Antwerp-based Swoove Studios, a 3D animation software company, announced on Thursday that it has closed $7.5M (approximately €6.9M)  in a seed funding round led by European angel investors.

This latest round takes Swoove’s total raised to $11M (approximately €10.1M).

The Belgian company receives this capital injection as it continues to scale across Europe and launched this month in the US.

Additionally, the company has started a strategic review, which includes Swoove Studios reviewing all its options, such as a growth investment and an entire business sale.

The company says in the press release that exploratory conversations have already commenced with several potential domestic and international partners.

Swoove Studios: Real-time 3D-animation creation app

Founded in 2020, Swoove Studios is the developer of Swoove app, a developer of Swoove, a real-time 3D animation creation app.

Powered by AI, the company’s proprietary platform enables users to create unique 3D animation videos without any prior experience.

The app offers a diverse set of tools and features that cater to all levels of expertise, from beginners to seasoned creators.

The company launched its app in the USA this month with a series of exclusive features and content, including the Swoove marketplace.

In this first-of-its-kind community, user-generated digital assets, such as clothes, can be bought and sold.

As per the company’s claims, the Swoove app has become the go-to app for user-generated animated content, used by many thousands of creators in over 100 countries.

Rudy Verbeeck, CEO and Co-founder of Swoove Studios, says, “Swoove is the future of 3D animated storytelling. We have created a unique platform and become the go-to for 3D animation globally. We are thrilled to announce the completion of our latest funding round, and now plan to implement exciting updates to give users more of what they’re asking for, including building opportunities for monetisation and allowing further integration with other services for new brand and platform partnerships.”

“As part of this incredible demand and opportunity, we want to work with a like-minded partner to help us achieve our potential and scale further,” adds Verbeeck. 

Utrecht-based Mystic Forge, a boutique game publisher, announced on Thursday that it has secured €2M in a fresh funding round from ForsVC and ROM Utrecht Region. This important partnership was officially confirmed during INDIGO 2024 in Utrecht.

Paul Hanraets, co-founder of Mystic Forge says, “From our initial conversations, it was clear that ForsVC and ROM Utrecht Region shared our strategic vision and ambitions. This investment of €2M allows us to broaden our portfolio and secure additional exciting titles. While Mystic Forge operates globally, we are also deeply committed to contributing to the gaming ecosystem in Utrecht and Belgium. We look forward to making some exciting announcements later this year.”

Mystic Forge: Boutique indie game publisher

Founded by Paul Hanraets, Randy Greenback, and Vernon Vrolijk, formerly of Good Shepherd Entertainment, Mystic Forge is a boutique indie game publisher specialising in strategy, simulation, and RPG games for PC.

Inspired by the legendary blacksmiths of lore, the company aims to bring ideas to life through passion, creativity, and magic.

The company says it takes a proactive approach to selecting projects and also initiates collaborations by connecting developers within its extensive network.

This strategy allows the company to dedicate substantial resources and focused attention to each game, ensuring personalised support from the early stages of development and extending well beyond the game launch.

The investors

ForsVC is an €18M fund based in Belgium, dedicated to accelerating the growth of Game Studios and Game Tech companies in Belgium and neighboring countries.

Eric Diepeveen, venture partner at ForsVC, comments, “We are excited to partner with Mystic Forge. The current publisher market is ripe for change, and Mystic Forge’s unique approach positions them perfectly to seize this moment. We believe they will become a major player, delivering exceptional and engaging games.”

ROM Utrecht Region is a social investor that increases access to capital for innovative companies in the region. The ROM invests in the major transition sectors important for tomorrow’s economy: digital, health, and sustainability.

The ROM has three funds: the Vroege Fase Financiering (VFF) Fund, the Healthy Urban Living Proof of Concept Fund (POC), and the Participation Fund.

The POC Fund and Participation Fund were made possible in part by co-financing from the Province of Utrecht, Gemeente Amersfoort, Gemeente Hilversum, Gemeente Utrecht, UMC Utrecht, Universiteit Utrecht,

Ministerie van Economische zaken en Klimaat and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The investment in Mystic Forge was done out of the Participation Fund.

Jeffrey Williams, Sr. Investment Manager at ROM Utrecht Region, adds “Our strategic investment in Mystic Forge reflects our goal to enhance the Utrecht Region as a hub for technological and creative industries. Partnering with Mystic Forge enriches our gaming landscape with their extensive industry expertise and network, thereby strengthening the ecosystem and attracting further investment into the region.”

Utrecht-based D-Drops, a WEB3 gaming startup, recently announced that it has secured €500K in pre-seed funding led by ROM Utrecht, becoming the first Dutch government-backed crypto startup.

The funding will support the launch of its location-based treasure-hunting game, where players must set out on an adventure across their cities and discover real-world rewards.

The gaming platform, set to go live on June 15th, encourages players to go outside, discover new experiences, and support local businesses.

“As gamers ourselves, we know how fun it is to explore new worlds and discover hidden secrets. We’re excited to bring that same sense of adventure to the real world,” says Shair Amiri, CEO and co-founder of D-Drops.

“We hope that our game gives people a reason to go outside, explore new areas of their cities, and along the way make meaningful memories while having fun,” adds Amiri.

D-Drops: Adding adventure to people’s lives

Founded by three brothers from the Netherlands, Shair Amiri (CEO), Zamir Amiri (CTO), and Samir Amiri (COO), D-Drops’ mission is to add adventure to people’s daily lives.

The game combines location-based treasure hunting with real-world rewards.

The game will first be available in Amsterdam and Utrecht, with an initial prize pool of €100,000.

However, the company is also planning for an international rollout, with expansion plans already in motion for the near future.

The platform allows players to explore their cities in search of treasures containing real-world prizes such as cash, concert tickets, merchandise, and coupons, worth up to €100.

The investor

The Regional Development Agency (ROM) Utrecht Region helps innovative entrepreneurs in the Utrecht Region who contribute to a future-proof living environment, healthy people, and valuable digitisation.

“D-Drops is a great example of how gamification can be used to drive economic growth, promote healthy habits, and create a sense of community within our cities,” says Arjan van den Born, Director ROM Utrecht.

“We are committed to supporting innovative solutions that bring people together, and we’re eager to see the impact of this initiative inspire others,” adds van den Born. 

Reykjavík, Iceland-based Quest Portal, a startup that specialises in developing tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs), announced on Thursday, October 19, that it has secured $7.6M (approximately €7.1M) in funding. 

The investment comes from notable investors, including:

• Bing Gordon, the Founder of Electronic Arts
• Rahul Vohra, the Founder & CEO of Superhuman
• Icelandic storytelling luminaries, including Hilmar Veigar Pétursson, Birgir Ragnarsson, Sigurdur Arnljotsson, and Lakestar’s Mika Salmi & Beatrice Aliprandi

The company says it will use the funds to further develop its platform and democratise the TTRPG space, making it more accessible. Quest Portal says its early access launch was met with an overwhelming response. 

The community has grown to 10,000 players, playing over 140,000 games, encouraging the team to expand the platform further.

Besides funding, the Icelandic company also introduced “Quest Portal Pro,” a subscription service designed to improve the TTRPG experience. 

Quest Portal Pro features Quest Portal Assistant, a Game Master companion that simplifies various tasks such as drafting location ideas, creating NPC backstories, encounters, and more. 

According to the company, this subscription will provide support for popular TTRPGs like Dungeons & Dragons and Call of Cthulhu, aiming to elevate the tabletop gaming experience to new heights.

What is Quest Portal?

Quest Portal is a virtual tabletop (VTT) for playing TTRPGs on desktop and mobile devices. 

“Our mission is to increase creativity, empathy, and collaboration worldwide by making TTRPGs more social and accessible. We will achieve that by getting three things right. First, we help people get into character and the right mood for role-playing. Second, we augment their stories with delightful tools and AI in all the right places; generative art, helpful prose, and great content. Third, we bring people together by making sharing and spectating a fantastic experience,” says the company on its website. 

The platform offers innovative features, allowing users to dive into thrilling adventures with friends. 

Quest Portal focuses on players seeking an immersive experience while playing tabletop role-playing games.

Helsinki-based Metacore Games, a mobile game developer, announced that it has acquired animation and illustration studio PiñataHEL Oy, also known as Piñata, by purchasing all of its shares for an undisclosed amount. 

Metacore and Piñata have been working closely since the release of Metacore’s debut game, Merge Mansion, in 2020. The acquisition enhances Metacore’s position as one of Europe’s rapidly growing mobile game companies known for crafting narrative-driven games. 

It also helps level up the company’s creative storytelling and augment its in-house capacity for top-notch marketing production.

“Our mission is to create entertainment with our games but also with our marketing and community building,” says Mika Tammenkosk, CEO of Metacore. 

“Piñata brings us not only animation skills and capabilities but creative storytelling both for our games and marketing. Piñata’s experience of working with Merge Mansion as well as some of the most popular mobile games and entertainment brands in the world makes them an extremely strong addition to our team,” adds Tammenkoski. 

Metacore’s milestones

In 2022, Metacore generated €129M in revenue with over 180 professionals on board. The company also secured €180M in funding from gaming company Supercell, becoming a part of its portfolio.

The year 2023 has marked significant milestones for the game studio. They welcomed approximately 80 new team members, initiated a global campaign featuring Pedro Pascal, introduced the Mansion in Merge Mansion, and celebrated surpassing 50 million downloads for the game. 

Last week, Metacore announced the opening of its first expansion beyond Helsinki in Berlin. The company says it chose Berlin due to the city’s robust gaming environment, vibrant tech, entertainment and creative community.

Metacore says it is currently working on several new games; some are still in the planning phase, while others are close to their release dates. Each game is developed to fit the market of mobile games. 

Piñata as a ‘creative storytelling partner’

Helsinki-based Piñata boasts a talented collective of illustrators, animators, and VFX experts. They specialise in delivering world-class visual solutions to a diverse clientele, catering to global brands in the gaming, marketing and entertainment sectors, including TV, print, web and mobile.

Piñata’s work is distinguished by its innovative pre-production efforts, blending skills and techniques that range from traditional drawing and 2D animation to sophisticated 3D photorealism. 

Some of its works include the games Clash of Clans, Eternal Dragons and Edge of War. It is also a creative partner and art producer for video gaming companies such as Zynga, Housemargue and SuperCell.

“Piñata has grown from visual producer to a creative storytelling partner,” says Piñata co-founder and CEO Sari Tani. 

“We have been involved in creating the story of Merge Mansion from the beginning, and now we have the opportunity to deepen the collaboration with future new games, too,” Tani adds.

Stockholm-based virtual reality (VR) game developer and publisher Fast Travel Games announced on Tuesday that it has raised €3.7M in a round of funding led by Handelsbanken Fonder, with existing investors Industrifonden, Brightly Ventures, Creades, and Inbox Capital also participating. 

The new investment will support Fast Travel Games’ development of new IP for VR platforms and its publishing initiatives. The studio is working on Mannequin, its first original IP in four years, its first-ever multiplayer game, and an unannounced title.

Fast Travel Games is a VR-exclusive games publisher and developer led by industry-leading veterans. The studio released several highly-rated VR titles, such as Apex Construct, The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets, Wraith: The Oblivion – Afterlife, and more..

“The VR games market continues to grow at a steady pace, and with the introduction of the PSVR2 and the Quest 3 this year and the Apple Vision Pro around the corner, we’re confident this growth will continue,” says Oskar Burman, CEO and co-founder of Fast Travel Games. 

“We now have twelve games on the market, and we’re just about to launch our most ambitious game yet – Vampire: The Masquerade – Justice. We also saw our revenues grow 70 per cent last year to 5M+ USD, and our strong growth continues this year. With this new investment, we’re in a solid position to capitalise on this new exciting gaming frontier,” adds Burman.

Potentials in the VR market

The gaming market’s global virtual reality (VR) is expected to grow from €7.47B billion in 2021 to €50.42B in 2028, at a CAGR of 31.4 per cent. Fortune Business Insights reports that this growth is driven by gamers’ rising adoption of advanced VR hardware and accessories.

One of the newest VR hardware and accessories was the Apple Vision Pro, announced at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2023. The device lets users switch between augmented reality (AR) and VR experiences with a simple dial turn. 

The significant market potential also drives more start-up companies entering the market to create innovative software and content offerings. Technology developments in 5G, gaming content and cloud-based gaming are also the main drives for the growth.

“The VR space continues to see impressive growth, and Fast Travel Games is well positioned to lead that charge in the coming year and beyond,” says Christian Brunlid, investment manager at Handelsbanken Fonder. 

“Their commitment to fantastic VR gaming experiences has already earned them impressive success and a strong reputation in their field. Handelsbanken Fonder is excited to help move them into the next phase of their journey as this rapidly evolving industry progresses,” adds Brunlid.

The latest partnership with Moonhood

On the publishing side, Fast Travel Games recently announced a partnership with MoonHood, a new studio from the creators of games like Lost in Random, to develop a dark and thrilling new adventure. 

Based in Gothenburg, Sweden, MoonHood aims to “immerse players in strange worlds handcrafted in actual clay, cardboard, and what have you,” according to the studio’s website.

MoonHood has hired a team of sculptors and miniature painters to create physical objects for the game, which is currently unnamed. The sculptures will be 3D scanned and animated in Blender and other engines. The game is slated for release on consoles, PC, and VR headsets, but the exact platforms have yet to be announced.

In a partnership announcement video, MoonHood revealed that the studio works with a second unnamed partner. The studio’s website says the project is funded by “one of the biggest platforms.”

Fast Travel’s head of Publishing, Patrick Liu, says, “By partnering with the talented creatives at MoonHood, we can continue to work toward [our] goal by creating a surreal game not yet seen on any platform.” 

“MoonHood’s team of veteran storytellers and artists have captured fantastical ideas from the imagination and brought them stunningly to life with real clay sculptures, making it a must-play game,” he adds. 
The Fast Travel team plans to publish Project Demigod, one of VR’s first full-fledged superhero sandboxes, next year.

Utrecht-based Mingle Sport, a sports tech startup, announced on Friday that it has secured €1.25M funding from a seed round led by angel investors and Dutch multinational Rabobank.

Mingle Sport says it will utilise the funds to scale its operations on a global level and launch its premium AI product for coaches and players.

“We’re very excited to open our app to the international grassroots football community,” says Freek Bijl, co-founder of Mingle Sport. 

“We’ve seen a huge need from teams in pro-level stats and content, with low barriers to entry in terms of setup and cost. Our goal is to provide a solution with our app, and help the enormously underserved community of grassroots athletes out there,” adds Bijil. 

Mingle Sports: Grassroots football app

Founded by Nicky Rog and Freek Bijl in 2021, Mingle Sport is a grassroots football app that helps football teams track their performance, share interesting highlights, and manage their team. 

The app was launched as a public beta in the Netherlands in the summer of 2022, and used by thousands of teams over the course of the season. 

Following the positive responses, the Dutch startup has now opened up its app to a global audience and is available to use in Europe, North America, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand.

The app is free to download and available on iOS & Android, with a premium offering arriving in early 2024. The company is planning to introduce premium AI-powered features for grassroots football teams by 2024. 

“We want teams and clubs to really own their content and data. So they can create value from it. We’re doing some very interesting experiments with clubs around various pricing mechanisms and will start to introduce premium products in 2024,” says the founding duo. 

The features are expected to offer unique stats & content for teams, as well as additional benchmarking and automatic video highlights.

Nicky Rog, co-founder of Mingle Sport, says, “We want to offer coaches and players a product for any team that wants to get started with sports tech. Not only top-tier amateur athletes, but also regular athletes and enthusiasts. That’s why we use devices people already own, starting with their mobile phones.”

Mingle Sport claims that it is regularly compared with Strava, the popular running & cycling app. The Dutch startup offers a similar combination of technology to track performance and community to share and compare.

“It’s great to be compared to an app such as Strava”, says Bijl. “Similar to them, our mobile app allows teams to start having more insights and fun with their performance. Our goal is to eventually integrate with the best sports tech solutions out there across a variety of ball sports.”

For decades, Cupertino tech giant Apple has been at the forefront of innovation, revolutionising the technology industry with iconic products like the iPhone, Mac, and iPad.

In recent times, however, industry experts have noted that Apple’s product updates have been more incremental in nature, lacking the groundbreaking advancements seen in previous releases. 

As a result, Apple faced significant pressure and criticism for supposedly lagging behind in terms of innovation.

In response to these mounting concerns, Apple has taken proactive measures to tackle its innovation crisis, leading to the introduction of the Apple Vision Pro.

WWDC 2023

At the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) 2023 held on Monday, June 5, Apple unveiled its much-hyped mixed reality headset, Vision Pro. 

True to its nature, Apple has taken a distinct approach by labelling Vision Pro as a spatial computer rather than explicitly categorising it as an augmented reality (AR) device. 

According to Apple, Vision Pro aims to “seamlessly blend digital content with the physical world, while allowing users to stay present and connected to others.”

Breakthrough design

The Vision Pro boasts a breakthrough design, featuring a singular piece of three-dimensionally formed laminated glass for its enclosure, seamlessly transitioning into a custom aluminium alloy frame that wraps around the user’s face. 

To ensure a precise fit, the Light Seal is composed of soft textile material available in various shapes and sizes. It possesses flexibility, allowing it to flex to the user’s face contours. 

Moreover, flexible straps are employed to keep the audio close to the user’s ears. 

Meanwhile, a Head Band, knitted as a single three-dimensional piece, is available in multiple sizes. This Head Band provides cushioning, breathability, and stretch, maximising comfort during extended use.

Unlock with your eyes

The Vision Pro incorporates Optic ID, the company’s new authentication system, to unlock the device. 

Optic ID works by analysing the user’s iris under various invisible LED light exposures. It compares it to the enrolled Optic ID data protected by the Secure Enclave.

A user’s Optic ID data is fully encrypted, not accessible to apps, and never leaves their device, meaning it is not stored on Apple servers. 

According to Mike Rockwell, Apple’s VP of technology development, the system could detect iris differences even between identical twins. 

Streams images within 12 milliseconds

Apple Vision Pro features an ultra-high-resolution display system that uses micro-OLED technology to pack 23 million pixels into two displays, each the size of a postage stamp, with wide colour and high dynamic range. 

The device is powered by an Apple M2 chip with a brand-new R1 chip that processes input from 12 cameras, five sensors, and six microphones in real time. 

The Cupertino-tech giant claims that R1 streams new images to the display within 12 milliseconds, 8x faster than blinking an eye.

The tech giant has partnered with Zeiss to create custom optical inserts that magnetically attach to lenses for glasses wearers. 

Experience spatial audio

“An advanced spatial audio system is core to Apple Vision Pro,” says Apple. 

The Vision Pro houses two individually amplified drivers inside each audio pod to deliver personalised spatial audio based on the user’s own head and ear geometry.

The company said it developed audio raytracing for spatial audio. Vision Pro analyses a room’s acoustic properties, including the physical materials, to adapt and match sound to the user’s space.

World’s first spatial operating system

Apple Vision Pro runs on visionOS, the world’s first spatial operating system. 

Controller-free Vision Pro can be controlled with eyes, hands, and voice. Users need to simply look at an element, tap their fingers together to select and use the virtual keyboard or dictation to type.

Built on the foundation of macOS, iOS, and iPadOS, visionOS features a three-dimensional interface that frees apps from the boundaries of a display so they can appear side-by-side at any scale. 

The company claims that apps can be moved anywhere, scaled to the right size, react to room lighting, and even cast shadows.

Stay connected with EyeSight

EyeSight, a feature of Vision Pro, helps users remain connected to those around you. When someone approaches a user wearing a VisionPro, the display becomes transparent revealing their eyes to them. 

When a person approaches someone wearing Vision Pro, the device feels transparent — letting the user see them while also displaying the user’s eyes. 

When a user is immersed in an environment or using an app, EyeSight gives visual cues to others about what the user is focused on.

Pricing

Apple Vision Pro starts at $3499 (approximately €3,267), and will be available early next year on apple.com and at its Store locations in the U.S., with more countries coming later next year.

Amsterdam-based Wintor, a location-based Augmented Reality (AR) provider, announced on Monday that it is all set to launch its Augmented Reality (AR) Tour creator app in the AppStores and Play Store for iOS and Android users, respectively. 

The Dutch startup has also rolled out six Augmented Reality Tours in the Netherlands.

The platform will be launched on November 28, 2022, during the Immersive Tech Week (ITW) at De Doelen in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

What does Wintor solve?

Even though AR (Augmented Reality) is becoming increasingly integrated into organisations because of developments like Virtual Reality (VR) and the Metaverse, it can still be challenging to produce a professional AR tour of a facility, city, or museum. 

Some common challenges include a lack of AR-specific content creation tools and the high cost of AR hardware. Additionally, it can be difficult to find AR experts who can develop an engaging and educational experience that meets the organisation’s specific needs.

And here’s where Wintor comes into play and makes the entire process easy. 

Wintor: What you need to know

Founded by Jaap Gielink in 2021, Wintor provides an AR platform that helps people create AR tours 100x faster than traditional methods without any help.

Jaap Gielink says, “Augmented reality tours have unlimited applications across various industries. However, creating an AR tour before today’s launch was difficult. With our platform and app available on smartphones (android and iOS), users can easily upload their content and access a library of 3D models. By dragging and dropping their content on the real world, any person with no prior experience can easily create an AR tour 100x faster than a full team using conventional methods.”

The Amsterdam-based startup offers a simple app where users can drag and drop their content. Wintor says the app’s intuitive algorithm recognises different objects in the environment and uses them as markers for a quick and seamless AR tour. 

According to the Dutch company, users can create, save and share AR tours within 15 minutes without coding or markers.

Jaap Gielink adds, “Traditional AR tours are created by a team of unity programmers and animators using 3D models and often use markers such as images or QR codes at the location. The entire process can take days or even multiple weeks to create a tour, only to find glaring discrepancies in the tour, which means wasted time and money. Wintor eliminates these factors by allowing the average tech user to create an AR tour within 15 minutes. This convenience can help city marketing departments, museums, and organisations to truly refine their tours and use the art of visual storytelling as a marketing tool.”

The platform enables government and private organisations in the Netherlands to create immersive and captivating AR tours. 

For example, the marketing team for the city of Utrecht (NL) used Wintor to create an AR tour of their city. 

The Dutch National Military Museum based at airbase Soesterberg has also used Wintor to create a complete augmented reality tour of specific aeroplanes and machines.

The company claims to have beta-tested its product for several months with 300+ creators worldwide, including Japan, the USA, Israel, India, Indonesia, and the EU.

After Meta’s Giphy acquisition, the European Commission announced on Tuesday that it has opened an “in-depth investigation” into Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard for $68.7B. 

The Commission has concerns that the proposed acquisition may reduce competition in the markets for the distribution of console and personal computers (‘PCs’) video games and PC operating systems. 

The Commission has set a deadline of 90 working days, until 23 March 2023, to make a decision.

The investigation

The Commission’s preliminary investigation suggests that Microsoft has the ability to foreclose rivals in the console video game market by preventing them from distributing Activision Blizzard’s games on their consoles. 

EU regulators have also considered Microsoft’s potential to withhold access to multi-game subscription services and cloud game streaming services after acquiring Activision Blizzard. 

“Such foreclosure strategies could reduce competition in the markets for the distribution of console and PC video games, leading to higher prices, lower quality, and less innovation for console game distributors, which may, in turn, be passed on to consumers,” says EU. 

The Commission will now conduct an in-depth investigation into the effects of the transaction to determine whether its initial competition concerns are confirmed.

The acquisition

Activision Blizzard is a publicly listed company headquartered in Santa Monica, California, US. The US company is active as a developer and publisher of games for PCs, consoles, and mobile devices, and a distributor of games for PCs.

The investigation announcement comes months after Redmond giant Microsoft announced the acquisition of Activision Blizzard in January earlier this year. 

With this acquisition, Microsoft will become the world’s third-largest gaming company by revenue, behind Tencent and Sony.

The planned acquisition includes iconic franchises from Activision Blizzard, and King studios like Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch, Call of Duty, and Candy Crush, in addition to global eSports activities through Major League Gaming. 

Besides revenue, the acquisition will bolster Microsoft’s Game Pass portfolio as the company plans to launch Activision Blizzard games into Game Pass, reaching a new milestone of over 25 million subscribers. 

With Activision Blizzard’s nearly 400 million monthly active players in 190 countries and three billion-dollar franchises, this acquisition will make Game Pass one of the industry’s most compelling and diverse lineups of gaming content. 

Upon close, Microsoft will have 30 internal game development studios and additional publishing and esports production capabilities.