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Magic Games is looking to make the next massively addictive casual game. The Turkish studio sees real potential in community-driven multiplayer puzzle games. The funding round passed the $5 million mark, in pursuit of the goal. Makers Fund led the funding round, with Hummingbird Ventures’ Firat Ileri participating.
Magic Games’ founding members include former members of Peak Games. These individuals, Çağrı Öztürk, Rüya Çelikcan and Mert Kasar bring a wealth of casual gaming experience. Their previous work includes games like Toy Blast, Toon Blast and Star Blast. Zynga acquired Peak Games for $1.8 billion in 2020, and that set in motion a lot of Turkey’s game startup community. The strength of that community has made Turkey a regular stopping point for game venture capitalists and other investors.
“Our company builds around the belief that social interactions are the key to deepening and enriching our shared gameplay experience,” said Magic Games boss Çağrı Öztürk, in a statement to GamesBeat. “We believe that in-game communities can transform the way that our users play with and against each other – creating friendly camaraderie out of competition. Social features are integral to our development cycle as we work to build multiplayer games that anyone can enjoy.”
The studio plans to use the funds to grow the Magic Games team. It’s looking to hire artists and developers in Istanbul. Magic Games is also looking for talent elsewhere and has plans to open a second office in Europe.
“We were immediately drawn to Magic Games’ ambition of creating match-3 puzzle games that blend community features with social/multiplayer elements, a genre that will appeal to both casual and core players on mobile,” said Makers Fund’s Curtis Urbanowicz. “The casual games market is ready for more diverse, highly social games that build up bustling player communities.”
Magic Games is working on its as of yet untitled first game. It’s going to be a social game with a match-3 core. Artists and developers who join the studio will probably find themselves working on the studio’s debut game.
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Erron Kelly
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