Manila-based game studio raises $275,000 seed fund to develop midcore titles

Manila-based mobile game studio Altitude Games raised $275,000 worth of seed funding to “jumpstart its creation of original intellectual property in the midcore game space”, tech news website Techcrunch reported on Friday.

Among the contributors are tech investor Nix Nolledo, Level Up! Games co-founder Philip Cahiwat, founders of Altitude Games, and an undisclosed angel investor.

Midcore games are designed for a market segment composed of players who are somewhere in the middle of the casual gamer – hardcore gamer spectrum. They are looking for “a more in-depth experience than a casual game, yet one that is not as time-consuming as a core game.”

In a 2012 article, market research and consulting firm Newzoo said that the midcore gamers make up five to seven percent of the total market. This market was projected to be wroth $2 billion in the United States and Europe. Newzoo also said that it has a double digit growth potential fueled by multiple trends.

It is Altitude Games' goal to help establish the Southeast Asian gaming industry’s reputation for innovation, CEO Gabby Dizon said in a statement, according to the Techcrunch report.

“Southeast Asian has previously been known as a great place to outsource game development, but we’re 100% focused on creating original intellectual property for mobile games. We want to combine midcore themes and casual accessibility to make games that are easy to pick up but contain deep gameplay that you can enjoy with your friends,” he said.

The rest of the team includes Luna Cruz, lead designer of Awakening: The Dreamless Castle, one of publisher Big Fish Games' top franchises; Paul Gadi, former production lead at Gameloft Philippines and Chief Technology Officer of Anino Mobile; Marc Polican, former lead programmer at Boomzap and Gameloft Philippines; and Chester Ocampo, former art director at Imaginary Friends Studio. — Kim Luces/VC, GMA News