Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) today announced the acquisition of Pixomondo, an Oscar- and Emmy Award -winning virtual production, visualization and VFX company, from Mayfair Equity Partners, a dedicated technology and consumer investor.
Pixomondo (PXO), which is known for its work on premium content including Sony Pictures Television’s The Boys, as well as Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon and the upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender, maintains three LED sound stages and seven offices in the U.S., U.K., Germany and Canada.
“We could not be more excited to be joining the SPE team at this tipping point in the evolution of PXO,” said Jonny Slow, CEO at PXO. “Sony’s legacy, and creativity-driven technology strategy, mean that our company has found a home where it can truly thrive. We look forward to continuing to innovate in the virtual production and VFX space with our clients over many years to come.”
Under the deal, SPE has acquired 100% of PXO, which will continue to be led by Slow, who will now report to Ravi Ahuja, Chairman of Global TV Studios and SPE Corporate Development.
The acquisition of PXO, alongside Sony Pictures Imageworks and Sony Innovation Studios, bolsters Sony’s position as a virtual production leader and further enables the studio to serve the growing VFX and premium TV and film production industries. Collaboration between these lines of businesses will also be supported by Sony Electronics.
“Pixomondo’s impressive end-to-end virtual production technology, software and solutions further build Sony’s leadership in high quality visual effects and virtual production. And, for our TV studios, Pixomondo’s capabilities will make the hundreds of shows we produce for our streaming and network partners even more exceptional,” said Ahuja.
Bertie Aykroyd, Partner at Mayfair Equity Partners, commented, “We are proud to have partnered with the Pixomondo team, supporting the company’s evolution and growth since 2018. Pixomondo was an early mover in virtual production and has successfully diversified its offering to allow filmmakers to make tech-enabled creative decisions from the very early stages of production. With the ever-increasing demand for high-quality content, PXO’s innovative team will undoubtedly be a great success when partnered with Sony’s global offering.”
This announcement comes on the heels of Sony Innovation Studios unveiling its first LED sound stage on the historic Sony Pictures Studios lot in Culver City, earlier this month.
The Raine Group served as the financial advisor to PXO, and Goodwin Procter LLP served as their legal counsel. Hogan Lovells LLP was legal counsel for SPE.
The recipients of more than 20 industry awards and nominations, PXO has been creating high profile work since 2011, with additional credits including Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning Hugo, Star Trek Discovery, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Netflix’s upcoming movie The Pale Blue Eye. The group employs more than 600 people across seven studios and three LED volumes in Los Angeles, Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, Stuttgart, Frankfurt and London.
