AGILEVC My idle thoughts on tech startups

August 14, 2012

We’re pleased to announced NextView’s investment in SkyVu Entertainment, along with Lightbank and angel investors.  SkyVu is a mobile game company best known for their hit franchise BATTLE BEARS… a series of shooter type games that are action-oriented with an edgy theme, that still remain kid/teen friendly in terms of content.

There are countless mobile game studios out there, and we’ve looked at our fair share of gaming opportunities here at NextView.  What made SkyVu stand out was that they already had significant traction before seeking institutional funding (18M+ downloads, seven figure revenue, etc).  The company isn’t simply a game developer, but is pushing the artistic and technical boundaries of what a “mobile” game experience can be.  For example Battle Bears Royale is a real-time, 3D, multiplayer shooter game than can be played on 3/4G cell networks.  And SkyVu’s team is creating a truly cross-platform company… they built the first plug-in for in-app purchases on Android/Unity and made it available to other developers.

We also share SkyVu founder/CEO Ben Vu’s vision of the future of mobile gaming.  As I blogged recently, to us “mobile” is in some ways a misnomer of a broader phenomenon of ubiquitous computing.  Ubiquitous computing is creating more gamers overall, and increasing the amount of time, the types of devices, and the contexts in which we play games.  As the adoption of these devices continues rapidly, and the computing power and network capability increases dramatically, mobile gaming (already a multibillion dollar industry) will catch up with the scale of other gaming platforms like consoles and PCs.  It will also create unique, new opportunities for gaming companies by blurring the distinction of console vs mobile… imagine sitting on the couch with a few family members or friends where you can all be playing or spectating games across tablets or smartphones in your hand and the big TV on the wall.  And “mobile” gaming won’t just be limited to simple 2D, turn-based casual games (e.g. Words With Friends) – SkyVu and others have been pioneering real-time, 3D, and new (for mobile) genres that appeal not just to casual but also core and mid-core gamers.

We’re excited to partner with Ben and the whole SkyVu team, as they continue to build the company and truly take multiplayer mobile games to new heights.