LA game developer The Game Band announced it's raised $3 million in a seed round.

The funding round was led by Makers Fund, with participation from Ed Fries' 1UP Ventures and Matthew Ball.

The Game Band is well known for its first title Where Cards Fall.

Released in September 2019 for Apple Arcade, it was nominated for the 2020 Apple Design Award. 

Strange times

In 2020, the studio released Blaseball, a browser-based absurdist fantasy baseball simulation game.

Blaseball was among the “Top 10 Games of The Year'' lists by Polygon, PC Gamer, Gamasutra, Vulture, and other major media outlets and later it got nominated for Nebula, Hugo, and IGF awards.

Since half of the Blaseball players are playing from a mobile device, the fund raised in the seed round will be used for creating a mobile app.

The Game Band has also started hiring new talents to improve the Blaseball experience and to work on new projects.

It expects to have a headcount of up to 15 by the end of 2021.

“From our very first conversation, Makers Fund appreciated Blaseball’s chaotic spirit as well as its untapped potential. We’re so grateful to them for the opportunity to make Blaseball better, healthier, and more sustainable,” said The Game Band CEO Sam Rosenthal.

“Sam and his team managed to create a wonderful collaboration between developers and fans,” said Makers Fund's Sophia Feng.

“We’re excited to see how Blaseball continues to grow and what’s next for The Game Band,” she added.