Fox opens full-fledged video game division, FoxNext

U.S. television behemoth Fox has opened the doors on FoxNext, a new division focused on the expansion of the company's video game, virtual reality, and augmented reality operations.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, 20th Century Fox Film's former president of content management, Salil Mehta, will take charge of FoxNext.

It seems the new wing has been spun out from the Fox Innovation Lab, which launched the media giant's first slice of virtual reality content, The Martian VR Experience. 

Moving forward, FoxNext will oversee the creation of the company's franchise-based VR experiences, and will look to merge the gaming groups behind titles including The Simpsons: Tapped Out and Alien: Isolation into a single, cohesive team. 

"Extending our storytelling to new platforms in new ways is a constant focus for us as we look to build more touch points with consumers every day," reads a Fox statement. 

"Building on the momentum we’ve already seen in this area via the Fox Innovation Lab, FoxNext represents a natural next step in defining our long-term vision in this arena."

It's worth pointing out that this isn't the company's first foray into games. Back in 1994 it founded Fox Interactive to publish, develop, and produce games mainly based on 20th Century Fox movie and television properties.

Fox Interactive was the studio behind titles such as The Simpsons: Hit and Run and Die Hard: Vendetta. It was shut down after being acquired by French media conglomerate Vivendi -- currently chasing Ubisoft -- in 2006.