BOCA RATON, Fla., April 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Grom Social Enterprises, Inc (NASDAQ: GROM), which recently announced that it has entered into a Letter of Intent (LOI) to acquire Arctic7, the Austin, Texas-based game and co-development services provider, today announced the formation of a synergy council that will, upon completion of the acquisition, explore gaming production and other opportunities for ancillary revenue growth.

Grom, a media, technology, and entertainment company focused on family-friendly programming, web filtering technology and safe social media for kids, intends to explore ways Arctic7’s proven expertise can complement its existing entertainment offerings of safe, social media for kids, its growing catalog of original intellectual properties and its robust 2D animation production studio, based in Manila, the Philippines. Specifically, the synergy council will be tasked with delving into ways Grom might embrace kid- and family-friendly gaming into the company's platforms, create original content together and pursue opportunities the acquisition presents for Top Draw Animation's 300+ animation pros.

Darren Marks, CEO of Grom, said: “The gaming market represents $180B, with children’s gaming being sizable +$20bn of that. As Arctic7 continues to focus on its current market approach, Grom and Arctic7 believe there is a strong opportunity to further drive revenue growth including via expanding existing Grom properties to games, synergies in content creation and more.”

Arctic7 attended the GDC conference held in San Francisco in March. Igor Efremov, CEO of Arctic7, said: “GDC 2024 was the most successful event so far for Arctic7 with more than 40 meetings at the conference focussed on building momentum and gaining traction for our full-game development and co-development offerings. We were also able to talk to partners about our original in-development IP and talked with studios about potential M&A opportunities.”

Under the leadership of its CEO, Igor Efremov, Arctic7 has quickly established itself in the gaming industry and demonstrated impressive growth, achieving $7.9 million (unaudited) in its first fiscal year (FY23) and anticipates reaching approximately $14 million (unaudited) in FY24. Launched in 2022, Arctic7 has focused on becoming an industry leader and innovator by delivering exceptional experiences in full game development, co-development, and virtual production for its partners and players and serve as a nexus for creative collaboration within the entertainment industry.

About Arctic7
Established in 2022, Arctic7 is an industry leading team focused on delivering exceptional experiences via full game development, co-development and virtual production. With a focus on forming strategic partnerships, we aim to work with the world’s leading gaming, TV and movie companies delivering unparalleled experiences to our partners and players. Our diverse and experienced team, drawn from industry-leading gaming, film, and TV companies, is uniquely equipped to excel in this mission. With a growing global footprint, our four studios are strategically situated in two US locations, Canada and Europe. Each studio, being an integral part of our collective strength of more than 120 dedicated professionals, contributes to the rich tapestry of culture and creativity that defines Arctic7.
www.arctic7.com

About Grom Social Enterprises, Inc.
Grom Social Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ: GROM) is a growing social media platform and original content provider of entertainment for children under 13, which provides safe and secure digital environments for kids that can be monitored by their parents or guardians. The Company has several operating subsidiaries, including Grom Social, which delivers its content through mobile and desktop environments (web portal and apps) that entertain children, lets them interact with friends, access relevant news, and play proprietary games while teaching them about being good digital citizens and Curiosity Ink Media, a global media company that develops, acquires, builds, grows, and maximizes the short, mid & long-term commercial potential of Kids & Family entertainment properties and associated business opportunities. The Company also owns and operates Top Draw Animation, which produces award-winning animation content for some of the largest international media companies in the world. Grom also includes Grom Educational Services, which provides web filtering for K-12 schools, government and private businesses. For more information, please visit https://gromsocial.com or for investor relations, please visit https://investors.gromsocial.com.

Press contacts: Jon Goddard ( jon.goddard@arctic7.com) / Paul Ward ( paul@gromsocial.com)
Partnerships contact: Bill Anker ( bill.anker@arctic7.com)
Investor Relations contact: Floyd Stumpf ( info@wwfinancial.com)