MadBox raises $16.5m to broaden mobile portfolio

MadBox has raised $16.5 million (€15 million) in Series A funding to broaden its mobile game portfolio, and is opening a new studio in Barcelona.

The Paris-based startup's funding round was led by Alven, according to a report by TechCrunch. It will use the funding to expand its development into more genres, including idle games, having mostly focused on hypercasual titles up until now.

MadBox's Barcelona studio represents a significant growth milestone for the company, as it has historically tried to expand very slowly. It currently has between 30 and 40 employees and several games, including Stickman Hook, Idle Zoo Tycoon, Golf Race, and Dash Valley.

"We are a generation of friends who have worked for well-known casual game studios," said CEO Jean-Nicholas Vernin to TechCrunch. "And we all think that big game productions will have to become simpler so that people can play them like casual games - and vice versa."

MadBox is not to be confused with Slightly Mad Studios, the studio it opposed earlier this year for creating a console it was then calling the Mad Box. Slightly Mad opted to withdraw its trademark filing for the console, but hasn't yet announced its new name.