The best time to raise venture capital is when you don't need to raise venture capital.
That was the subtext of developer Cmune's announcement it had closed its second funding round, adding DCM's Android-focused A-Fund to its initial funder Atomico.
"We didn't want to do a round but it worked out well. One of the partners' sons was a big fan of UberStrike," says Cmune CEO Ludovic Bodin.
As well as additional cash, the deal gives the company greater access to markets in China, Korea and Japan, and presence in Silicon Valley.
Not that Cmune is lacking in global presence (or cash).
On Facebook, its free-to-play first-person shooter has over 10 million registered players, and the Beijing-based developer is now bringing the game to iOS and Android, following its successful Mac OS launch, which gained over a million downloads.
Shooting from the hip
Of course, the first-person shooter is a genre that has not yet performed well on touchscreen devices, either in terms of paid or free-to-play releases, although not for lack of attempts.
It's something Bodin readily acknowledges, although he's keen also to point to the positives.
"Gameloft's Modern Combat 4 did well at the end of 2012," he says.
"But where we're thinking differently is that it was a premium-priced, single player-focused release. The real potential is for free-to-play multiplayer-focused games."
Barriers of entry
Underpinning Cmune's assault on the market is its proprietary platform, which it's designed so it can develop and deploy real-time multiplayer games.
But successfully releasing a title like UberStrike is more than just about technical issues.
"Running this sort of game fully cross-platform is very difficult. That's what everyone told us, and that's what we found," Bodin laughs of the process to bring the PC game to iOS and Android.
Still, the mobile version of UberStrike will technically be fully cross-platform at launch, but with touchscreen players playing on mobile-only servers, rather than attempting to mix it up with the mouse-and-keyboard set.
On the PC version, strafe-jumping remains the main mode of movement; something that can't be so easily pulled off on touchscreen - even though Cmune has come up with what it calls it FPS touch keyboard, which makes it easier for players to strafe and shoot at the same time.
"Gameplay is different on a touchscreen. I think it's more accessible," Bodin points out.
Second screens
What is important in terms of cross-platform reach, however, is Cmune is running the same underlying UberStrike service across all platforms, so players access their accounts and weapons load-outs, as well as guilds and game chat no matter if they're playing on Facebook, Mac, iOS or Android.
To that extent, expanding the game to more platforms is all about growing a unified community.
"Once we dominate first-person shooters, then we'll think about moving onto other genres," Bodin says.
Interview
Contributing Editor
A Pocket Gamer co-founder, Jon is Contributing Editor at PG.biz which means he acts like a slightly confused uncle who's forgotten where he's left his glasses. As well as letters and cameras, he likes imaginary numbers and legumes.
Related Articles
Top Stories
News
7 hours, 29 minutes ago
Apple reins in Vision Pro plans following dwindling demand and disappearing apps
News
9 hours, 3 minutes ago
FTC bans noncompete work clauses to encourage entrepreneurialism and higher pay
News
10 hours, 3 minutes ago
The amazing companies you could meet at next week's Dubai GameExpo Summit!
Feature
11 hours, 3 minutes ago
48 top mobile games in soft launch: Squad Busters, CSR 3, Plants vs. Zombies 3, LEGO Hill Climb Adventures, and more
Feature
Apr 24th, 2024
Mobile Mavens: Analysts share insights on Embracer Group's "rapid dissolution", "mature" split and nervy future
Events
App Promotion Summit London | Europe | Apr 25th |
Esports Future Summit | Middle East | Apr 27th |
Dubai GameExpo Summit 2024 | Middle East | May 1st |
The MENA Games Industry Awards 2024 | Middle East | May 2nd |
GameDev Atlantic 2024 | May 4th | |
Mobidictum Meetup Berlin May 2024 | Europe | May 7th |
Mobidictum Meetup Tallinn May 2024 | Europe | May 21st |
Israel Mobile Summit 2024 | Middle East | Jun 6th |
Popular Stories
News
Apr 23rd, 2024
Supercell’s Squad Busters soft launches today with over 100,000 Google Play downloads
News
Apr 17th, 2024