Bombay Play, a social gaming startup, has raised $1 million seed funding led by Lumikai, the first gaming and interactive media venture fund based out of India, according to YourStory report.
Earlier, the startup had raised funds from Playco and Leo Capital.
The startup will utilise the current financing to accelerate product development on multiple live, social, multiplayer card and strategy board games, while doubling down on its current early hits.
Justin Waldron, Co-founder of Zynga and Playco, which recently raised $100M at a $1 billion Series A valuation also joined Bombay Play’s Board of directors.
Founded in 2017 by Abhas Saroha and Oliver Jones, Bombay Play’s first multiplayer game Card Player has been downloaded more than 10 million times.
Commenting on the funding, Oliver Jones, Bombay Play CEO and Co-Founder, said in a press statement shared by Lumikai, “Multiplayer games are the future of social networking with hit social games like ‘Ludo King’, ‘Among us’ and ‘Animal Crossing’ proving that the market is ripe for games that bring friends, family and strangers together online. Lumikai’s investment is a great validation for us, given the fund’s sector focus and expertise.”
Co-Founder and CTO Abhas Saroha said in the statement, “As we continue to iterate and grow on our early success, we’re actively hiring the best talent across multiple roles to help us build a world class game development studio. Lumikai’s team brings unparalleled experience, access to talent and global strategic connections. They are the perfect partner for the next stage of our journey.”
Justin Keeling, General Partner at Lumikai, commented, “There’s never been a better time to double down on live social games. In a post-Covid world, people are looking for new ways to connect, to relate, to compete, and to share. Oli and Abhas have spent a decade developing fan-favourite multiplayer card & strategy games that have reached over 100M users, and are taking those learnings to build a next generation portfolio of live, multiplayer social games at Bombay Play.”
In August, Lumikai launched its first fund to invest in 15 to 20 early-stage gaming and interactive media startups in India. Lumikai is a Delhi-based venture capital firm.
Salone Sehgal, General Partner at Lumikai added: “We know great teams make great games. Building successful games companies are both an art and science. Oli and Abhas are building one of the most creatively inclined and data-driven game teams in India. Their combined expertise in game design, live operations and scaling companies makes them one of the most experienced founding teams in the India gaming landscape. Bombay Play’s fast iteration capabilities, focused genre and in-depth understanding of casual, social gaming audiences really sets them apart. We are excited to be part of their journey.”
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