Clark Stacey

Last updated
Clark Stacey
BornFebruary 24, 1980
Years active1992–present
Known forCEO of Wildworks
Notable workAnimal Jam, Tunnel Town, Fer.al,
Website https://clarkstacey.com/

Clark Stacey is the co-founder [1] and former chief executive officer of WildWorks [2] [3] [4] (earlier known as Smart Bomb Interactive), [5] which in 2010 launched the National Geographic Animal Jam , a massively multiplayer online virtual world, in partnership with the National Geographic Society. [6] [7] [8] The game has around 75 million registered players, [9] [10] and is one of the fastest-growing online children's properties worldwide, targeted at the 9–11 years age group. [11] [12]

Contents

Early life and Education

Stacey was born and raised in Ogden, Utah. [5] He graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in English literature and philosophy. [13]

Career

In 1992, in consequence of his long-standing interest in the field, Stacey teamed up with Kris Johnson again and co-founded Smart Bomb Interactive, which specialized as a game development studio and earned revenues through a licensing model. During these years, video games exemplifying explosions and destruction became the leitmotifs of Stacey's video game productions. [5]

Stacey and Johnson subsequently rechristened the company as WildWorks. [3] Based out of Salt Lake City and employing around 130 video game developers as of 2016, [12] Stacey and Johnson went on to develop highly followed games like Animal Jam Classic, Snoopy Flying Ace, Tunnel Town, Fer.al, and others. [3] In August 2022, Wildworks was acquired by Nazara Technologies. [14]

Around January 2024, Stacey stepped down from the CEO position at WildWorks, but continues to work with them as a board member. [15]

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Young Explorers Experience Ultimate Online Playground With National Geographic Animal Jam – National Geographic Partners Press Room". Press.nationalgeographic.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Clark Stacey's Page - Innovation Insights". Insights.wired.com. Archived from the original on August 11, 2017. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 "Clark Stacey – FamilyTech". Familytechsummit.com. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Always Listen to User Feedback, Even When it's From Kids". tech.co. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 "Clark Stacey, President and CEO, Smart Bomb Interactive". Engage2012.engagedigital.com. Archived from the original on August 11, 2017. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Utah's Digital Entertainment Industry Levels Up". Utah Business. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  7. ↑ "To Teach STEM Effectively, Make It Fun (VIDEO)". Tech.co. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Smart Bomb's National Geographic Animal Jam® Nominated in 17th Annual Webby Awards – National Geographic Partners Press Room". Press.nationalgeographic.com. Archived from the original on April 19, 2013. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Kidscreen » Archive » Virtually gone? Think again". Kidscreen.com. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  10. ↑ Crawley, Dan (March 2015). "Animal Jam teams with Free the Children to encourage global citizenship in kids". VentureBeat.
  11. ↑ Huffpost. "Four Ways Online Games can Prevent Cyberbullying". The Huffington Post. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  12. 1 2 "Interview with WildWorks CEO Clark Stacey, creator of 'Animal Jam'". Us.blastingnews.com. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  13. ↑ "The Dos and Don'ts of Making Your Own Studio - Utah Games". games.utah.edu. 2023-02-27. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
  14. ↑ "Nazara Technologies acquires US-based gaming firm WildWorks". Business Today. 2022-08-30. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
  15. ↑ "WildWorks CEO Clark Stacey steps down after 21 years". Pocket Gamer.biz. 2024-01-09. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
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