After releasing their first game under a new startup, some former Zynga developers have secured funding to pay for some of their future plans.
JuiceBox Games revealed today that it raised $2.5 million in seed funding. Investment group Initial Capital led the funding round with additional participation from General Catalyst, Index Ventures, and Maveron as well as individuals including former EA chief executive John Riccitiello and Zynga co-founder Scott Dale.
The studio intends to use the influx of cash to fund user acquisition as well as its entrance into some major Asian territories.
The developer is responsible for the mobile role-playing game HonorBound, which the studio is aiming at core players that are finding themselves using on their smartphones and tablets more often. Across iOS and Android, the game has already surpassed 3 million downloads.
“This is a game with a lot of heart and soul,” JuiceBox chief executive Michael Martinez said. “Our goal was to embrace mid-core gamers and create a next-generation card battle RPG.”
Over the next few months, JuiceBox will focus much of its effort on localizing HonorBound for a global audience. It is currently working on French, Italian, Germany, and Spanish, but it also plans to get the game ready for the huge Japanese, Chinese, and South Korean markets.