Trion gets $70m VC funding

Online games developer Trion World Network has closed a Series C funding round netting it $70 million.

Since its formation in 2006, the company has raised more than $100 million investment cash – which it says is one of the largest amounts raised by a gaming company in recent history.

The new funding will help the firm further establish Trion’s server-based game business. A large clutch of investors stepped up to support the firm including Act II Capital and all previous investors such as DCM and Trinity Ventures, and B-round investors Rustic Canyon, Time Warner, Peacock Equity and Bertelsmann.

The firm has already announced its first projects: a fantasy MMO helmed by Jon Van Caneghem and a MMO game co-developed in partnership with NBC Universal’s Sci-Fi Channel.

“This signifies a shift away from static retail products and towards games as dynamic services, which will be simulated increasingly ‘in the cloud’,” said Lars Buttler, CEO of Trion.

“With its industry-defining server-based games platform, worldwide publishing capabilities, an ever-growing network of AAA development studios, unrivaled partnerships in media and technology, and now significant capital in the bank, Trion is uniquely positioned to be a leader in the next cycle of electronic entertainment.”