While playing Mario Brothers in the mid-80s, my biggest hope was that one day Mario would be able to turn around and back-track to the area he had already completed, instead of the screen locking into place.”The technology on these games needs to be upgraded,” I shrieked in a high-pitched – I haven’t gone through puberty yet – voice.
Well, be careful what you wish for.
Never in my wildest dreams did I think the gaming technology, and industry, would be this accelerated. Who knew that one day I could sit at my computer and play games – in real time – against somebody across the globe.
Trion World Network (Trion), a developer of connected games and entertainment, hopes to continue the massive trend in the gaming industry as it has received endorsements from three of the top media companies in the world, drawing on help from Rustic Canyon Partners, an LAbased VC firm well connected in the media industry.
Trion, a publisher and developer of games and original entertainment for the “connected world,” raised $30 million of total funding from heavy-hitters such as Time Warner, Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments, and GE/NBC Universal’s Peacock Equity Fund. This will strengthen Trion in hopes of bringing new technologies to the broadband gaming era and help it develop new entertainment franchises.
“Receiving the backing of three of the world’s top five media companies and three top VCs is an exceptional endorsement,” Lars Buttler, CEO and co-founder of Trion, said in a statement. “[This backing] provides Trion with unrivaled access and support that further strengthens our unique position in defining the future of connected games and entertainment.”
Trion’s goal is to revolutionize the gaming industry by combining the best of online, gaming, and traditional media to make one powerful force.
Nate Redmond, partner at Rustic Canyon Partners and newly elected Trion board member, said the company has a very unique model that could have a wide effect on the industry.
“Trion is uniquely positioned to define the future standard for dynamic games and entertainment across connected devices by leveraging innovative technologies to build premium content channels around live programming,” Redmond said.
Rachel Lam, senior vice president of Time Warner Investments, seconded the notion that Trion’s model could have a dramatic impact to how the gaming industry creates content and how consumers participate in the entertainment experience.