Gazillion

Gazillion Entertainment was a private video game developer and publisher headquartered in San Mateo, California. Founded in 2005 by David Brevik, a key figure behind the Diablo series, and Rob Hutter of the venture capital firm Revolution Ventures, the company aimed to create and operate a diverse portfolio of online games. Brevik's extensive background in creating successful action role-playing games heavily influenced the studio's direction, particularly its focus on massively multiplayer online (MMO) games. The company operated under a free-to-play business model, generating revenue through in-game purchases of items such as costumes and other digital goods. Initially known as NetDevil, the studio underwent a significant rebranding to Gazillion Entertainment. A major milestone for the company was securing a 10-year exclusive licensing agreement with Marvel Entertainment in 2009 to develop video games based on the Marvel Universe. This partnership led to the development and 2013 launch of its flagship title, Marvel Heroes, an action RPG MMO. The game allowed players to embody famous Marvel superheroes and was eventually rebranded as Marvel Heroes Omega in its later years. Gazillion also developed other titles, including the children-oriented MMO Super Hero Squad Online. Despite the initial success and a dedicated player base for Marvel Heroes, Gazillion Entertainment faced challenges. The business relationship with Marvel soured, leading to Disney, Marvel's parent company, ending their partnership with Gazillion. This decision resulted in the announcement that the servers for Marvel Heroes would be shut down. On November 22, 2017, the company ceased all operations and officially closed its doors, a month earlier than the originally planned server shutdown date. Keywords: video game developer, online games, MMO, free-to-play, Marvel, action RPG, game publisher, digital goods, intellectual property licensing, game studio