In response to growing consumer interest in mobile browser based gaming, MocoSpace is today announcing the addition of another $1 million to fund HTML5 development of mobile games.
Facebook’s Project Spartan, predicted to arrive this fall, will be an HTML5-based platform for games and apps to reach consumers outside of Apple and Google’s app stores. MocoSpace is making it easy for Facebook developers to create games – not only for the Facebook platform, but also for the MocoSpace platform, which now has 22 million users. This funding adds an additional $1 million to the company’s fund, now totaling $2 million.
Today’s capital infusion will be used to accelerate the development of HTML5 games played on smartphone browsers in order to offer a wider variety of games to gamers on any mobile web enabled device. Selected developers will receive cash and marketing support to develop and promote their titles on the MocoSpace Games Platform.
So far, games launched as a result of the fund include Happy Farm and Cage Fighter from New Game Town, In the Club from Upgraded Studios and Goosy Avatar and Goosy Pets from Celander US Inc. All of these games involve a social aspect, meaning players can connect with their friends and also make new friends within gameplay. All games are free to play and can be accessed on any phone with an Internet connection – no app required. The company also launched two social games in house: Street Wars and Stage Hero, which have proven very successful, with a combined total of over 700,000 monthly active users, average session times of over four minutes, and players averaging nearly two and a half sessions per day.
The ubiquity that HTML5 provides is key to building a successful gaming platform.
"You want the user experience to be enjoyable and not frustrating. People want to be able to play games with their friends, no matter what kind of device they have. The best way to make a great cross-platform social gaming experience is to build with HTML5," said MocoSpace CEO Justin Siegel. "This is what Facebook is realizing – and we can’t wait to see what Project Spartan is going to offer consumers and developers alike."
Developers interested in the fund are invited to submit existing games and game proposals to gamesATcorp.mocospace.com. MocoSpace’s expanding games staff will review them and work with partners to create the best game for its users. MocoSpace is actively hiring game designers and developers in its Boston office.