MIAMI—With the first-ever eMerge Americas conference underway in South Beach, the tech world is looking at Miami—and some industry players are setting up shop here. Shiver Entertainment, a new video game development firm led by industry veteran and former Zynga and Electronic Arts (EA) COO John Schappert, has leased 16,000 square feet on the second floor of The Offices at Sunset Place, which is jointly owned by Simon Property Group and Institutional Mall Investors.
The lease is of the largest new-to-market tech firms to enter Miami in recent years. Shiver's new space is located at the intersection of US 1 and Red Road in South Miami's downtown district. The company expects to hire about 60 employees in time for the grand opening of its new studio in late 2014.
Tere Blanca, Alison Pages, and Alexander Cahlin of Blanca Commercial Real Estate, which serves as the exclusive leasing broker for The Offices at Sunset Place, represented the owners in the transaction. Jacque Huttoe of Huttoe Group represented Shiver. Neither Simon nor Institutional Mall Investors could immediately be reached for comment.
“The Offices at Sunset Place is an ideal location for technology firms like Shiver Entertainment,” says Pages, executive vice president of Blanca. “Sunset Place's retail, restaurant, and entertainment offerings, along with South Miami's varied price points for housing and proximity to public transit links and the University of Miami, make this a natural location for creative firms.”
Shiver is backed by tech industry heavy-hitters Schappert, Jason Andersen, and John Osvald. Schappert started his career as a programmer on hits like Madden NFL Football. He and Andersen founded Tiburon Entertainment in 1994, which was acquired by EA in 1998. After joining EA, Schappert served in various executive positions including COO. He also served as corporate vice president at Microsoft, overseeing Xbox LIVE and Microsoft Game Studios.
“We'd like to help establish Miami as a tech hub for video game development and publishing,” says Schappert. “Miami is a wonderful place to live, work and play with great schools, affordable housing, and incredible weather. The unique and flexible space we will occupy in South Miami will inspire our creative teams while giving us plenty of room to grow.”
Andersen co-founded Shiver as vice president of technology. He previously founded Budcat Creations, which Activision acquired in 2008. He has worked on some of the industry's largest franchises, including Guitar Hero, NHL Hockey, and Clay Fighter.
Co-founder Osvald, serves as vice president of production. Osvald helped Zynga establish its data-driven product design methodology. He has worked on a variety of hit games including FarmVille, FrontierVille, and CastleVille.
The firm's new space will be designed and built-out to suit Shiver Entertainment's specific needs. G. Alvarez Studio's Gigi Alvarez and Christian Vidal are designing the office, which will include meeting and quiet rooms, substantially high and exposed ceilings, open-plan areas, an arcade, and several fun, light-filled social areas.
Continue Reading for Free
Register and gain access to:
- Breaking commercial real estate news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical coverage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
