Moonfrog Labs,
a Banglalore-based startup that makes mobile games especially for
players in India, has scooped up a $15 million Series A from Tiger
Global and returning investor Sequoia Capital.
Co-founder Tanay Tayal tells TechCrunch that the fresh
capital will be used for hiring and to develop games in new genres,
including action, strategy, and roleplaying. Moonfrog Labs also plans to
grow its technology platform, including its backend system and data
analytics, and purse strategic distribution agreements.
Its Series A brings the total Moonfrog Labs has raised so
far to $16 million. It previously landed a $1 million seed round from
Sequoia.
The startup was founded in 2013 by a team of developers
who previously worked for Zynga on titles including Mafia Wars, Bubble
Safari, Castleville, and Empires & Allies. Moonfrog Labs’ most
popular game is “Teen Patti Gold,” which has been downloaded more than
two million times and is currently one of the top five highest-grossing
Android and iOS games in India. The company also claims it generates the
highest revenue per active player in India from in-app purchases.
Tayal says challenges of designing mobile games for players in India include include the relatively high price of data and unreliable, slow broadband connections.
Moonfrog Labs’ games are engineered to use less bandwidth and battery
power so they can be played even on the cheapest smartphones.
In terms of culture appeal, “Teen Patti Gold” is based on a
three-card poker game that is popular in India and comes in four
languages: English, Hindi, Gujarati, and Martahi.
Moonfrog Labs also hold promotions based on major events and holidays in India.
“For example, last week was India’s festival of color,
‘Holi,’ during which we released a feature that allows players to haul
dye and paint at one another across the table, just as they do during
the festivities. Our players loved it, and the feature was a big
success,” says Tayal. “We did a similar event during Diwali, the
festival of lights.”
Moonfrog Labs monetizes through in-app purchases instead
of ads because it believes uninterrupted gameplay helps users stay more
engaged. The startup will release new titles over the next couple of
years and is also building a new platform for multiplayer games.