Posted in: Games, Indie Games, Video Games | Tagged: Bright Star Studios, Ember Sword, Galaxy Interactive, MMORPG
Galaxy Interactive Part Of $700K Investment Into Bright Star Studios
Galaxy Interactive announced this week that they helped invest $700k, led by Play Ventures, into Bright Star Studios to help expand the team and release their first game. Bright Star is a developer that's focused on next-gen social MMORPGs, and are currently working on their first release entitled Ember Sword. Play Ventures led the pre-seed investment with participation from Galaxy via its Galaxy EOS VC Fund. The studio has already nabbed Allan Kirkeby, the former Unity Studios CEO, to join as a Senior Producer. Here are some quotes about the deal for you from the announcement, as well as the trailer for Ember Sword so you can see what they're working on.
"We've really thought about the player experience at every step. MMORPGs have traditionally been slow to get into, but our zero-friction play means you jump straight into action without lengthy downloads and installs. Our business model is also free of loot boxes and pay-to-win practices, which creates a fair and competitive environment for our players," said Bright Star CEO Mark Laursen. "We've all experienced the billion-dollar insecure grey markets for in-game items where people get scammed every day. It only makes sense to us that when we reward players with digital collectible cosmetics for participating in end-game content, they should truly own those items. They should be free to trade them inside our games or on third-party marketplaces."
"As investors and gamers, we're 100% aligned with Bright Star Studio's vision of accessible, player-driven MMORPG experiences with open game economies. We believe increased player-ownership of game worlds allow for deep and engaging gameplay, and are confident that this is the right team to deliver this new experience to players," says Anton Backman, Venture Partner at Play Ventures.
"We often look for game developers that are on to something in terms of moving a particular genre forward," said Sam Englebardt, Head of Galaxy Interactive. "Bright Star is doing that for the MMORPG sector and we're really excited to see how 'Ember Sword' changes the MMO experience."