It's time to sit down and relax while we try to explain this succinctly.
If you have been following the Stormy Daniels case against former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, it might surprise you to learn that there is a (tangential) connection to gaming. In newly released documents from Avenatti & Associates, Daniels' attorneys are looking at a connection between Cohen, a Russian oligarch named Viktor Vekselberg, his cousin Andrew Intrater and Columbus Nova, a holding company that is part of the Renova Group. Columbus Nova is named as "chief among many suspicious and possibly fraudulent financial transactions involving Mr. Cohen".
Columbus Nova is a private equity firm founded in 2000 with over $2 billion in assets.Mr. Intrater is the CEO of Columbus Nova.Columbus Nova is the U.S. investment vehicle for Renova Group, a multi-nationalcompany controlled by Mr. Vekselberg. Renova group holds investments in various interests, including mining, oil, and telecommunications.
What does this have to do with gaming? Here's the connection: Columbus Nova is the holding company that purchased Daybreak Game Company (formerly Sony Online Entertainment), the development group behind the EverQuest, Planetside and H1Z1 franchises. While DGC has no direct connection to the case, it comes as part and parcel of recent matters brought to light in an investigative piece at MassivelyOP.
Since the story broke early last week, Daybreak has been backpedaling on its connection to Columbus Nova going so far as to purge most references from its site and removing the original press announcement regarding the buyout. In addition, there are rumors of DGB exploring buyout options from other companies and more.
It's quite the tangled skein of yarn, isn't it? We'll keep you posted as more develops.
