Spin Master ramps its game business as toys go digital

Toy maker Spin Master grew to a $2 billion valuation with TV shows like Paw Patrol and toys like Air Hogs drones. But as shelter-in-place orders linger during the pandemic, the Toronto company is expanding into digital businesses, including games. Fredrik Loving recently joined as executive vice president of digital studios. A game development veteran who worked on franchises like Battlefield, Loving is running the company’s digital studio in Los Angeles. He reports to co-CEO Ronnen Harary, who cofounded the company in 1994.

Putting a guy who used to make first-person shooters in charge of a kid’s toy company’s digital effort is a big change. Loving’s task will be to evolve Spin Master’s digital strategy and create games and digital entertainment that merge physical toys with connected play experiences, much like Activision Blizzard’s efforts to create toy-game hybrid entertainment offerings like Skylanders. Such projects haven’t always ended happily, and Activision shut down Skylanders development after overestimating the hype around its $3 billion dollar franchise. But Loving is optimistic.