Sensible Object Closes $3.2 Million in New Funding from NCSOFT and March Capital Partners
Sensible Objects, the London-based game company that integrates physical objects and board games with mobile apps and Alexa skills, announced a new funding round today. Leading the $3.2 million round are the game company NCSOFT and venture capital fund March Capital Partners. Previous investors London Venture Partners and the Amazon Alexa Fund also participated in the round. A media release says this brings total company funding to $5 million. Pitchbook data show an earlier funding of $1.4 million by London Venture Partners, $120,000 from the Alexa Fund based on participation in the Alexa Accelerator and about $400,000 raised in an August 2017 Kickstarter campaign.
When in Rome Board Game and Alexa Skill Also Announced
The company also announced that its new Alexa-skill supported When in Rome board game will is available for pre-order on Amazon.com and is listed as shipping on July 2nd. The board game is listed under both the Sensible Object and Voice Originals brand names and is priced at $29.99 in the U.S. The When in Rome Alexa skill also includes a travel question of the day which poses trivia from 20 different cities and is free for anyone to use. Today’s questions is about a Berlin landmark and the question is asked by a local resident which adds some texture to the user experience.
Voice AI Funding Heats Up
Sensible Objects’ funding follows a string of recent investments in the voice AI sector. SoundHound, Snips, Mycroft, Voicera, Novel Effect and several other companies have recently announced venture capital and corporate investment since March 2018. Sensible Objects appears to be the first game company to close a funding round related to voice in 2018. Gaming is becoming a popular segment for voice with established companies such as Bethesda and Activision creating new Alexa skills or adding Alexa support for established game franchises. Sensible Object is building entirely new experiences and is differentiating from other voice game developers by including physical world elements to the gameplay.
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