RANIDA Games, a independent game developer, said it received funding from an Indonesian venture fund DNC to help enhance the company’s basketball-themed flagship game and to help release a new fighting game by year’s end.
“We plan to use the new funding to further develop our basketball game engine which now has localized versions for the Philippines (Philippine Slam), Thailand (TBL Slam), and Vietnam (VBA Slam),” Ranida Games Founder and CEO Ben Joseph Banta said in a statement on Friday.
Ranida Games Managing Partner Walter Manalo said the firm is working towards offering a multiplayer feature for its PBA game.
In a phone interview yesterday, Mr. Manalo added the company is barred from disclosing details about the venture capital injection.
Mr. Manalo added that the funds will help Ranida support the development of its fighting game, known as Bayani.
Ranida Games hopes to launch Bayani for both PC and mobile by the end of the year.
“DNC’s experience and game industry connections will bode well for us as we embark on creating more engaging and interactive story lines with an international appeal. It also comes at an opportune time since our company aims to continue creating casual games and eSports-enabled game applications,” Mr. Banta added.
Irene Umar, co-founder & Managing Partner of DNC, noted that its investment in Ranida marks the firm’s first venture in the Philippines.
“We decided to invest in Ranida mainly because of the founders. They have the vision and attitude that align with DNC’s — which is to grow the ecosystem and present local culture to the world. In addition, the quality of work and work ethic that these guys have are top notch,” Ms. Umar was quoted as saying.
Ranida said Mr. Banta has more than a decade of experience in the industry, during which he produced online flash game franchises such as Sniper Assassin, Potty Racers and Dragon Slayers.
Meanwhile, members of Ranida’s team were former employees of Gonzo Games, one of the developers of PC and PlayStation game Q*Bert: Rebooted which is a revival of the 1982 arcade game Q*Bert. — Janina C. Lim
