Unity Technologies raises $12M to push game development tools in Asia

Unity Technologies said it has raised $12 million in a second round of funding so that it can expand into the Asian market and accelerate its technology development.

The San Francisco company’s Unity game development platform helps developers make cool 3D games on a wide variety of platforms. The funding shows that gaming is still hot sector and its momentum seems to be growing for companies that can help fuel the expansion of games on the web, social networks, and mobile devices.

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Unity has more than 500,000 developers using its tools to make games for the web, Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android, game consoles, and more.

The funding came from WestSummit Capital in China and iGlobe Partners in Singapore. Raymond Yang, managing director of WestSummit Capital, will join Unity’s board.

Unity chief executive David Helgason (pictured top right) told VentureBeat that the company raised the money to show it has a lot of momentum and is prepared to accelerate its technology roadmap.

“We are expanding into Asia and are setting up offices in China, Korea and Japan,” he said.

He said the company didn’t need the cash, but it will benefit from the extensive networks of WestSummit and iGlobe Partners in Asia. Helgason said Unity has been hiring employees at an accelerated clip and is expanding into markets for military and visual simulations, gambling, media, and brand companies.

Rivals include Crytek, Epic Games, and other makers of game development engines. Besides Helgason, Unity’s co-founders include Joachim Ante (chief technology officer, pictured left) and Nicholas Francis (chief creative officer, pictured center).