US-based games developer and publisher Supersocial, which builds games and experiences for the Roblox gaming platform, has raised $5.2 million dollars in seed funding.
Supersocial says that it plans to use the funding “to build iconic metaverse experiences”, and it has also revealed that Warner Music Group is one of its new investors.
This news comes 10 months after WMG invested in Roblox as part of a $520 million Series H round.
Supersocial’s seed round was led by Initial Capital with investment from Griffin Gaming Partners, Marc Benioff’s TIME Ventures, LightShed Ventures (investors in Genvid, Cameo), Powerhouse Capital (investors in Calm, MasterClass), Aream & Co, and prominent angel investors.
Supersocial was founded by entrepreneurs Yonatan Raz-Fridman “Yon” (CEO) and Pedro Romi (CFO), who previously founded successful, venture-backed consumer technology and Internet companies Kano and Retroca respectively, joined by co-founders Luiza Justus (Creative Director) and Tatiana Wlasek (VP Marketing & People Experience).
The company is currently preparing multiple titles for launch on the Roblox platform including the much Ghostopia experience – a multiplayer RPG game.
Supersocial has also established Supersocial Labs, an evolution of the “cell” concept in mobile games tailored to metaverse platforms like Roblox.
This bespoke division of Supersocial recruits and employs Roblox developers to create experiences in rapid development cycles and provides capital, operating expertise, support and infrastructure to help creators bring new games to life.
Through the Labs division, Supersocial has multiple games under development, all of which are expected to be released in the near future.
“It’s inspiring for the future of both our company and the metaverse itself when such insightful business people can see the horizon you want to travel toward and help you cut the path.”
Yon Raz-Fridman
“It’s inspiring for the future of both our company and the metaverse itself when such insightful business people can see the horizon you want to travel toward and help you cut the path,” said CEO Yon Raz-Fridman.
“The experiences that we envision building at Supersocial are not merely ‘games,’ they are worlds that illustrate our approach to living in the metaverse. The relationships and experience our benefactors bring are just as valuable to us as any financial bottomline.”
“At Initial Capital, we have been intensely focused on partnering with the next generation of leaders in this rapidly emerging and evolving universe and are excited and honored to partner with a visionary like Yon and his extraordinary colleagues at Supersocial.”
Ken Lamb, Initial Capital
Ken Lamb, co-founder of Initial Capital, who has joined the Supersocial Board, said: “We are in the midst of a seismic shift in the nature of mobile gaming driven by super-fast mobile data, ubiquitous social media, user-generated content, massive multiplayer online worlds and a merging of ‘real’ and ‘virtual’ worlds on platforms like Roblox and other emerging metaverses.
“At Initial Capital, we have been intensely focused on partnering with the next generation of leaders in this rapidly emerging and evolving universe and are excited and honored to partner with a visionary like Yon and his extraordinary colleagues at Supersocial.”
“Roblox has created the largest current building block of the metaverse and the one place with the tools for anyone to become a developer of quality experiences.”
Brandon Ross, LightShed Ventures
Brandon Ross, partner at LightShed Ventures, added: “Roblox has created the largest current building block of the metaverse and the one place with the tools for anyone to become a developer of quality experiences.
“Nonetheless, a few professional studios will lead the charge in bringing even more immersive experiences onto the platform. Supersocial is at the top of that list and we are eagerly anticipating the launch of Ghostopia.”
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