Cross-platform Mod and UGС service mod.io raises $4m led by Makers Fund and Sequoia's Surge

Cross-platform Mod and UGС service mod.io raises $4m led by Makers Fund and Sequoia's Surge

Published: 08-12-2020 14:12:00 | By: Pie Kamau | hits: 4459 | Tags:

Makers Fund, a global venture capital fund specializing in interactive entertainment, announced a $4 million seed round for mod.io, a cross-platform UGC and modding service based in Melbourne, Australia. Makers Fund co-led the funding round with Sequoia Capital India's Surge, with participation from Play Ventures, GameTech Ventures, and Machinefloor.

Michael Cheung, Partner, Makers Fund: "Modders and UGC have been pivotal in driving gameplay and genre innovation in games. We're excited to support Scott and the mod.io team in their effort to empower creators with an open, cross-platform mod support & community platform." 

mod.io provides cross-platform mod support, metrics tracking, moderation, discovery, and community building tools, managed by a unified dashboard. Developers can launch their mod communities so that UGC can become a defining feature of their game. mod.io's REST API and open-source SDKs are compatible with all existing game engines. Plugins are available for Unreal Engine and Unity.

Scott Reismanis, Co-founder, mod.io: "UGC has the potential to become the next big thing in the gaming industry. But it needs to be accessible, cross-platform, and safe, with detailed metrics, creator events, and marketplaces attached. We're here to push the boundaries with UGC, and enable game developers to do the same."

Over 50 games use mod.io across 11 storefronts, including PC, Xbox, iOS, and Android. Popular titles such as SnowRunner, Skater XL, and TABS have contributed to mod.io's 65 million downloads. They plan to launch their mod support on consoles in the coming months.

Tim Willits, Chief Creative Officer, Saber Interactive: "SnowRunner's modding community has greatly expanded the game's experience for dedicated players. The constant influx of fresh content is certainly a key driver of the title's long-term success. We could not have achieved this without Mod.io - their tech and support are unmatched."

Scott Reismanis and Patrick Sotirou launched mod.io in 2019. Before mod.io, Reismanis launched ModDB.com in 2002, a pioneering site for modders to collaborate and share UGC. ModDB.com continues to reach 4 million gamers each month and has generated over half a billion downloads.

This latest round of funding will allow mod.io to continue to simplify mod support for game developers. The team plans to provide advanced functionality in metrics, moderation, persistence, branded integration, and creator economies, where available alternatives do not exist.

makersfund.com