SUNRISE, Fla., Dec. 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jazwares, a leading
global toy company laser-focused on bringing content to life
through innovative play experiences, today announced the launch of
Squishmallows® on Roblox, the popular 3D gaming and
experiences platform expanding the world of the immensely popular
Squishmallows plush toy brand. The Metaverse game brings together
two pop-culture favorites in an amazingly fun play experience for
all ages. Developed in-house, the Squishmallows game is the
ultimate social virtual world where fans can collect Squishmallows
virtual plush, hang out with friends in an ultra-cool and colorful
world, compete in fun minigames, and customize their very own
Squishmallows-themed home.
With Roblox averaging over 47 million daily active users,
Jazwares is leveraging its portfolio, and design and development
expertise, to create new immersive branded experiences on the
Roblox platform. In addition to celebrating the debut of the
Squishmallows game, today the company also officially announced its
all-new game studio, further expanding play opportunities for kids
within the Metaverse. Under the name Jazwares Game Studio, the
company has assembled top talent helmed by Roblox developer
wunderkinds Kyle Hulse and
Samuel Jordan, who will help bring
to life the studio's vision of investing in the technologies and
platforms kids, families, and fans are engaging on today.
"Jazwares Game Studio is our next evolution in innovation. We've
always had our fingers on the pulse of trends and as we have seen
the Metaverse expand, we wanted to be able to create enriching play
experiences where kids are spending more and more of their time,"
said Laura Zebersky, President,
Jazwares. "That's why we're tapping into our powerhouse
brands, beginning with the breakout plush sensation Squishmallows,
to develop fun games and moments within Roblox."
Leading development at Jazwares Game Studio are Kyle Hulse, who joins as Operations Director,
and Samuel Jordan, who will lead as
Creative Director. Hulse began developing games on Roblox in 2015,
and released his first game in 2017, at age 15, reaching over 30
million play sessions to date. Shortly after, he began working with
Roblox Corporation as a consultant for original games, brand
partnerships, and live ops events, and later relocated to the
United Kingdom for Roblox's
prestigious "Accelerator Program," where he worked on multiple
games, helping to generate hundreds of millions of play sessions,
and tens of millions of unique users across the platform. Jordan
started his career on Roblox designing maps and layouts for
different developers' games, which quickly caught the attention of
Roblox, who then tapped him to design and create maps for two
of their sitewide events. After participating in Roblox's
"Accelerator Program," Jordan began creating 3D accessories for
Roblox's avatar marketplace, leading to opportunities to partner
with large clothing brands, such as the luxury fashion house
Stella McCartney, to design and
create Roblox accessories for their lines. To date, his collection
of original digital fashion pieces has sold over 20 million units
on Roblox, making him one of the top-selling creators on the
platform.
"We want Jazwares Game Studio to be the number one place for
play, physically and digitally," said Kyle
Hulse, Operations Director, Jazwares Game Studio. "We see
entering this space as a great way to continue to enrich our
existing brands with the potential to grow them in multiple
directions. It's a really exciting, fast-moving space to be in, and
we can't wait for what's ahead."
Since Squishmallows debut in 2017, the plush toy brand known for
the ultra-soft feel and whimsical design have surpassed more than
100 million plush sold, delighting fans of all ages, both online
and in person. The collectible Squishmallows are a social
media sensation that continue to cultivate a strong following
online. Organic Squishmallows content has generated nearly five
billion video views on TikTok and @squishmallows (and related
hashtags) have been tagged in more than one million Instagram
posts. The Squishmallows social media channels have ballooned to
more than 700,000 followers and nearly 100 global and local
Facebook groups have been created by fans.
About Jazwares
Jazwares, a subsidiary of Alleghany Capital Corporation (NYSE:
Y), is a global leader in consumer products including toys, plush,
action figures, collectibles, musical instruments, and recently
expanding into the costumes and pets category. Jazwares' portfolio
includes a variety of dynamic licensed and wholly owned brands.
With over 20 years of design, development, and manufacturing
expertise, Jazwares is an award-winning company with a progressive
focus on identifying new trends and transforming them into
high-quality products for consumers of all ages.
Jazwares, which is headquartered in Sunrise, FL, has offices around the world and
sells in over 100 countries. Since its inception in 1997, Jazwares
continues to grow through the development of new products and the
strategic acquisitions of companies. For more information about
Jazwares, please visit www.jazwares.com
Media Contacts:
Bret Ingraham
Jazwares
bingraham@jazwares.com
Nikki Liberatore
DKC on behalf of Jazwares
Nikki_Liberatore@dkcnews.com
This release contains disclosures which are forward-looking
statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include all
statements that do not relate solely to historical or current
facts, and can be identified by the use of words such as "may,"
"will," "expect," "project," "estimate," "anticipate," "plan,"
"believe," "potential," "should," "continue" or the negative
versions of those words or other comparable words. These
forward-looking statements are based upon Jazwares' current plans
or expectations and are subject to a number of uncertainties and
risks. These statements are not guarantees of future
performance, and Jazwares has no specific intention to update these
statements. As a consequence, current plans, and anticipated
actions may differ from those expressed in any forward-looking
statements made by Jazwares or on Jazwares' behalf.
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SOURCE Jazwares