PlayFirst secures USD 5million Series B funding

San Francisco-based casual games publisher and distributor PlayFirst has announced a successful second-round financing deal, which closed at USD 5 million.

The Series B financing was led by venture capital firm Rustic Canyon Partners, with additional funding from existing investors Mayfield Venture Partners and Trinity Ventures. Rustic Canyon's Nate Redmond will join the company as the latest member of the board of directors.

The company, which enjoyed significant success with GameLab's Diner Dash title, intends to use the funding to increase its global publishing and distribution, develop and expand its portfolio of casual games and invest in new technologies in the casual gaming space.

Rustic Canyon's senior associate, Nate Redmond, commented: "The casual games market is experiencing rapid growth and digital distribution has fundamentally changed the business model for content creators. PlayFirst stood out as a company that is playing a leading role in this emerging category, combining deep industry expertise with technological innovation and an unwavering focus on great gameplay."

"With a number of new, innovative content models in development, PlayFirst is in position to continue to shape the direction of this dynamic space," Redmond concluded.

Founded in 2004, PlayFirst was established to focus on mass-market games that appeal to a much broader audience than the traditional videogames market. The company currently distributes its portfolio of games via more than 450 online gaming destinations.