GameSalad raises $6.1 million funding

Game creation firm GameSalad has announced the closure of a $6.1 million second round of funding, which the company intends to use to grow its technical and product teams.

The GameSalad technology is free to use and requires no programming knowledge. It is currently the largest game development tool for iOS devices and has so far been used to create over 8500 games - including more than 30 top 100 US games in Apple's App Store.

The funding was led by Steamboat Ventures, with participation from Greycroft Partners, DFJ Mercury, DFJ Frontier and ff Asset Management. As a result Steamboat managing director Beau Laskey will join GameSalad's board of directors, with Greycroft Partner's Dana Settle joining as board observer. DFJ Mercury's Blair Garrou is already on the board, following the company's first round of funding.

"We are focused on growing GameSalad into a world-class gaming company," said CEO Steve Felter. "By making game creation accessible to anyone with a passion for games, we've empowered a new breed of game designers through GameSalad. We'll continue to build on this momentum in 2011 and unveil some exciting new technologies that will bring people together through the creation, sharing and playing of games."

"We are thrilled to partner with such an exciting company and talented leadership team," said Laskey. "We believe that GameSalad's disruptive technology is creating an entirely new set of opportunities for game enthusiasts. By putting powerful creative tools in the hands of anyone who wants to make games, GameSalad is changing the way people interact with entertainment."