McKinney approves agreement with Playful Corp. for HQ – Star Local Media

The McKinney City Council approved an assignment agreement with Playful Building One, LLC, that paves the way for Playful Corp. to move forward with its new headquarters office building in downtown McKinney.

McKinney-based Playful Corp. is an independent studio founded in 2013 that is thedeveloper of the Luckys Tale franchise and Creativerse. Playful CEO Paul Bettner previously was the founder and CEO of Newtoy, the creator ofthe highly successful gameWords with Friends, which was also based in McKinney.Playful currently has partnerships with Microsoft, GameStop and Sony.

Based on the assignment agreement, Playful will construct a minimum of 45,000 square feet of Class A office building and 125 surface parking spaces adjacent to the luxury apartment and mixed-use building currently under construction at the corner of Davis and Chestnut Streets.According to current designs by Playful, the company is planning to construct a minimum of 53,000 square feet of office space, larger than the 45,000 square feet laid out in the agreement. The parking associated with this building will be available to the public on nights and weekends.

We are thrilled Playful has chosen to remain in historic downtown and to build their headquarters here, said Mayor George Fuller. The company offers high-quality jobs in the entertainment industry, and to have a young and energetic company like Playful in downtown continues to add to the rich diversity of our business landscape.

In February 2016, the City Council approved a Chapter 380 incentive agreement with Columbus Realty Partners for a two-phased development of the former Collin County courthouse site.The assignment agreement approved by City Council on Tuesday provides the citys consent to assign the phase two incentives and construction obligations to Playful, which will be constructing the office building.

The uniqueness of historic downtown and the fact that we are embedded in this community is huge for our company, said Bettner. Most cities are trying to replicate this feeling with urban centers that promote live, work play. McKinney is the authentic version of that sentiment and we hope this development continues to enhance and extend that legacy.

Read more:
McKinney approves agreement with Playful Corp. for HQ - Star Local Media