Ex-Rovio devs raise $2.35m for Finnish game start-up Seriously

Former Rovio execs Petri Jarvilehto and Andrew Stalbow have raised $2.35 million for their new Finland-based game start-up Seriously.

The studio is focusing on the casual games sector, and aims to create longstanding brands. The firm cited the likes of Marvel and Disney as its inspiration.

Seriously is set to release its first games next year, with a particular strategy toward what it calls ‘casual plus’ titles.

The investment round was led by US firm Upfront Ventures and Danish company Sunstone Capital.

“We see Helsinki as the mobile gaming capital of the world and think that’s a great place to build a studio,” said Stalbow.

“Los Angeles is the entertainment capital of the world and the traditional business here is challenged quite a bit.”

He added: “We see what Marvel was able to do with comics in the 1950s and 60s, and what Disney was able to do with cartoons in the 1930s. We think it’s a great time for content creators.”

Before starting up Seriously, Petri Jarvilehto previously held the role of executive VP of games at Rovio. Stalbow meanwhile took the position of executive VP of strategic partnerships at the Angry Birds developer.