Paramount Skydance games merger opens AA co-dev pipeline across 170-person studio
Summary
Paramount Skydance merged its games divisions into Paramount Games Studio just before Summer Games Fest 2026
170-person entity unites Skydance Interactive, Skydance New Media, and Paramount IP under EVP Dan Prigg (ex-Scopely, Aspyr)
Slate includes TMNT (PlatinumGames), Star Trek: Shadow Frontier (Bloober), Marvel 1943 (Amy Hennig)
Studio explicitly opens co-dev pipeline to AA developers across console, mobile, and Roblox
"I don't want to say it always has to be AAA, because then the smaller studios who might do something amazing for us aren't going to try"
01
Paramount shifts from pure licensor to co-dev publisher
Pre-merger Paramount did zero internal development and minimal co-dev or publishing
Skydance operated two studios on a separate licensing track
Merger consolidates both into one division controlling slate, brands, and communities
Star Trek: Shadow Frontier started as a straight license before Paramount elected to co-develop and publish directly
02
"Right IP, right team, right size" is the actual pitch filter
Three-part filter: right IP, right team, right size - the last referring to both game scope and studio size
Prigg directly invites AA pitches: budget and scale flexibility is on the table
Framework is IP-led: Paramount picks the IP first, then matches studio, not the reverse
"Trying to find a studio for an IP, you usually find the wrong studio"
03
Mission Impossible tops the named IP pipeline
"Mission Impossible is still high on my list"
Star Trek flagged as "big perennial" with Shadow Frontier already in production
SpongeBob, Avatar, and Nickelodeon properties named as brand-building priorities
Skydance Interactive pivoted from VR to original PC/console IP - first new franchise built inside, not licensed
04
Mobile and Roblox carry equal pitch weight to console
Active Roblox titles include SpongeBob Squarepants and TMNT: Battle Tycoon, with continued investment confirmed
Mobile is "actively looking at" with existing Scopely and FunPlus partnerships as the base
Prigg frames audience as "4D quadrants" spanning Gen Alpha through Gen X
AA studios pitching mobile or Roblox concepts should expect equal reception to console proposals
05
Structural safeguards against Hollywood's historical retreat pattern
Every prior Hollywood games push, including past Paramount iterations, retreated to licensing when results disappointed
Warner Bros. Games is the lone long-term exception, built on TT Games and Rocksteady acquisitions
Game release schedules are decoupled from film and TV windows - no mandatory theatrical tie-ins
Prigg cites IO Interactive's 007 First Light as the benchmark: licensed IP treated as standalone theatrical-quality release
Prigg rules out aggressive studio acquisitions: scale must "come from a plan"
"We genuinely believe that games are a medium that is going to be worthy for our audience"
Events
Companies
Games
Locations
—
COMPILED BY GAMES ATLAS EDITORIAL
RELATED ARTICLES
EXPLORE MORE
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!