Klang Games Raises $41M to Build Seed Metaverse Populated with Virtual Beings
Video game development studio Klang Games has raised $41 million in a Series C funding round led by Animoca Brands and Kingsway Capital. Klang is developing Seed, an online space colony game and a persistent digital world populated by conversational AI-powered virtual beings. Former Electronic Arts studio director Isabelle Henriques has joined Klang as co-CEO and COO to accelerate Seed’s gestation.
Klang Planet
Klang pitches Seed as something of a hybrid between a massively multiplayer online (MMO) game and the mushrooming immersive metaverse worlds. Players explore an alien world called Avesta, where player interactions drive community building, including shared economies and governments. The idea is that the alien planet persists throughout player interaction and absence, with real-time control of multiple characters. The human players can customize and interact with virtual beings called Seedlings, which continue to exist and interact with players even when the person who designed them is offline. Seed recently successfully hosted 50,000 AI characters in one virtual city to demonstrate how well it can handle an exploding Seedling population. The new round nearly doubles the money Klang has raised and will go a long way toward getting the pre-alpha Seed to completion, including helping double the 70-person Berlin-based team over the next year.
“This funding not only gives us the security of knowing that we have the resources for years of development, it also shows us that people believe in our vision, which is the best motivation for us,” Klang Games CEO Mundi Vondi said. “We are so excited and honored to get this level of trust from investors. It allows us to steam ahead and really pursue the vision of our wildest dreams! If you are a developer, game designer, or just a super cool person, now is the right time to join us!”
Seed Metaverse
Though Klang doesn’t explicitly mention the metaverse, Seed seems to fit within the space, especially as Animoca is known for inventing metaverse and Web3 startups. The Seedlings cement the connection and slots Klang in the company of many other virtual being creators and metaverse platforms raking in significant investment dollars like Bud, Inworld, and Hour One. Bringing on Henriques, whose experience includes The Sims and Call of Duty, will only attract more investors as well as infuse Seed with the lessons learned from those successful simulated worlds.
“I am thrilled to be working with Klang Games,” Henriques said. “SEED is really pushing the boundaries of the gaming industry and I am excited to be a part of it. With this secured funding, our course is set to realize one of the most ambitious game projects I am aware of in the gaming market. Since coming in contact with Klang and SEED, I have been amazed by the quality of the team and the innovative nature of their vision. I cannot wait to be a part of making this unprecedented game a reality.”
Follow @voicebotai Follow @erichschwartz
