Gaikai raises $30M for cloud-based gaming network

The company is backed by NEA, Qualcomm, Benchmark, Rustic Canyon, and Intel Capital

Gaikai, a company that aims to bring gaming to the cloud, announced Wednesday that it has secured $30 million in a Series C round of funding led by NEA, with help from Qualcomm, Benchmark Capital, Rustic Canyon, and Intel Capital.  This round brings the company’s total raised to more than $50 million since it was founded in late 2008.

Gaikai’s aim is ambitious: everything else is cloud-based, so why not offer cloud-based gaming?  The platform allows users to instantly stream the latest video games to any browser, running on any operating system, thereby cutting out the hassle of downloads and installers to make gaming as easy as click and play.

As the self-proclaimed “world's only open high-performance interactive entertainment network for gamers, publishers, retailers, and affiliates,” Gaikai boasts its ability to accelerate digital revenue growth with its cloud-based distribution platform, which powers the entire lifecycle of a gaming business, from discovery to delivery.  The company has 24 data centers in 12 countries.

“Today’s media consumers are impatient with anything that stands between them and their chosen experiences,” said Gaikai CEO David Perry in a statement. “We help publishers get rid of friction, reducing clicks, eliminating downloads and delays. Today it is common to have up to 40 clicks and, sometimes, 60 minute downloads before a consumer can even try a great software product. The Gaikai Network enables publishers to deliver a full experience within 30 seconds in any leading web browser, on all operating systems, on all devices, even running inside platforms like Facebook. Many leading companies are already our partners in this vision, including video game publisher Electronic Arts and Walmart, the largest retailer in the world.”

Gaikai doesn’t require its partners to adopt any specific business models to produce revenue, but rather charges on a metered basis for the use of its services.

The new funds from this round will be used to drive growth and adoption of Gaikai’s cloud network. 

Image source: Gaikai.com