Makers Fund, a global venture capital fund specializing in interactive entertainment, has announced a $4 million seed round for mod.io, a cross-platform UGC and modding service platform.
The funding round was co-led by Sequoia Capital India’s Surge, with participation from Play Ventures, GameTech Ventures, and Machinefloor.
The company will utilise the current funding to simplify mod support for game developers. The team plans to provide advanced functionality in metrics, moderation, persistence, branded integration, and creator economies, where available alternatives do not exist.
“Modders and UGC have been pivotal in driving gameplay and genre innovation in games. We’re excited to support Scott and the mod.io team in their effort to empower creators with an open, cross-platform mod support & community platform,” said Michael Cheung, Partner at Makers Fund.
Founded in 2018 by Scott Reismanis and Patrick Sotirou, the Melbourne-based startup provides cross-platform mod support, metrics tracking, moderation, discovery, and community building tools, managed by a unified dashboard. Developers can launch their mod communities so that UGC can become a defining feature of their game.
mod.io’s REST API and open-source SDKs are compatible with all existing game engines. Plugins are available for Unreal Engine and Unity.
“UGC has the potential to become the next big thing in the gaming industry,” says Scott Reismanis, co-founder of mod.io. “But it needs to be accessible, cross-platform, and safe, with detailed metrics, creator events, and marketplaces attached. We’re here to push the boundaries with UGC, and enable game developers to do the same.”
“SnowRunner’s modding community has greatly expanded the game’s experience for dedicated players. The constant influx of fresh content is certainly a key driver of the title’s long-term success,” said Tim Willits, Chief Creative Officer of Saber Interactive. “We could not have achieved this without Mod.io – their tech and support are unmatched.”
Over 50 games use mod.io across 11 storefronts, including PC, Xbox, iOS, and Android. Popular titles such as SnowRunner, Skater XL, and TABS have contributed to mod.io’s 65 million downloads. They plan to launch their mod support on consoles in the coming months.
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