Japan-based mobile game developer Akatsuki launched a $50m investment fund on Tuesday that will target startups focusing on augmented reality (AR) and other entertainment technologies.
Founded in 2010, Akatsuki develops social games for use on mobile devices. It established a US-based film and TV arm called Akatsuki Entertainment USA earlier this month to develop and produce feature films and other entertainment content for an international audience.
Akatsuki aims to use Akatsuki Entertainment Technology Fund (AET Fund) to encourage startups to create new content and services in the animation, film, gaming, music, sports, e-sports, live and location based entertainment markets.
The fund will initially focus on AR, which Akatsuki believes has considerable potential for use in the entertainment industry, but will also look to invest in virtual reality and mixed reality technologies. It has already completed several investments, but Akatsuki has not disclosed details of the deals.
Tomoya Ogawa, chief financial officer of Akatsuki, said: “Co-creating the next big thing in entertainment is the vision of our fund.
“We believe we can push the boundaries of entertainment experiences with AR technology and we will co-create new innovations with startups who we will support through our fund to nurture them to become future leaders in entertainment.”
Akatsuki floated on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in March 2016, having raised $14m from education provider Globis and network services company Link and Motivation in 2014.