Q&A: Trion's Buttler Talks $30 Million Online World Funding
Earlier this year, Trion World Network, Inc. announced a partnership with Hewlett Packard to develop the technology infrastructure for a dynamic, multi-platform content delivery system. Now, the broadband games and entertainment publisher and developer announced it has raised hefty dollars in investments from some very big players. Time Warner, GE/NBC Universal's Peacock Equity, and Bertelsmann AG's BDMI all pitched in their vote of confidence-- to the tune of 30 million dollars.
The latest round of funding, led by Rustic Canyon Partners, is an additional boost to a previous fundraising effort in an undisclosed amount supported by DCM and Trinity Ventures, who also joined in this time.
Worlds in Motion spoke to Trion CEO Lars Buttler about Trion's ambitious vision. "Imagine Amazon, or Google, or Yahoo in large-scale gameworlds," he said. "And the platform also allows you to tap into the same experience from any connected device. We're taking the game experience out of the client and putting it into a sophisticated infrastructure."
Buttler's ideas on the evolution of media delivery might explain why heavyweight broadcasting companies are taking notice of Trion's work. "A dynamic platform allows you to build constantly," Buttler explained. "If traditional games are made like movies, you launch and keep your fingers crossed—we built it more like TV shows. It’s a very fundamental shift in the risk and reward profile."
So what's next? "We have built this technology, and now we are building channels," says Buttler. "Every channel is a large-scale gameworld. Some of the channels we built completely in-house, and others, we just publish what third parties have built. It's the classic Electronic Arts or Activision model applied to a completely different experience."
Buttler should know-- he's the former Global VP of Online at EA. And he's not the only member of the team to come from a game industry background-- other EA professionals came along, and NCSoft former lead architect Robert "Jay" Lee joined up to apply his 20 years experience in large-scale game design. Also on board is game designer Jon Van Caneghem, known for Might & Magic. Buttler says the highly experienced team helped inspire investor confidence. "It's a group of people that in this quality and this diversity nobody else has ever brought together," he says. "If we hadn’t this team people wouldn’t have believed we could pull it off, and whoever we show it to 'gets it' right away."
Even so-- 30 million dollars? "As a publisher and developer, we really have to do a lot," Buttler explains. "We build the tech base, we build content, we co-develop with other parties and we also publish-- that means you go to the consumer any way possible on a global scale. Whenever a market is so disruptive and new, you can't stick to only one piece of the value chain."
"We're creating a whole package with a 20-year vision from the beginning to the end of the chain," Buttler adds.
How will it work? "Every channel is accessible across a number of devices," Buttler says. "And that's web, PC client-- that's even mobile phones. But the point is, it will not be the same experience. It will tap into the same gameworld, but it will be tailored to the capabilities of the device. On a mobile phone you wouldn’t want to play a large scale game, but you want to be in touch with your game—alerts, info, et cetera."
Buttler says the product on the very first channel-- what he likens to a television pilot-- is already built, will be announced by the end of this year, and available to the consumer by next year. He's hesitant to provide too many early details, but allows that, "at its core, it will be a large-scale game. But it will be a large-scale game that has a tremendous amount of elements of social networks, and it will be a game that will evolve almost like a TV show evolves."
Looking over recent developments in connected entertainment, Buttler says that both social networks trying to be more game-like and games trying to incorporate elements of social networking are a step in the right direction. "But all of them have downsides, or are missing certain elements. But they are the first ones, so it’s logical. What we try to do is just take the next step. And we won't be perfect either—but if you build it dynamically, you can learn from the users, and change, and continue moving forward."
"We're all gamers and entertainment junkies at the core," Buttler stresses. "First and foremost, what people love is great entertainment—great games. That’s what we are passionate about-- at end of the day, what is the greatest experience that you can get now where users are all connected to each other? The most powerful, most fun, challenging [experience] that you can give people?"
Hit the jump for the press release.
TRION WORLD NETWORK, PUBLISHER AND DEVELOPER OF CONNECTED GAMES AND ENTERTAINMENT, RAISES 30 MILLION FROM GLOBAL MEDIA GIANTS, TOP VCs
Venture Capital Firm Rustic Canyon Leads Round;
Time Warner, GE/NBC Universal’s Peacock Equity, and Bertelsmann AG’s BDMI Invest,
Endorse Trion's Leading Role in Defining Games and Entertainment for the Connected Era
Redwood City – July 9, 2007 – Trion World Network, Inc. (Trion) has raised 30 million dollars of funding in its latest round led by Rustic Canyon Partners, the LA-based VC firm with strong ties to the media and entertainment industry. Time Warner, a leading media and entertainment company, GE/NBC Universal’s Peacock Equity Fund, as well as Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments (BDMI), a unit of global media company Bertelsmann AG, Europe’s leading entertainment group, invested side-by-side, strengthening Trion’s unique ability to bring a new level of original entertainment to the Broadband era on a global scale. Existing Trion investors, DCM and Trinity Ventures also participated.
“Receiving the backing of three of the world’s top five media companies and three top VCs is an exceptional endorsement and provides Trion with unrivaled access and support that further strengthens our unique position in defining the future of connected games and entertainment,” commented Lars Buttler, CEO and co-founder of Trion.
Trion will utilize the additional funding and relationships with the media stalwarts and content IP owners to develop and publish new connected games and entertainment franchises. Nate Redmond, Partner at Rustic Canyon, will join the board.
“The global media and entertainment industry is entering a disruptive cycle,” Nate Redmond, Rustic Canyon, said. “Trion is uniquely positioned to define the future standard for dynamic games and entertainment across connected devices, by leveraging innovative technologies to build premium content channels around live programming. Rustic Canyon is pleased to be working with the top talent assembled at Trion to bring a new model to this large opportunity.”
“Trion’s network service model for connected entertainment has the potential to dramatically impact how our industry creates and monetizes content and how consumers participate in the entertainment experience,” noted Rachel Lam, senior vice president, Time Warner Investments.
Trion’s mission is to revolutionize entertainment by combining the best of online, gaming and traditional media. By designing and developing powerful new technologies, new content, and new publishing capabilities, Trion is poised to be a leader in the emerging global multi-billion dollar connected entertainment market.
Led by Dr. Lars Buttler, former Vice President for Global Online at Electronic Arts, and Jon Van Caneghem, former founder and CEO of New World Computing and creator of the best-selling Might and Magic and Heroes game franchises, Trion has assembled a world-class team of gaming and online veterans with proven success and talent in business, original content development and technology who have developed and shipped more than 100 original titles.
About Trion World Network
Trion World Network, Inc. is the publisher and developer of games and original entertainment for the connected world. Trion provides groundbreaking new capabilities and content to revolutionize global entertainment by combining the best elements of online, gaming, and traditional media. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, and with a Technology Center in Austin, Texas, Trion combines unrivaled experience and vision in the online entertainment industry with a world-class team of internet and gaming veterans. Privately held, Trion investors include Time Warner, NBC-Universal, GE, Bertelsmann, Rustic Canyon, DCM and Trinity Ventures.
About Rustic Canyon
Rustic Canyon Partners is an early stage venture capital firm that invests in exceptional entrepreneurs building transformational companies. The investment team works collaboratively, drawing on a diverse set of experiences as successful entrepreneurs, managers, and strategic and financial advisors. With over $900 million in funds under management, Rustic Canyon is one of the largest firms based in Southern California, with strong presence in Silicon Valley and Seattle. Key investment themes include Internet/media convergence, clean technology, technology-enabled services, information services, and wireless and wireline broadband.
About Time Warner Investments
The Time Warner Investments group targets non-control strategic investments that have a clear impact on Time Warner's divisional operations and directly enhance the Company's ability to meet specific strategic goals. Time Warner Inc. is a leading media and entertainment company, whose businesses include interactive services, cable systems, filmed entertainment, television networks and publishing.
About Peacock Equity
Peacock Equity (peacockequity.com) is a $250 million equity capital fund founded by GE Commercial Finance’s Media, Communications & Entertainment business (geMCE.com) and NBC Universal (nbcuni.com). Introduced in April 2007, the joint venture focuses on companies developing technologies, platforms or business models that are a strategic fit to NBC Universal and have high growth potential. Peacock Equity’s capital investments, which include advertising services, digital content and communities, wireless and international platforms, range from $3 to $15 million each.
About Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments (BDMI)
Bertelsmann Digital Media Investments (BDMI) is a strategic venture investor focused on innovative digital media technologies, products and distribution channels across the globe. BDMI is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bertelsmann AG, one of the largest media and entertainment companies in the world with over $25 billion in revenues. With more than 600 individual companies, Bertelsmann AG has significant interests in all areas of media including television, music, books, magazines, direct marketing and media services. For more information, visit: www.bdmifund.com.
About Trinity Ventures
Trinity Ventures, a 20 year veteran in the venture business with more than $1 billion under management, partners with exceptional entrepreneurs to build great companies. Trinity Ventures focuses on early-stage technology investment opportunities with a particular emphasis on the Digital Media, Internet Services, Mobility, Security and Software markets. Trinity has invested in well over 100 ventures, including such leading companies as Aruba Networks (NASDAQ: ARUN), Blue Nile (NASDAQ: NILE), Crescendo Communications, Extreme Networks (NASDAQ: EXTR), Forte Software, Illustra, LoopNet (NASDAQ: LOOP), PhotoBucket (acquired by News Corporation: NWS), Speedera Networks (acquired by Akamai Technologies: AKAM), Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX), and Sygate Technologies (acquired by Symantec: SYMC).
About DCM
DCM (formerly known as Doll Capital Management) is an early stage venture capital firm supporting entrepreneurs building world-class technology companies. The firm's partners manage US$1.6 billion and have funded leading technology companies including 2Wire, 51job (Nasdaq: JOBS), @Motion (Openwave), About.com (The New York Times Co.), All About (Jasdaq: 2454), Arroyo (Cisco), Clearwire (Nasdaq: CLWR), Dang Dang, Foundry Networks (Nasdaq: FDRY), HireRight, Internap (AMEX: IIP), IPivot (Intel), JCI (Nasdaq Japan - Hercules: 9424), Neopath Networks (Cisco), PGP Corporation, Recourse Technologies (Symantec), Sigmatel (Nasdaq: SGTL), SMIC (NYSE: SMI), and Vimicro (Nasdaq: VIMC). DCM offers hands-on operational guidance and access to an extensive network of resources, including close relationships with many of the Pacific Rim's leading companies and investors.
Comments
All that money.
NOw why dont you geeks
hire about 1000 3d artists
at 20 dollars an hour and
spread the wealth?
no, dont hire the best 3d artist at 100,000 per year,
but hire the next best artists and hire a bunch of them.
Posted by: mrmr | July 11, 2007 4:53 PM
want to find out that what is the trion.
Posted by: Peter Thompson Maniasi | February 19, 2008 4:49 PM