Sparkplay Media
Browser-based massively multiplayer online game developer.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| investor investor | €0.0 | round | |
$2.8m | Early VC | ||
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
Sparkplay Media was a San Francisco-based MMO game development company founded in 2008 by CEO Matt Mihaly. The company focused on developing browser-based, free-to-play massively multiplayer online games, aiming to combine traditional MMO gameplay with social network integration.
The company's flagship product was "Earth Eternal," a fantasy MMORPG designed to run on a browser platform. Sparkplay Media also worked on creating a proprietary browser-based 3D gaming platform for other developers. The firm secured a total of $7.05 million in funding over two Series A rounds. The first round on February 13, 2008, raised $4.25 million, followed by another $2.8 million on January 14, 2010. Key institutional investors included Redpoint Ventures and Prism Ventureworks.
Despite initial funding and the launch of Earth Eternal's open beta, the company faced financial difficulties. In August 2010, after failing to secure further investment or a buyer, Sparkplay Media ran out of funds, leading to the layoff of most of its staff. The company put its primary asset, the game Earth Eternal, up for auction, and was subsequently considered a deadpooled company.
Keywords: MMO game developer, browser-based gaming, Earth Eternal, 3D gaming platform, free-to-play, MMORPG, online gaming, venture capital, Redpoint Ventures, Prism Ventureworks, Matt Mihaly, social gaming, deadpooled, game development, fantasy MMORPG, gaming platform, video games