Robin Games, a new startup led by Jill Wilson made its public debut after successfully raising $7 million in seed funding. The team is made of mostly women working to introduce a new niche in mobile gaming, which they call "lifestyle gaming."
Wilson's CV lists her as a former Jam City executive, the company behind popular games Panda Pop and Cookie Jam. Robin Games is her very own startup in which she's hired a team of nine based in Venice Beach, California. While the team is made up of mostly women, she's working to build a diverse group that's able to keep up with the ever-changing face of the gaming industry.
Backed by $7 million, the round was led by early-stage fund LVP, which has invested in other game companies including NaturalMotion, Playfish, and Supercell. Additional investors in the successful round include Third Kind Venture Capital, Hearst Ventures, Greycroft Tracker Fund, Firsminuted Capital, Everblue Management, Alpha Edison, and 1Up Ventures.
"Traditionally in gaming, when you say 'fantasy,' you mean dragons and other mythical creatures, disproportionately built women, armies and battles and explosions and glory," Wilson said in an interview with TechCrunch. "We are expanding the definition of "fantasy" for this modern wave of gamers, whose fantasies are just as diverse as they are," she added.
Wilson was quick to clarify that she doesn't want to stereotype women in a category that excludes them from liking dragons and warriors in typical fantasy games. However, she wants Robin Games to expand the types of fantasies available in gaming, including those mobile gaming has yet to include.
According to the Robin Games CEO, her idea for the startup was something she had been thinking about for a long time, being a gamer herself. At some point, she realized that some games she wanted to play didn't exist.
With Robin Games, Wilson will be able to come up with new titles in a genre where fantasy is mixed with lifestyle. It will follow the free-to-play business model that powers most top-grossing games.
Most female players are keener on social farming and match-3 games according to previous studies, with MMOs and fantasy being listed as least favored. But the types of games Robin Games is proposing don't really fit into any one category that exists today, so it's still unknown how female gamers will respond.
The startup hasn't announced other specific details, including its first titles; there isn't a list of launch dates either. Wilson, however, notes that the type of content you'd expect would be something similar to lifestyle magazines, blogs, or an influencer's Instagram profile.
