Posted by Heidi Schwartz
RealNetworks Inc. has announced that the company is moving its Seattle headquarters to a brand new office space in Home Plate Center later this year. RealNetworks signed an 11-year lease agreement to occupy over 85,000 square feet (with options for future growth), moving its entire Seattle team of more than 350 employees to the modernized office space.
“We’re very excited to be anchoring our new headquarters at Home Plate Center,” said Rob Glaser, founder, and interim CEO of RealNetworks. “This move reinforces our long-term commitment to the Seattle community and fits our strategic initiatives, our financial objectives, and our global footprint. Moreover, when we launched RealNetworks in 1995, we were based in Seattle’s Pioneer Square, just up the street from HPC, so in a very real way we’re going back to our roots.”
RealNetworks has a global footprint extending from Seattle to Seoul, Tokyo, and Beijing in Asia to Victoria, BC, in Canada, to New York and Washington, DC, on the East Coast, and to London, Eindhoven and Salzburg in Europe, creating a much more geographically dispersed workforce than in 1999 when Real last moved its HQ. The new headquarters feature the accommodations necessary to support a global company, including advanced technological infrastructure, environmentally efficient design, and interior and exterior spaces that foster collaboration and engagement.
RealNetworks will be the anchor tenant in Home Plate Center, which is located kitty-corner from Safeco Field on First Avenue South in Seattle’s vibrant SODO neighborhood. The company will initially occupy the fourth through sixth floors, with options for future growth.
SkB Architects, well known for designing collaborative and open workspaces for leading local companies, will create a customized build-out that embraces the natural elements of the Pacific Northwest. Once completed, the new office will reinforce energy efficiency, promote communication and collaboration across the company with features such as open meeting areas, a three-level staircase to improve flow throughout the company, and a lunchroom located on the top floor adjacent to the outdoor deck.
“We’re thrilled to welcome RealNetworks as the anchor tenant at Home Plate Center,” said Henry Liebman, CEO of American Life. “They are a major company that matches the innovation and dynamic growth of the SODO neighborhood. We’re sure they’ll appreciate the location, amenities and ease of access to all modes of transportation.”
