Find: Icarus Studios announces merger


Icarus Studios announces merger

Cary-based video game company Icarus Studios has merged with a smaller business, Zabu Studio of California, to create a new game company called MFV.


Cary will serve as MFV's headquarters but Zabu CEO Milton Soong will be the chief executive of the combined company. Icarus CEO Phil Hall is remaining with the business as chief operating officer, said spokeswoman Tricia Jenkins.


The combined business has 46 employees -- 37 from Icarus and 9 from Zabu, Jenkins said.


"The formation of MFV creates a very strong alliance, combining a veteran team with cutting-edge technology and intellectual property licenses," Soong said in a prepared statement.


New Jersey's National Entertainment Collectibles Association is majority owner of MFV. National Entertainment acquired a major stake in Icarus last year, a move that also triggered the spin-off of Cary video-game business Fallen Earth as an independent company.


MFV's first project is HeroClix TabApp, a version of its HeroClix online game designed for the iPad. HeroClix Online is, in turn, a video version of the HeroClix board game that features comic book heroes.


A deal announced with Marvel announced this week calls for a half-dozen superheroes -- including Captain America, Iron Man and Thor -- to be featured in HeroClix TabApp, Jenkins said.