offices. As reported by Gamasutra, the
suit was in connection with use of a method relating to “…latency in
online games. The original patent, which seems to have been filed in
1996 by Dale Addink while working on early online flight sim title
Warbirds, revolves around ‘minimizing the effects of time latency in
multilayer electronic games played on interconnected computers’ by
including ‘time dependent attribute information’ in the packets. Patent
owner iEntertainment, which was founded by Microprose co-founder JW
‘Wild Bill’ Stealey, demanded unspecified damages regarding the
patent.” This litigation was ultimately settled.”
-Together these three launched Microprse and sold it to Hasbro for
roughly $70 million. After MicroProse made it big, Bill, Fred and Jim
all went in different business directions but have always stayed in
touch and generally remained in the games business which they all love.
After 20 years of this pursuit, rather than retire like most smart
folks would, these guys have decided to come together again to build
yet another great company/brand of quality game products and related
media.
- they are actively reassembling a lot of the best talent they have
ever worked with in the industry and using that extended network to
further build a top-rate development and publishing organization.
- Thriller is a recently formed online game company founded on more
than 100 years of senior management experience in the videogames,
technology and entertainment industries.
-IN a 2003 PR JW Stealey discussing the delisting from the NASDAQ,
he said we would be back on the capital markets in the future!! Looks
like our time is near, after 7 years of silence JW Stealey is rebooting
the company! http://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/company-structures/5699577-1.html
-Since the delisting IENT has achieved the following accomplishments:
History Channel Battle for Brittan, Warbirds series up to 3, FlyBoy
Squadron “Had Contract with Movie,” Helbreath, Dawn of Aces 1 and 2,
Armored Assault, Total Sims Series, Online Gaming/Prize Website, won
patent lawsuit against major companies “IE:Sony, Valve, etc.,” and
there’s more!
Games, won lawsuit, prize website, warbirds still going, etc..
Related Companies
Company Symbol Price Change Market Cap
Activision Blizzard, Inc.ATVI 10.89 0.28% 13.81B 44.45
Electronic Arts Inc.ERTS 17.03 0.87% 5.54B N/A
Rovi CorporationROVI 31.18 1.80% 3.21B N/A
Konami Corp.KNM 17.99 0.61% 2.40B 199.89
Changyou.com LimitedCYOU 34.52 1.47% 1.77B 12.83
Blackboard Inc.BBBB 44.91 0.49% 1.46B 221.23
Management Team
J.W. “Bill” Stealey
Chairman & Chief Playtester
J.W. “Bill” Stealey is a co-founder of Thriller New Media and serves as Chairman. In that capacity he focuses on big-picture strategic opportunity, global business development, capital raising and product evaluations.
However he also prides himself on being the “chief playtester” for most
every product he has ever shipped. You have never seen a video game so
vividly demonstrated until you’ve witnessed “Col. Wild Bill” at the
controls of an action game with a microphone, speakers and an enemy
combatant he is out to shut down. Hold on to your seat!
Prior to co-founding Thriller, Bill served two rounds as Chief
Executive Officer of iEntertainment Network, Inc. (IENT) and its
predecessor company, Interactive Magic, Inc. (IMGK), both companies
providers of online entertainment communities and publishers of online
and retail games. iENT still runs
the MMO simulation games Warbirds, Flyboys and Armored Assault Tank
Simulator. i-Magic published Capitalism, Seven Kingdoms, Air Warrior I
& II, Apache, Hind, and many other titles in the military games
genre. Prior to all that, Bill was co-founder, Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of MicroProse Software, Inc., a developer and
publisher of award-winning flight simulation and strategy games with
famed designer, Sid Meier. A sample of the hit titles launched by MicroProse are listed under Company Overview.
Before Bill got the lifelong game bug, he was Group Director of Business Development at General Instruments Corporation. At various times during his career, Bill
has also held management consulting positions with Strategic Marketing
Consultants, Cresap, McCormick and Paget, and McKinsey & Co. He
spent six years as an operational pilot in the United States Air Force
teaching hundreds of pilots how to fly, and for a time was assigned to
the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon while in active USAF Reserves.
Bill has a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from the United States Air
Force Academy and a M.B.A in finance and strategic management from the
Wharton School of Business of the University of Pennsylvania.
Fred Schmidt
President, CEO & Chief Product Evangelist
Fred Schmidt is a co-founder of Thriller New Media and serves as
President & CEO. In that capacity he focuses on building out the
company into a well-balanced operation of motivated, passionate,
experienced people who work well together to make great games. Fred
is carefully crafting all global branding for Thriller as he has done
for several top game studios/publishers in the past, as well as many
other entertainment companies. He also oversees all publishing
operations at Thriller. As a restless gamer, Fred plays “hundreds of
different games a little bit”, trying to stay on top of the market and
trends, and to kill time he doesn’t have. He
considers himself privileged and inspired to have worked alongside some
of the finest development talent in the game business: Sid Meier,
Richard Garriott (twice), Warren Spector, Chris Roberts, Ned Lerner,
Paul Neurath, Andy Hollis, Starr Long, Arnold Hendrick, among many
others, and some of the best game Studios ever: MicroProse, ORIGIN,
Looking Glass, Destination Games, ArenaNet, Cryptic, NetDevil, Team
E&G.
Prior to co-founding Thriller, Fred was with NCsoft Corporation –
North America, first joining as Vice President of Marketing &
Sales, then later becoming Vice President of Strategic Development and
General Manager of its PlayNC gaming portal. NCsoft is a leading Korean-based public company that
produces online games, including the top-ranked Asian MMOG, Lineage I
& II. Fred launched Lineage II, City of Heroes/Villains and the
Guild Wars franchises in North America, shaped the company’s branding and industry positioning, and helped NCsoft-NA grow from veritable startup to a $70 million annual revenue publisher domestically.
Before that, Fred was Vice President of Business Development for one
year, and Vice President and General Manager for four years with ORIGIN
Systems, before and through its merger with Electronic Arts in 1992.
While at ORIGIN he branded and launched games such as Ultima V-VIII,
Wing Commander, Strike Commander and numerous others. And before that
he was Vice President of Marketing at MicroProse Software with Bill Stealey and Sid Meier. A
sample of the hit titles launched by MicroProse are listed under
Company Overview. In and around his three prior tours of duty in games,
Fred has worked on staff or as a consultant in cable and broadcast
television, radio, print, music, lifestyle retail and dining. He has a
B.A. in Mass Communications with concentrations in marketing and
international business from Wayne State University.
Jim Bull
SVP, Business Development, & Chief Product Skeptic
Jim Bull is a co-founder of Thriller New Media, a strategic
consultant, and will serve as Senior Vice President of Business
Development. In that capacity he is focusing on evaluating new
products, preparing the traditional distribution channel for the coming
of Thriller products, and analyzing new electronic sales delivery
media. From his perch in the sales channel juggernaut, Jim has seen
every type of videogame imaginable both succeed impressively and fail
miserably. He knows a good game from a bad one. And he really likes the
good ones.
Alongside his work with Thriller, Jim is a 1992 Co-founder and Partner in Strategic Marketing Partners, Inc. (SMP), an international sales and marketing services company whose publisher clients include little names you may have heard of like LucasArts, Sony Online Entertainment, Disney Interactive, Square-Enix, Aspyr Media, PopCap, and many others. SMP routinely books over $500 million in aggregate orders on behalf of its client company’s game products into retail and online channels of distribution.
Prior to SMP, Jim served as Senior Vice President of Sales at MicroProse Software together with Bill Stealey and Sid Meier. A
sample of the hit titles launched by MicroProse are listed under
Company Overview. Before that he was National Field Sales Manager for
Activision, Inc and Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing at
First Software. Jim has also held sales and marketing positions at CBS Publishing, Mattel Electronics, and Bell & Howell. He attended the University of California at Los Angeles.
Other Key Contributors — in Development, Finance, Global Publishing,
etc. — are lined up and more are being unearthed every week. But none
are ready to be named just yet.
|
|
