A young Seattle video game startup is getting closer to its first major release.
On Thursday, Starform Game Studio announced the closing if its $5 million seed funding round, which was led by BITKRAFT Ventures. This new funding comes almost two years after Starform’s last raise — a $1.25 million round in September 2019.
Starform plans to use the new funds to prepare for the launch of its first game by investing in marketing. While the studio hasn’t revealed too many details about the game, Starform has said that it’s currently in closed beta, with a general beta coming to the public later this year. The studio also previously said that the game will focus on social features and player feedback.
Starform was launched in 2018 by the entrepreneurs who started mobile game studio Z2, which was later acquired by game company King (the makers of Candy Crush) for $45 million. The current Starform team consists of video game professionals from both Z2 and King, as well as AreaNet, Amazon, Big Fish Games and Scopely.
The new funding will also allow Starform add even more experienced professionals to its roster. The company said that a portion of the new funding will be spent on growing the team. Right now, the company has a few open roles listed on its website.
“At Starform we are committed to creating an environment that we believe is the best place to build games. We want to work with people who are excited to write their own story: to use their skills, experience and passion to shape the entire player experience,” Starform CEO Lou Fasulo said in a statement.
