FoxNext was formed on January 18, 2017, with the announcement of Salil Mehta as division president transferring from his prior post as president of content management for Twentieth Century Fox Film. The division president would answer to chairman and CEO of Fox Networks Group, and chairman and CEO of Twentieth Century Fox Film, who at the time were Peter Rice and Stacey Snider, respectively. The two video gaming units responsible for The Simpsons: Tapped Out mobile game, Fox Digital Entertainment, and the Alien: Isolation console/PC game would become a single unit under FoxNext. The division also gain the over site of the existing 20th Century Fox World theme park project under development as part of its location-based entertainment business[1] transferred from Fox Consumer Products.[3]
FoxNext on January 19, 2017, announced a VR slate with Chris Milk's and former Googler Aaron Koblin's Within VR company, which was founded in 2014 as VRSE with funding from Fox, Legendary Pictures and others. This slate, which would be available via the Within app, included another ”Planet of the Apes”, original works from Milk, Spike Jonze and Megan Ellison and Annapurna Pictures.[4] On June 6, 2017, it acquired Aftershock Studios (formerly Kabam's Los Angeles and San Francisco studios) with Aftershock head Aaron Loeb becoming president of studios for FoxNext Games.[5]
On June 1, 2017, FoxNext announced that veteran marketing executive James Finn has been named executive VP and head of marketing for FoxNext.[6] FoxNext added Marc Zachary as FoxNext Destinations' senior vice president of business development.[7]
On July 27, 2017, FoxNext Games announced that they were developing an action/RPG multiplayer mobile game, Marvel Strike Force, in conjunction with Marvel Entertainment and Aftershock Studios on the Marvel Universe.[8][9] Released on March 28, 2018, Marvel Strike Force brought in $150 million in revenue over its first year.[10]
FoxNext also published game by other studios including Futurama: Worlds of Tomorrow (2017) and The X-Files: Deep State (2018).[10] The games division formed in March 2018 Fogbank Entertainment in San Francisco splitting them off from Aftershock Studios.[11]
FoxNext acquired in January 2018 Cold Iron Studios from Perfect World Entertainment games publisher.[12] On April 26, 2018, FoxNext opened its first virtual-reality experience location-based, “Alien: Descent”, at The Outlets at Orange mall in Orange County, California.[13]
On 29 April 2018, the Dubai park was put on indefinite hold by the Al Ahli Group amid concerns that there was a "serious supply" of theme parks in Dubai.[14] In late 2018 Genting Malaysia and FoxNext started legal actions against each other over 20th Century Fox World delays.[15] The two parties settled out of court in July 2019.[16]
FoxNext indicated on February 7, 2019, the opening of a development fund to assist indie developers with resources and support. Altered Matter's Etherborn game is the first to join FoxNext Games indie games portfolio.[17]
