playAWARDS Adds Innovative Music and Wine Brand City Winery to Portfolio of Rewards Partners
PLAYSTUDIOS players can exchange loyalty points for shows, real-world wine rewards, tasting experiences
LAS VEGAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–PLAYSTUDIOS’ loyalty marketing program, playAWARDS, has added City Winery to its growing portfolio of loyalty rewards providers. The new partnership with this innovative live music, dining, and wine brand allows players of free-to-play PLAYSTUDIOS games – myVEGAS Bingo, myVEGAS Slots, my KONAMI Slots, POP! Slots, and myVEGAS Blackjack – to exchange loyalty points they accumulate in-game for real-world rewards. PLAYSTUDIOS recently entered into a merger agreement with Acies Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: ACAC, ACACU, ACACW) (“Acies”) which, upon closing, will result in the Company becoming a Nasdaq listed company under the ticker symbol “MYPS.”
Since 2008, City Winery has specialized in creating one-of-a-kind experiences for wine and music lovers, with live entertainment, winery tours, and an expansive online wine shop. City Winery currently operates eight locations in New York State, Atlanta, Chicago, Nashville, Boston, Washington D.C., and Philadelphia. playAWARDS members can redeem their loyalty points for a catalog of City Winery rewards, including wine discounts, a one-month wine membership, a wine decanter for their collection, and even a complimentary interactive wine tasting experience with one of City Winery’s expert winemakers.
“We are thrilled to welcome City Winery to the playAWARDS family and to share with our community all the things they have to offer, from winemaking, to live music, to unforgettable tasting experiences,” says PLAYSTUDIOS’ Head of playAWARDS Rob Oseland. “Bringing players together to make memories is what playAWARDS is all about.”
“We are always looking for new ways to engage with and delight a broader audience,” adds City Winery Founder and Chief Executive Officer Michael Dorf. “This new partnership with playAWARDS was a natural choice for us, as it will allow millions of PLAYSTUDIOS players around the world to enjoy our wines at home.”
Players will find City Winery rewards by tapping the “Rewards” button within any of PLAYSTUDIOS’ games. Additional in-person rewards will be added to the playAWARDS catalog in the coming months as City Winery venues nationwide safely re-open in accordance with state-mandated guidelines. Virtual and in-person concerts will be announced in the coming months.
City Winery joins the playAWARDS portfolio of over 275 celebrated brands offering unique experiences and rewards across the globe, including MGM Resorts International, Wolfgang Puck, Royal Caribbean International, and Maverick Helicopters, among dozens of others.
PLAYSTUDIOS games are available to download free on iOS, Android, Kindle, and Facebook.
Business Combination Transaction
On February 1, 2021, PLAYSTUDIOS, Inc. (“PLAYSTUDIOS”) entered into a proposed business combination (the “Business Combination”) with Acies Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: ACAC, ACACU, ACACW) (“Acies”). On May 26, Acies announced that it has scheduled an extraordinary general meeting of its shareholders for June 17, 2021 (the “Special Meeting”) to approve the combination with PLAYSTUDIOS. The Business Combination, if approved by Acies’ shareholders, is expected to close as soon as practicable following shareholder approval. The closing of the transaction will result in the Company becoming a Nasdaq listed company under the ticker symbol “MYPS.”
About playAWARDS
Created by award-winning game developer PLAYSTUDIOS, playAWARDS is an innovative, scalable, and cost-efficient loyalty marketing program that connects the world’s leading entertainment, retail, technology, travel, leisure, and gaming companies with a valuable, highly-engaged audience of mobile and social gamers. By integrating branded content and promotional offerings into PLAYSTUDIOS’ portfolio of casual, free-to-play mobile apps, playAWARDS keeps its rewards partners top-of-mind while converting entertaining digital impressions into real-world brand engagement. The playAWARDS platform also provides partners with a powerful suite of management and analytics tools that offer deep, actionable insights into audience engagement and program performance.
About PLAYSTUDIOS
PLAYSTUDIOS is the developer and operator of award-winning free-to-play casual games for mobile and social platforms. The company’s collection of original and published titles is powered by its groundbreaking playAWARDS loyalty marketing platform, which enables players to earn real-world rewards from a portfolio of global entertainment, retail, technology, travel, leisure, and gaming brands across 17 countries and four continents. Founded by a team of veteran gaming, hospitality, and technology entrepreneurs, PLAYSTUDIOS brings together beautifully designed mobile gaming content with an innovative loyalty platform in order to provide its players with an unequaled entertainment experience and its partners with actionable business insights. To learn more about PLAYSTUDIOS, visit playstudios.com.
About City Winery
City Winery, founded in 2008 by Michael Dorf, delivers a unique culinary and cultural experience to urban wine enthusiasts passionate about music. Each City Winery offers intimate concerts, upscale dining, private event spaces, and a fully functioning winery. To date, City Winery has locations in New York, Chicago, Nashville, Atlanta, Boston, Washington DC, and Philadelphia. In 2020, City Winery opened Hudson Valley, a hydro-powered winery, vineyard, restaurant, outdoor concert venue and private events space at the historic Montgomery Mills. Other concepts run by the company include City Vineyard at Pier 26, City Winery at Rockefeller Center, City Winery Chicago at the Riverwalk, and City Winery Greenway in Boston. Michael Dorf explains his success and outlines his career in his book, Indulge Your Senses: Scaling Intimacy in a Digital World. See www.citywinery.com for details.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company’s and Acies’ actual results may differ from their expectations, estimates and projections and consequently, you should not rely on these forward looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” “budget,” “forecast,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “believes,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include the closing of the business combination transaction between the Company and Acies. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. Most of these factors are outside the Company’s and Acies’ control and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: (1) the risk that the transaction may not be completed in a timely manner or at all, which may adversely affect the price of Acies’ securities; (2) the risk that the transaction may not be completed by Acies’ business combination deadline and the potential failure to obtain an extension of the business combination deadline if sought by Acies; (3) the failure to satisfy the conditions to the consummation of the transaction, including the approval of the merger agreement by the stockholders of Acies, the satisfaction of the minimum trust account amount following any redemptions by Acies’ public stockholders and the receipt of certain governmental and regulatory approvals; or (4) other risks and uncertainties included in Acies’ or the Company’s other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The foregoing list of factors is not exclusive, and readers should also refer to those risks included under the heading “Risk Factors” in the registration statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-253135) containing the proxy statement/prospectus relating to the proposed business combination filed by Acies with the SEC, those included under the heading “Risk Factors” in the final prospectus of Acies related to its initial public offering and those included in other filings made by Acies or the Company with the SEC from time to time. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements in this press release, which speak only as of the date made. Acies and the Company do not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this press release to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
Important Information About the Proposed Business Combination and Where to Find It
In connection with the proposed business combination, Acies filed a registration statement on Form S-4 with the SEC on February 16, 2021 (File No. 333-253135), which includes a proxy statement/prospectus, that is both the proxy statement to be distributed to holders of Acies’ common stock in connection with its solicitation of proxies for the vote by Acies’ stockholders with respect to the proposed business combination and other matters as may be described in the registration statement, as well as the prospectus relating to the offer and sale of the securities to be issued in the business combination. The registration statement was declared effective May 25, 2021. Acies will mail a definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant documents to its stockholders. This document does not contain all the information that should be considered concerning the proposed business combination and is not intended to form the basis of any investment decision or any other decision in respect of the business combination. Acies’ stockholders, the Company’s stockholders and other interested persons are advised to read, when available, the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus included in the registration statement and the amendments thereto and the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other documents filed in connection with the proposed business combination, as these materials will contain important information about the Company, Acies and the business combination. The definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials for the proposed business combination will be mailed to stockholders of Acies as of a record date of May 14, 2021. Acies’ stockholders and the Company’s stockholders will also be able to obtain copies of the proxy statement / prospectus and other documents filed with the SEC, without charge, at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, or by directing a request to: Acies Acquisition Corp., 1219 Morningside Drive, Suite 110, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266.
Participants in the Solicitation
Acies and PLAYSTUDIOS and their respective directors and officers may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies of Acies’ stockholders in connection with the proposed business combination. A list of the names of such directors and executive officers and information regarding their interests in the business combination are contained in the proxy statement/prospectus. You may obtain free copies of these documents as described in the preceding paragraph.
No Offer or Solicitation
This press release shall not constitute a solicitation of a proxy, consent or authorization with respect to any securities or in respect of the proposed business combination. This press release shall also not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any states or jurisdictions in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offering of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Contacts
Rossetti Public Relations
PLAYSTUDIOS@rossettipr.com
City Winery
Fox Greenberg Public Relations
michelle@foxgreenberg.com