Klang Games Raises $41 Million for Its Player-Built Online Universe
Berlin-based entertainment and gaming development studio Klang Games has raised $41 million for the development of its Seed player-built online universe. The studio also announced that Isabelle Henriques, an Electronic Arts veteran, is coming on board as a co-CEO.
Klang Games wants to develop a next-level MMO simulation with Seed by using the sci-fi simulation online universe to create massively multiplayer online games that will be persistent and large-scale virtual universes where players can shape their destinies and also share their experiences with virtual humans that are AI-driven.
The space colony game is powered SpatialOS platform from Improbable. This is the infrastructure that makes it possible for small development teams to create massive simulations. Although the game is set in the future, it doesn’t feature fantasies like The Force. It gives you a more realistic setting.
Klang Games wants Seed to be a persistent and continuous simulation in which players have to colonize an alien planet through collaboration, conflict as well as player-to-player interactions. It leverages unique gameplay that involves managing multiple characters in real-time and the characters will live on even after a player logs off which enables the world of Seed to be a persistent, living, and breathing entity.
Participating in the funding round were Roosh Ventures, Novator, Anthos, AngelHub, and New Life Ventures. To date, Klang Games has now raised close to $80 million.
Seed is set in a new world called Avesta. It provides players with a platform where they can explore, self-govern, contribute to the community and participate in a player-driven economy. Players will experience this virtual world via its AI-driven virtual humans that are known as Seedlings.
The Seedlings are customizable characters so players will have some room for creative self-expression through the characters. The Seedlings will also need the active caretaking skills of the players.
Seed is now in the pre-alpha phase and is focusing on building an online space where players and users will connect, work together, and build strong communities.
Klang Games has been developing the platform for quite some time now but with the new funding, the studio is now happy to transition to the prototype phase of the simulation-based MMO. The studio is hoping that the platform will solve problems emanating in online games when a large number of people amass together in one place with many companies hoping to enter the metaverse fray.
Klang Games will use the fresh infusion of cash to power its growth and accelerate the development of Seed.
Klang Games is also planning to double its current staff to 150 from the current 70. The company wants to create an inspiring and collaborative work environment in Berlin. The company also wants to improve Seed’s scalable back-end and technical infrastructure. It says it will be attempting to hire aggressively over the next 12 months and beyond.
Klang Games’ co-CEO Henriques says that the company’s mission is to target a broader audience in the simulation genre similar to what Electronics Arts did with SimCity and The Sims audiences. The company has already hit a threshold of simulated 50,000 AI-driven characters gathered in one city.
Henriques says Klang Games wanted to add meaning and belonging to its players by providing a broader sense of community and shifting away from the hardcore sci-fi and futuristic focus. Seed’s approach is realistic and puts an emphasis on community, collaboration, and conflict resolution in the society.
The company aims to make the game relatable with events such as knowing what food to give a character when they are hungry. The studio says this will make the game more approachable as it wants to bring on board more users beyond the hardcore gaming community.
Every player will have a family that is persistently alive round the clock. By players getting control to multiple characters, there won’t be a concern about a lack of sufficient players in the open world of the game early on. The player’s multiple characters will also interact with one another. The aim of Seed is to create population centers, akin to virtual towns, that will attract visitors.
https://virtualrealitytimes.com/2022/07/12/klang-games-raises-41-million-for-its-player-built-online-universe/https://virtualrealitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Seed-is-a-sci-fi-simulation-online-gaming-world.pnghttps://virtualrealitytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Seed-is-a-sci-fi-simulation-online-gaming-world-150x90.pngBusinessBerlin-based entertainment and gaming development studio Klang Games has raised $41 million for the development of its Seed player-built online universe. The studio also announced that Isabelle Henriques, an Electronic Arts veteran, is coming on board as a co-CEO. Klang Games wants to develop a next-level MMO simulation with Seed...Rob GrantRob Grant[email protected]AuthorVirtual Reality Times - Metaverse & VR