Sky: Children of the Light – the latest social adventure game from Thatgamecompany, makers of critically acclaimed titles such as Journey and Flower – has just secured an impressive $160M in funding. This financing round was led by NetEase and backed by new investors such as Temasek, Alpha Edison and aXiomatic, and prior backer Benchmark. The money will further develop Sky into an even richer and more expansive game.
The investment comes at an exciting time for Thatgamecompany, which recently announced it will bring its games to Google Stadia for various players worldwide. It also includes additional product launches across platforms such as Apple Arcade and within China’s publishing and distribution network, Kuaiyong. With this investment from experienced venture capitalists, Sky: Children of the Light is positioned to become one of 2019’s most compelling interactive adventures.
Sky: Children of the Light maker Thatgamecompany raises $160M in investment
Thatgamecompany, the developer of the popular game Sky: Children of the Light, has recently raised $160 million in investment. This is one of the largest investments in the gaming industry to date, and is expected to allow the company to further develop Sky and pursue other projects in the future.
This article will provide an overview of Thatgamecompany and how the investment might shape their plans for the future.
History
Thatgamecompany is an award-winning independent game development company that creates emotionally engaging experiences through interactive, digital media. Founded in 2006 by Jenova Chen and Kellee Santiago, the company has developed two critically-acclaimed, revolutionary games: flOw and Flower. Both games, presented with a unique aesthetic and immersive design unique to the industry at the time, posed a challenge to traditional gaming philosophies and took players on an emotional journey along their narrative paths. In March 2012, Thatgamecompany released its third title – Journey – which won numerous ‘Game Of The Year’ awards and cemented Thatgamecompany’s name as a leader in interactive experiences.
Fast-forward seven years — with all three games available across multiple platforms — Thatgamecompany has now experienced over 100 million downloads worldwide. And with their latest Sky: Children of the Light title currently live on iOS devices everywhere, this latest venture sees them begin to branch out from their console roots into mobile gaming. So what does that mean for Thatgamecompany’s most recent investment?
The $160M investment will further develop Sky: Children of the Light and other future titles from the studio. In addition, this influx of funds will give Thatgamecompany more resources than ever before; enabling them to pursue wider platforms for collaboration such as virtual reality or strengthen their commitment to developing ground-breaking approaches within current genres like mobile gaming or RPGs. With this additional support behind them, almost anything is game for the sky-bound dreams of Thatgamecompany.
Products
Thatgamecompany is a game development studio based in Santa Monica, California. Founded in 2006 by award-winning game veterans, the company focuses on creating profoundly meaningful social experiences for digital platforms. Their portfolio includes three critically-acclaimed games: Flow, Flower, and Journey.
The studio recently closed a $160 million Series B round of financing with The Raine Group and existing investors Benchmark and NEA. This strategic investment will enable the studio to expand its team and productivity as it drives to create original games that resonate with players worldwide.
With this new funding, Thatgamecompany plans to further invest into their latest title Sky: Children of the Light. Developed over several years Sky: Children of the Light is an adventure game that lets you fly and explore beautiful landscapes with friends worldwide. It’s also a place dedicated to giving back! The game has already had success launching on multiple platforms since 2019. It will continue to be supported further through regular content updates for its community of dedicated players across iOS, tvOS, Android (Google Play), Steam and Xbox One platforms along with China-specific versions on WeGame X (Tencent) and Huawei AppGallery (Huawei).
The Investment
Thatgamecompany, the maker of the popular social adventure game, Sky: Children of the Light, recently raised an impressive $160M from an investment from the Tencent Group. This investment marks a new chapter for the company, allowing them to invest in their teams and technology to create world-class games and experiences.
Now, look deeper at the investment and what it means for Sky: Children of the Light.
Details of the Investment
Thatgamecompany, the developers behind Sky: Children of the Light, have recently secured $160 million in investments, according to a report by VentureBeat. Sky is an adventure game set in a mystical world that players explore on their own or with friends, helping creatures along the way.
The investment was led by Chinese venture capital firm XN, and includes participation from new investors such as NetEase Invest and other existing ones, including Makers Fund. It marks one of the largest investments ever made in a videogame company since its founding over fifteen years ago. This follows other rounds of investment made back then when Thatgamecompany was founded in 2006 and consisted mainly of Series B financing for eight million dollars.
This new round of funding will be used to continue developing Sky: Children of the Light and to work on new projects Such as thatgamecompany’s upcoming Flower sequel which is coming later this year. The money will also be used to expand Thatgamecompany’s team size from 35 to 45 people which is expected help stimulate further growth for both its current games and those which remain in development process.
The injection of capital also represents more than just financial resources injected into Thatgamecompany; it signifies a vote of confidence from recognized investors in their potential products and overall potential sustainability moving forward on future projects. This certainly opens up more opportunities for experienced developers alike looking to jumpstart their ambitions within game development providing yet another symbol that sky’s not even close to the limit for where ambition can take you especially when it comes to realizing your dreams both professionally and recreationally within gaming industry.
Impact of the Investment
The recent investment in Sky: Children of the Light maker Thatgamecompany has strengthened the studio’s ability to deliver unique game experiences and expand the gaming industry. This large sum of $160M is part of the recent growth spurt within indie game development and will allow Thatgamecompany to further bolster its game development capabilities.
The studio’s founders have stated that this capital will be used towards investing in more talent, creating more impactful games, and investing in technology advancements. As an expanding indie developer, this is a key factor in allowing Thatgamecompany to move from creating fabulous diorama-like worlds to fully-fledged games that could drive success for years.
This new investment has opened the doors for new possibilities for Thatgamecompany. We are projected to see even better creations from them soon in light of this revolutionized financing level available after such a significant injection. More teams worldwide can now access resources required for developing innovative games on grand scales. In addition, this investment could catalyse growth within the indie game industry, which has become even more compelling with its non-violent, creative titles that traditional large scale publishers far too often overlook.
Future Plans
Thatgamecompany’s sky: Children of the Light has just received a $160 million investment from leading investors. This is great news for the studio and it gives the team a chance to innovate further and expand their platform.
With the new influx of capital the team can now develop new content, explore new technologies and platforms, and fulfill their ambitions for the game.
Let’s take a look at the plans that they have in store.
Expansion of Sky: Children of the Light
The recent $160M investment for Sky: Children of the Light maker, Thatgamecompany, is expected to have a major impact on the game’s future. Thatgamecompany has stated that they recognize how important it is to continue creating and updating their games with new content and experiences to keep fans engaged.
This extra capital injection is a sign that Sky: Children of the Light will expand even further as the funds will help Thatgamecompany produce even more original content and experiences while maintaining existing titles. This means fans can look forward to more chapters, characters, exclusive items, events, quests, and more, adding depth and value to the game.
Thatgamecompany also intends to increase research into growing technologies such as virtual reality (VR). This additional investment is expected to help them reach new areas within VR by producing groundbreaking experiences for users and developing platforms for innovative projects to continually challenge game development standards across multiple genres.
This influx of cash indicates a bright future for Thatgamecompany’s latest venture into sky-based adventure. It gives fans much to look forward to and provides opportunities for new users worldwide with its exciting features on all major platforms including PC, mobile and console gaming systems.
Development of New Games
Thatgamecompany, the maker of the award-winning game Sky: Children of the Light, has announced that it has raised $160 million in an investment round. This new financing will allow Thatgamecompany to continue pushing the boundaries in creativity and story-telling within interactive entertainment and help them build more accessible and emotionally impactful games for all audiences across the globe.
In addition to extending existing fan experiences on existing IPs such as Sky: Children of the Light, this investment will enable Thatgamecompany to create new games with industry-leading partners by leveraging their technology expertise to create premium titles. They plan to expand their player base by bringing beloved franchises and original IPs to multiple platforms and launching into new genres. Through leveraging new technologies such as cloud gaming, Thatgamecompany hopes to provide fans with larger, continuous worlds that stand apart from traditional single player experiences.
The investment will also allow Thatgamecompany to explore integrating AI capabilities into its upcoming titles as they search for innovative ways of creating deeper connections between players worldwide while providing unique stories in imaginative digital spaces. With this funding, Thatgamecompany is set up to pursue its mission of creating connected experiences through meaningful interactive entertainment experiences that move people emotionally and expand humanity’s self-expression.
Conclusion
The recent investment in Sky: Children of the Light by Thatgamecompany demonstrates the commitment of their backers to the potential of this video game. With over $160 million invested in this project, Thatgamecompany is poised to take on large-scale production, hiring more personnel and providing them with comprehensive training. This will allow for the continued improvement of gameplay for players and a shift towards more complex projects. As a result, investors should expect a return on their investments upon launch and long-term growth for both Sky: Children of the Light and Thatgamecompany overall.
It is clear that with such a sizable fund injection from this round of investment, thatgamecompany will be able to take Sky: Children of the Light to new heights that they may have never expected before. The increased resources should propel them into global success, contributing positively to its players’ experiences and investors’ portfolios.
