Most Americans play games on their phones, but do all these people label themselves as gamers? Probably not.
The rise of mobile games has led to a new breed of casual gamers who may not even realize that they are a target audience for video game companies. Robin Games is one of these companies, and it hopes to win people over with its “lifestyle gaming” approach.
Robin Games made its public debut on Thursday when it announced its $7 million seed funding round. London Venture Partners led the round with participation from 1Up Ventures, Alpha Edison and Hearst Ventures, among others.
Jill Wilson, the founder and CEO of Robin Games, is an industry veteran: She was previously the SVP of game development at Jam City, and, before that, she worked at Imagination Games. And though she has always enjoyed playing video games, she also recognized that certain stereotypes behind video games limited their demographic scope.
“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 a statement to TechCrunch. “As a lifelong gamer, I love (most) of these themes, but traditional gamers are no longer in the majority. Thanks to the smartphone, everyone now has access to a gaming console in their pockets. We are expanding the definition of ‘fantasy’ for this modern wave of gamers, whose fantasies are just as diverse as they are.”
Along with Wilson, the team at Robin Games primarily consists of women. They hope to reach their target audience through their “lifestyle gaming” approach, which blends free-to-play mobile games with lifestyle content — think lifestyle blogs, magazines and Instagram influencers.
Robin Games has yet to launch its first game, but Wilson told TechCrunch that the company is currently developing games and looking to expand its team. This new seed funding could help them do just that.
