Mattel named Mike DeLaet, former senior vice president of strategic partnerships at Scopely, as global head of digital gaming.
Effective July 25, DeLaet will bring more than two decades of gaming expertise to Mattel. In his role, DeLaet will be responsible for accelerating Mattel’s digital gaming product offering across all major gaming platforms, including licensing, self-publishing, and Web3. He will also oversee Mattel’s joint venture partnership with NetEase called Mattel163.
“Mike is one of the foremost leaders in digital gaming, with deep expertise across all facets of the business,” said Richard Dickson, Mattel’s chief operating officer, in a statement. “Digital experiences like gaming present a significant additional lever for engagement with our brands. As we ramp up our offerings through licensing partnerships, game tie-ins, and standalone releases, we are also looking to expand our own games across PC, console, mobile, and web-based platforms. We eagerly look forward to bringing Mike’s leadership to bear in this growing vertical for Mattel.”
DeLaet will report to Dickson. DeLaet’s experience spans all facets of gaming including business development, marketing, mobile/console/PC, IP licensing, corporate development, and distribution. In DeLaet’s most recent role at Scopely, he was responsible for business development, IP licensing, and platform distribution partnerships. There he oversaw and developed relationships with licensing partners such as Disney and Warner Bros., and platform distribution partners such as Apple, Google, Sony PlayStation, and Microsoft Xbox, among many others.
Prior to his tenure at Scopely, DeLaet cofounded Rogue Games, where he grew revenue and scale in its first full year. His prior roles include serving as senior vice president of worldwide business development and licensing at Kabam and SVP of global publishing at Glu Mobile. Before that, DeLaet managed the games division at Sprint.
“I am inspired by Mattel’s vast opportunity in digital gaming to expand on the high levels of engagement with its world-class brands,” added DeLaet. “I believe Mattel has only scratched the surface of its incredible potential in gaming and am thrilled to lead its next chapter of growth in the space.”
Mattel recently launched a He-Man game on Roblox, and it has used its brands in a wide variety of games over time.