US-based wireless telecommunication company Qualcomm and Intel Capital, the corporate venturing division of the US-based semiconductor manufacturer, have joined the series C round of financing for US-based cloud-based games service Gaikai.
The round closed at $30m, and was led by venture capital (VC) firm NEA. VC funds Benchmark Capital and Rustic Canyon Partners, also participated.
Intel also took part in Gaikai’s May 2010 series B round, which closed at over $10m, with TriplePoint Capital, as well as Rustic Canyon and Benchmark also investing. Benchmark had previously led Gaikai’s $5m series A round in January, earlier the same year. Further undisclosed investment brings the total amount raised to more than $50m since Gaikai’s inception in 2008.
David Perry, chief executive officer of Gaikai, said: "Our vision is to manage the Gaikai Global Interactive Network, built from the ground up for the cloud. Telecommunications companies were built to deliver audio & data within geographic boundaries. The next generation networks must be able to additionally deliver instant, real time interactive experiences to a connected global audience, both wired and wireless."
Gaikai currently works chiefly as an advertising service providing demo versions of games via social networking sites such as facebook, but aims to use streaming technology to bring the same immediate accessibility to video games as are currently enjoyed by consumers who access music and films online.