HiDef Inc. Announces Collaboration with Unity and Hires Team of Industry Leaders to Bring Cutting Edge Mobile Games to Market

HiDef’s World-class Mobile Publishing Team will Leverage Unity to Build Metaverse Games that Connect and Entertain People through Creative Expression, Competition, Shared Content Experiences, and Cultural Discovery

SAN DIEGO, September 1, 2021 — HiDef Inc., a new video game company announced earlier this year with interactive entertainment industry veterans Anthony Castoro, Jace Hall, and Rick Fox, and social impact expert Dr. David Washington, today announced an important round of new mobile gaming hires and a collaboration with Unity.  HiDef believes in leveling the playing field for creators and innovators of all backgrounds by opening doors to opportunities that traditionally do not have pathways into careers in gaming and technology. 

UNITY COLLABORATION

HiDef will be developing their first title, a genre-defining metaverse mobile game, using Unity’s world-leading technology platform for creating and operating interactive, real-time 3D (RT3D) content. HiDef’s flagship title will be featured in the Made with Unity co-marketing program as well as benefit from working alongside Unity’s Operate Solutions Gaming Services team. This opportunity to work closely with Unity is a powerful boost to HiDef’s decision to self-publish as the benefits offered by Unity’s reach and industry insights in the mobile market will be a key contributor to HiDef titles’ success. 

This collaboration is about more than just aligning technology. HiDef and Unity share a dedicated conviction around empowering creators all over the world, no matter their background. The stories that shape the world the most are often those told by underrepresented voices. Giving rise to the voices from these communities and providing access to real-time 3D tools, creates paths towards economic opportunity and a richer understanding of the solutions that can make the world a better place. Unity’s Vice President of Social Impact, Jessica Lindl, and HiDef Co-founder and Chief Impact Officer, Dr. Washington, will work closely together on multiple fronts to ensure that HiDef’s games have the power of both impact organizations. The first expression of this collaboration can be seen at the upcoming Unity for Humanity 2021 Summit, where Dr. Washington will be conducting a Fireside Chat with Common. 

“The team at HiDef is committed to enhancing our vision of empowering creators around the world to share their stories,” said Jessica Lindl, Vice President, Social Impact, Unity Technologies. “HiDef is a perfect collaborator for Unity, as we have shared values and a shared stance on the power of inclusive storytelling to make real-world changes. After seeing what HiDef is creating and the culture they are building in their studio, we are thrilled to work with them and excited to see what’s in store with their first title and beyond.”

LEADERSHIP & NEW HIRES

HiDef is building a studio that builds metaverse games that connect and entertain people while simultaneously challenging traditional games industry standards, driving positive impact for communities across the globe. 

HiDef’s new hires exemplify the deep bench of industry veterans curated specifically for their mobile game experience. These include Chip Lange as President, Jen Donahoe as Head of Publishing and Marketing, Chad Stafford as Executive Producer, and Chris Cleary as Director of Product Management and Analytics. Between these new hires, HiDef’s team now includes a combined 60 years of mobile gaming experience developing and launching countless Triple-A titles with top developers and publishers, including Electronic Arts, Zynga, Riot Games, Scopely, and Gearbox.

“The team at HiDef has been hand-picked for their proven ability to make games that have a meaningful impact on peoples’ lives,” said HiDef CEO Anthony Castoro. “HiDef’s flagship title will be a genre-defining metaverse mobile game, and the team of industry veterans along with our collaboration with Unity’s technology program, offering the best cross-platform mobile development platform, sets us up for success.”

HiDef is a multi-platform gaming company founded by industry veterans and expressly designed from the ground up to activate the creativity inherent in the gaming audience. Through a unique gameplay technology platform, HiDef also aims to contribute and engage with the community around a mission of positively contributing to culture and society while opening up new powerful channels created by gamers. The team is already busy working on HiDef’s initial game, which will launch first on mobile next year. For more information, visit https://hidef.com/.

About HiDef

HiDef was co-founded in 2019 by interactive entertainment veterans Anthony Castoro, Jace Hall, and Rick Fox and social impact expert Dr. David Washington to build breakthrough interactive experiences, via a proprietary technology platform, that transcends traditional gaming boundaries and demographics. HiDef’s games are designed to give unimagined creative expression to the universe of gamers and will contribute to the ongoing effort of social good and transformation. HiDef’s initial game will launch first on mobile in 2022. For more information, please visit www.HiDef.com and follow HiDef on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Unity

Unity (NYSE: U) is the world’s leading platform for creating and operating real-time 3D (RT3D) content. Creators, ranging from game developers to artists, architects, automotive designers, filmmakers, and others, use Unity to make their imaginations come to life. Unity’s platform provides a comprehensive set of software solutions to create, run and monetize interactive, real-time 2D and 3D content for mobile phones, tablets, PCs, consoles, and augmented and virtual reality devices. The company’s 1,800+ person research and development team keeps Unity at the forefront of development by working alongside partners to ensure optimized support for the latest releases and platforms. Apps developed by Unity creators have been downloaded more than five billion times per month in 2020. For more information, please visit www.unity.com.

Entertainment Industry Veterans Unveil HiDef Inc., A New Video Game Company With $9m in Funding

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.