Co-Founders Anthony Castoro, Jace Hall, Rick Fox and Social Impact Expert Dr. David Washington Come Together to Build Metaverse Games that Connect and Entertain People through Creative Expression, Competition, Shared Content Experiences and Cultural Discovery
SAN DIEGO, March 24, 2021 — HiDef Inc., a new video game company co-founded by interactive entertainment industry veterans Anthony Castoro, Jace Hall and Rick Fox and social impact expert Dr. David Washington, today announces that it has secured $7.5m in a Series A round led by Wick Capital Partners. HiDef has now raised more than $9m. The funding allows HiDef to ramp up development of its flagship video game, a genre-defining metaverse that places users of all ages at the creative center of its daily programming. George Toulson from Wick Capital Partners will join HiDef’s Board of Directors.
“Our mission at HiDef is to make games that have a meaningful impact on people’s lives,” said CEO Anthony Castoro. “We know that for many, games are part of their lifestyle and culture. We create games as-a-service that are designed to allow people to creatively express themselves and connect with one another in ways no other form of entertainment can. We feel that we have a responsibility to make sure that what we build is not only fun and engaging, but also has a positive impact on communities across the globe.”
“After seeing what HiDef is creating and the culture they are building, we are thrilled to lead the investment round to bring this breakthrough product to market,” said George Toulson of Wick Capital Partners. “The leadership team at HiDef has the know-how to deliver on its mission and we’re excited to see the response to this innovative project that everyone is going to want to experience.”
The market for games as-a-service is ripe for innovation and HiDef has assembled a world-class operational and advisory team from the highest levels of the gaming, entertainment and culture spaces to work closely to help design the product, launch and ultimately program the platform.
Chief Executive Officer Anthony Castoro is an entrepreneur and executive leader with extensive experience building and operating some of the world’s most successful online games over the last 25 years for companies including EA Mobile, Codemasters, Heatwave Interactive and Daybreak Games. Most recently, Anthony established independent games development studio Protagonist Games. Previously, he was a General Manager at Daybreak, producing and running one of the top 10 highest-grossing games on Steam in 2017. Prior to Daybreak, Anthony ran Castoro & Associates, a successful consultancy business with a variety of clients in the VR, online and mobile game spaces. Anthony serves on a variety of advisory boards in the games industry, including having served on the Executive Advisory Board for the University of Texas Austin GAMMA Capstone Program.
Chief Creative Officer Jace Hall is a video game industry visionary, having designed and published numerous successful AAA video game titles. Jace founded Monolith Productions, which was sold to Warner Bros. He then led Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, where he oversaw the development and management of numerous film/television/comic book multi-SKU game franchises such as: The Matrix, DC Comics and Harry Potter. Jace formed HDFilms Inc, a film and television production studio, which completed over 40 different projects for feature film, scripted and unscripted TV shows and short-form webisodes with many production partners.
Chief Business Development Officer Rick Fox brings championship-level success, experience and leadership as a three-time NBA Champion and former team captain for the Boston Celtics and LA Lakers to the business world. Fox is a serial entrepreneur and visionary that has built successful businesses from the ground up in the media, gaming, sports and entertainment industries. He is a pioneer in Esports having established the Echo Fox Gaming franchise in 2015, becoming an advocate for Esports athletes and playing a major role in shaping the industry, now projected to reach more than $4b by 2027. Over the past 25 years, Rick has also worked with and for more than 20 major networks and studios in acting and production roles. In his role as founder and CEO of production company 1774 Entertainment, he’s been behind the camera producing major TV and film projects. Rick is a frequent motivational speaker and founded the non-profit Bahamas Relief Foundation in 2019 to provide relief to his home country of the Bahamas after the devastation of Hurricane Dorian.
Chief Impact Officer Dr. David Washington is a former aide to President Obama and serves as Senior Advisor for Philanthropy & Policy to 15-time GRAMMY winner musician Alicia Keys. While in the Obama Administration, he served as Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement where he oversaw the philanthropy, business and entertainment sectors portfolio. He is also founder/CEO of Partnerships for Purpose, having advised everyone from Lady Gaga to the Walt Disney Company, and EA to E3, amongst other leaders in the entertainment, policy, foundation and corporate sectors on how to leverage their unique super powers for maximum social impact.
About Wick Capital Partners
Wick Capital Partners is an independent, fee-only SEC-registered investment advisory firm offering sophisticated wealth management solutions beyond investment advice. For more information, visit www.wickcapitalpartners.com.
About HiDef
HiDef was co-founded in 2019 by interactive entertainment veterans to build breakthrough interactive experiences that transcend traditional gaming boundaries and demographics. HiDef’s games drive culture conversation and will always contribute to the ongoing effort of social good and transformation. For more information, please visit www.HiDef.com and follow HiDef on Twitter and LinkedIn.