Gaming Firm Pixel United, Led By Fox And Discovery Vet Mike Lang, Plans Second Season Of Animated Series Based On ‘Raid’ Mobile Game Title

EXCLUSIVE: Pixel United, a gaming firm led by former Discovery, Miramax and Fox exec Mike Lang, is developing a second season of Raid: Call of the Arbiter, an animated series based on a well-established mobile game.

Mobile game Raid: Shadow Legends from Plarium, a Pixel United studio, spawned an animated series last spring. The series debuted on YouTube in May and recently wrapped its first season with 20 million views. Episodes were released weekly, helping stimulate viewer demand and also drive more interest in the game.

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As it preps the second season, Pixel United plans to consider extensions like a longer-form digital series or possibly a film adaptation.

“Our enthusiastic, loyal Raid players inspired our team to create this series in the first place, and the overwhelmingly positive response on YouTube has shown us we must create even more content outside of the game,” Lang said in a statement. “We understand there is incredible value in leveraging video game IP across the entertainment industry, and we are looking forward to partnering with streaming services and other entertainment companies to further extend the Raid franchise for mainstream audiences.”

YouTube offered the property a valuable hub, execs added, for complementary elements like behind-the-scenes videos, while also allowing influencers from the video giant’s creator community to drive incremental viewing. No final determination has been made, however, about where Season 2 will be distributed.

Nicholas Day, Executive Producer and Vice President of Creative at Plarium, said the animated series “made gameplay more meaningful while also working as standalone entertainment for anyone.”

Lang has previously held senior exec roles at Fox Entertainment (then part of News Corp.) and Discovery. He spearheaded a deal to buy Miramax from Disney and he then ran the film and TV outfit as CEO.

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