Gaming company Curse just received a hefty investment from an unlikely source—Riot Games. The company behind League of Legends is pumping $30 million into Curse and its growing Curse Voice software, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Curse initially revealed Riot’s investment on July 1, but its hefty size wasn’t revealed until a Securities and Exchange Commision filing on Tuesday.
The two companies were at odds last year after the successful launch of Curse Voice, a voice communication program that offered core gamers improved functionality over competitors—including timers for in-game objectives in League, something that Riot Games felt offered a competitive advantage at odds with their terms of service. Curse removed the offending features shortly thereafter. But Riot was apparently still impressed by the technology.
“Riot really believes in what we’re doing and where we’re going,” Hubert Thieblot, the CEO of Curse, stated in a July 1 announcement. “This investment boosts our efforts to continue creating what I believe to be the best communication tool in gaming.”
The Curse Voice platform has reached more than 1 million users, quickly becoming the flagship product for Curse itself. Founded in 2006, Curse first served as a hub for in-game modifications in World of Warcraft, an extension of Thieblot’s love of that game. Curse quickly grew into a portal hosting a huge network of gaming websites that serve the hardcore gaming communities for a long list of titles. The company has had plenty of success raising funds in the past, bringing in $30 million since 2007, including $10 million last year. That’s about $60 million in eight years.
This massive vote of confidence from Riot Games should allow Curse to continue that growth.
“We’ve known Riot for a long time, and know that Riot, like us, cares very deeply about the core gamer,” Thieblot said. “I’m excited and confident that this will be good for Curse and for the millions of players we serve via Curse Voice.”
Photo via Riot Games/Flickr
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