Paramount Skydance has launched Paramount Games Studios, a unified gaming division that brings together Skydance Interactive and Skydance New Media. The company’s first game announcement under the new banner is set for the Summer Game Fest 2026 Live Kickoff.

Paramount Skydance has officially launched Paramount Games Studios, a new unified gaming division designed to bring the company’s existing game development operations under one roof. The new structure combines Skydance Interactive and Skydance New Media, while Tony Driscoll has been appointed president of the division. Driscoll will also continue in his existing role as executive vice president of corporate strategy and development.

Variety has confirmed that Skydance New Media’s previously announced projects remain in development. That means Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra and the untitled Star Wars game have not disappeared from the schedule. The first game announcement from Paramount Games Studios under this new banner will be made later today during the Summer Game Fest 2026 Live Kickoff, giving the company a major public stage for the start of this new phase.

For Driscoll, this is not just another corporate side division. It is a statement that games are becoming a central part of Paramount’s broader content strategy. “I spent the early part of my career at Walt Disney Imagineering, and one of the main lessons that stayed with me is that there is no more powerful fan relationship than one where you put someone inside a world,” Driscoll said. “Games are the ultimate expression of that.”

He continued by framing the division as a meaningful change in how the company thinks about interactive entertainment. “This division launch marks a meaningful evolution in how we think about games—not as an extension of our business, but as a core pillar of our content strategy alongside film, television and streaming. We are committed to creating exceptional games for every type of player, from casual to AAA, and building enduring experiences across our beloved Paramount IP and original worlds that deepen fan engagement and drive long-term growth.”

The Goal Is Not Just Games, but Franchise Platforms

According to Driscoll, Paramount Games Studios is not only meant to make good games. The larger ambition is to build franchise platforms and fan communities that feed back into everything Paramount creates. In that model, a game is not simply an adaptation or a licensing product, but a place where fans can meaningfully participate in the life of a world. “When done well, the games we develop are foundations for fan communities to grow inside these worlds,” Driscoll explained. “The core games come first; you have to earn community with something worth caring about. But the ceiling on what these franchises can become is a function of how deeply fans can participate.”

The new division is backed by an executive team with broad experience across AAA development, publishing, licensing, and technology. Dan Prigg joins as executive vice president and head of games, bringing leadership experience from interactive entertainment businesses including senior roles at Scopely and Unity. Shawn Kittelsen becomes senior vice president and head of creative and production, with a background across major franchises such as Mortal Kombat 11, Injustice 2, The Walking Dead, and Invincible at NetherRealm Studios and WB Games. Andrea Silvers will serve as senior vice president of marketing and communications, with experience building community-first marketing ecosystems through leadership roles at Electronic Arts, EA Sports, Xero, and DocSend.

Kara Bilkiss joins as senior vice president of business development and licensing, bringing more than 20 years of experience across XR, PC, console, and mobile games, with previous leadership roles at Microsoft Gaming, Activision Blizzard King, Sony Pictures, and The Walt Disney Company. Ray Davis will serve as senior vice president of engineering, after senior roles at Epic Games, Microsoft, and Drifter Entertainment, with key contributions to Gears of War, Unreal Engine 4, Xbox, Kinect, and HoloLens. In other words, Paramount Games Studios is not being introduced as a cautious experiment. It is being built as a serious attempt to connect AAA production, licensing, community, and long-term franchise strategy inside one gaming division.

Source: Gematsu