On November 22, 2005, Elevation Partners LP, a US private equity firm, completed the formation of a creative management partnership involving Pandemic Studios, LLC (Pandemic) and Edmonton-based BioWare Corp. (BioWare), two leading independent video game developers. The value of the combined investment will be more than US$300 million, creating one of the world's best-funded and largest independent video game development houses. Pandemic is known for its top-selling action/adventure titles; BioWare is the leading independent developer of story and character-based role-playing games. Elevation Partners had its final close on a US$1.9 billion fund this past August.
Elevation Partners was represented by Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in the US with a team that included Richard Capelouto, Chad Skinner, Jason Schendel and Bianca Sierra (corporate), Charlie Rappaport and Nancy Mehlman (tax), Jeff Ostrow, Daniel Frommer and Mark Solomon (IP) and Richard Grimm and Wendy Davis (employment); and by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP in Canada with a team that included Stephen Sigurdson, Craig Wright, Andrea Whyte, Simon Baines and Joshua Doig (corporate), Dov Begun and Nancy Diep (tax), Peter Glossop and Shuli Rodal (competition and Investment Canada), Kelly Moffatt and Andrea Slane (IP), Damian Rigolo (employment) and Sean Maxwell (pensions and benefits).
BioWare was represented by Bishop & McKenzie LLP in Canada with a team that included Norbert Broda, John Kane, Q.C., Alan du Heaume, Q.C., Trina Kemeridis and Blair Willie; by Canadian tax counsel Felesky Flynn LLP with a team that included Patrick Kirby, Q.C., and Donald Cherniawsky; and by Fenwick & West LLP in the US with a team that included Mark Stevens, Greg Roussel, Michael Tang and Kee Bong Kim (corporate), Ralph Pais, Jennifer Stanley and Ben Longoria (IP), David Forst and Timothy Fitzgibbon (tax) and Blake Martell (employment).
Elevation Partners was represented by Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP in the US with a team that included Richard Capelouto, Chad Skinner, Jason Schendel and Bianca Sierra (corporate), Charlie Rappaport and Nancy Mehlman (tax), Jeff Ostrow, Daniel Frommer and Mark Solomon (IP) and Richard Grimm and Wendy Davis (employment); and by Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP in Canada with a team that included Stephen Sigurdson, Craig Wright, Andrea Whyte, Simon Baines and Joshua Doig (corporate), Dov Begun and Nancy Diep (tax), Peter Glossop and Shuli Rodal (competition and Investment Canada), Kelly Moffatt and Andrea Slane (IP), Damian Rigolo (employment) and Sean Maxwell (pensions and benefits).
BioWare was represented by Bishop & McKenzie LLP in Canada with a team that included Norbert Broda, John Kane, Q.C., Alan du Heaume, Q.C., Trina Kemeridis and Blair Willie; by Canadian tax counsel Felesky Flynn LLP with a team that included Patrick Kirby, Q.C., and Donald Cherniawsky; and by Fenwick & West LLP in the US with a team that included Mark Stevens, Greg Roussel, Michael Tang and Kee Bong Kim (corporate), Ralph Pais, Jennifer Stanley and Ben Longoria (IP), David Forst and Timothy Fitzgibbon (tax) and Blake Martell (employment).
