The Tap Lab raises $550k for location-based games

Mobile games start-up The Tap Lab has raised $550k to finance location-based titles.

As reported by Venturebeat, investors in the new studio include Harmonix founding members Alex Rigopoulos and Eran Egozy, as well as Google’s Don Dodge.

Boston University graduates Dave Bisceglia and Ralph Shao, who have spent the last year creating a new ‘real-world’ game engine for location-based games, formed the Massachusetts studio in 2010.

The first new title to be released from the investment will be TapCity 2, a multiplayer mobile game where users must defend virtual cities based on real life locations.

“We believe there is so much more to location-based gaming beyond the check–in,” said Tap Lab chief exec Bisceglia.“There is an enormous opportunity to create games that invite players to compete and collaborate in the real world.

“We think that location-based gaming is more interesting in the real world. We are diving deeper by categorising bars, restaurants, clubs and other places. We stylised a virtual venue and give players jobs based on what that place is.”