Video game development company Boss Fight Entertainment is on the move, announcing that it will relocate its headquarters to the first building being built at One Bethany at Watters Creek in Allen.
Boss Fight, founded by David Rippy, Scott Winsett, and Bill Jackson after the closure of Zynga Dallas in 2013, currently is based at The Cotton Mill in McKinney, and has a second studio in Austin. It produces games such as Dungeon Boss.
The move into 13,500 square feet on the third floor of One Bethany East will help the company meet its future growth, ensure its technology needs, and will be a “bigger, bolder presence” for recruiting the top talents available, said Winsett, Boss Fight’s chief operating officer.
“Moving to a new building where we can build it out to our specifications will be a big deal for us.”
Bill Jackson
“We’ve outgrown this facility [the Cotton Mill] in a lot of ways, particularly in technology,” Winsett said.
“I wanted to put us in a Class A building to help us with recruiting on the east and west coasts,” he said.
Jackson, the company’s chief creative officer, said the new building “has the potential to grow with us.”
“Moving to a new building where we can build it out to our specifications will be a big deal for us,” he said.
In the past four years, Boss Fight has grown from roughly 15 employees to its current total of about 90. Jackson doesn’t envision the growth to slow down.
“One of the most important things is that there is no interruption to our gamers.”
David Rippy
Rippy, president and CEO of Boss Fight, said an important consideration the team will face with a new home is making sure that the move is made with gamers in mind.
“One of the most important things is that there is no interruption to our gamers,” Rippy said.
That would mean that servers are set up, the internet connection is right, and that the team has 24/7 access, Rippy said. Then, they can deal with the creative aspects of the move “to show off our company.”
ALLEN LOCATION OFFERS ‘GREAT CHARACTER,’ AMENITIES
One Bethany East is being built on a 17-acre corporate office park in Allen by owner/developer Kaizen Development Partners.
Boss Fight, founded by David Rippy, Scott Winsett, and Bill Jackson after the closure of Zynga Dallas in 2013.
Jackson said the company is familiar with Allen, and the new home will offer offer important amenities for employees — walkability, shops, restaurants, and parking.
“Allen is an amazing city and with the addition of One Bethany at Watters Creek, it is everything you could ask for in a location,” Winsett said. “It has great character and the proximity to restaurants and entertainment venues as well as access to great talent made it an easy choice for us to build our headquarters and establish permanent roots here.”
IC3, a commercial real estate consulting and brokerage service firm, negotiated the lease on behalf of Boss Fight, The 125,000-square foot, Class A office building will have a conference center, training room, tenant lounge, fitness center, and a 570-space structured parking garage.
JLL said that senior vice presidents Chris Dogget and Blake Shipley and Executive Vice President Daryl Mullin, negotiated the lease on behalf of Kaizen Development Partners.
[Courtesy Boss Fight Entertainment]
[Photo Courtesy Boss Fight Entertainment]
Principals for Boss Fight Entertainment, Kaizen Development Partners, JLL, Allen Economic Development Corp, and Mayor Stephen Terrell pictured. [Photo courtesy of Allen Economic Development Corp.]
Updated Dec. 13, 2017, 10:25 p.m.
Get on the list.
Sign up to keep your eye on what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth, every day.
And, you’ll be the first to get the digital edition of our new Dallas Innovates magazine:
The annual edition publishes in January
R E A D N E X T
-
Get your slice ready. Dallas companies Flite Golf and Century Golf have teamed up to bring gamification tech to golf ranges and golf entertainment venues—with help from Senior Advisor Ken May, former CEO of Topgolf, Drive Shack, and FedEx Office.
-
The 8th annual Game Awards—called "the Oscars for the gaming world" by the New York Times, with over 83 million livestreams in 2020—will be shown live at select Cinemark theaters across the U.S. along with an advance screening of "The King's Man," an origin story for Matthew Vaughn's "Kingsmen" film series.
-
The first online-only rendition of Digital Fight Club brought the same electric debates and lively audience as it traditionally has in person—with an all-new virtual twist. Here's what went down inside the 'ring.'
-
Courting the consumer in a world of choice.
-
Animation and game design is booming—and UTD is on the forefront. Here's how its School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication has become a national leader. ATEC is producing graduates who go on to work for top companies like Blizzard Entertainment, Gearbox Software, id software, Disney, and 900lbs.
