Nifty Games Inc., a developer and publisher focused on head-to-head sports games for mobile devices, has secured more than $12 million in Series A financing, with $15 million raised to date.
The company has also announced NFL Clash, a mobile-first football game that will launch later this year, revealing the company’s licenses with the National Football League (NFL) and National Football League Players Association (NFLPA).
The round was led by seed round investor March Capital Partners. Previous investors aXiomatic Gaming and Defy Partners also participated. New investors include Vulcan Capital, Courtside Ventures, Transcend Fund, Century Game and OneTeam Ventures, an investment vehicle created by RedBird Capital, the NFLPA, MLBPA, MLSPA, USWNTPA and WNBPA.
“The NFL has always been keenly aware that a large portion of our fanbase loves to engage our sport through video games,” commented Rachel Hoagland, vice president, head of gaming and eSports for the NFL. “We’ve looked to bolster our offering on mobile devices and are thrilled at the built-for-mobile clash-style gaming that Nifty Games will deliver to our fans.”
“We’re grateful to have the continued support of our prestigious investors, and welcome a new round of investment partners from the worlds of sports, gaming, and technology,” commented Jon Middleton, CEO of Nifty Games. “The Series A funding gives us the capital to continue to build great games and recruit top talent in the business as we ramp up to deliver the most authentic quick-play sports games that today’s mobile gamer deserves.”
“Sports games have yet to hit their stride on mobile, and Nifty Games is excited to team up with the NFL and NFLPA with a mobile-first take that opens up new audiences and engages fans everywhere,” said Pete Wanat, co-founder and chief creative officer of Nifty Games. “We built Nifty Games to create the best sports games on mobile, and we now have the best investors and partners possible to deliver our vision.”
Nifty Games’ group of investors, to date, also includes owners from the NFL, NBA, MLB, MLS, NHL, and Esports. Nifty Games previously announced a partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) to bring an authentic NBA basketball game to mobile devices in the near future.
“The opportunity for Nifty Games to deliver a high-quality, brand-new experience in mobile sports games is massive,” said Gregory Milken, managing director, March Capital. “We share Nifty Games’ creative and business passion, and we are impressed with the experienced and talented team Nifty has assembled.”
NFL Players Inc. Interim President Steve Scebelo commented, “We believe Nifty Games’ vision to make the individual NFL players the true stars of the action will deliver an exciting new mobile gaming experience for our fans around the world.”
Nifty Games is led by gaming industry veterans who have collectively developed more than 200 games across 10 platforms. The team has worked on games based upon the biggest licensed sports and entertainment franchises in history at companies that include Electronic Arts, Zynga, Universal Games, Kabam, Disney, Warner Brothers, and Scopely.
Photo courtesy Nifty Games
