Newly-established investment group Aonic have demonstrated their dedication to developing technology in the South East with a huge investment in the Farnborough-based video games specialists nDreams.
The developers have spent almost a decade focusing on creating high quality gaming content for use with virtual reality headseats. It's this that's seemingly attracted the investment, reported to be around $35m (£26.5m).
Aonic join Mercia Asset Management in backing the VR firm. Mercia invested more than £2m in nDreams back in 2015, some two years after the developers first began concentrating on virtual reality gaming.
“This is a pivotal moment for nDreams and I’m delighted to have the support of Aonic, who share the same ambitious vision for the company that we do,” Patrick O’Luanaigh, nDreams co-founder and CEO, said.
“As VR continues its trajectory towards becoming a truly mass market technology, this is the rocket fuel needed to accelerate our rapid growth and take advantage of the many opportunities that continue to come our way.”
VR fans will know the Hampshire studio's work if they've ever played titles such as Fracked or Far Cry: Dive into Insanity. Perhaps nDreams' most famous VR game to date, however, is Phantom: Covert Ops, a game that sees players immerse themselves into a rather unique world, from the point of view of an elite solider who operates from a kayak.
“The nDreams team continue to impress with how far they are pushing VR,” Aonic's Paul Schempp says. “Seeing their plans and visions for the future blew us away, and we are excited to join them on their incredible journey”.
CIO of Mercia Asset Management Julian Viggars had this to say about the significant backing: “Aonic’s investment is testament to the potential of VR and our long-term belief in nDreams. We are confident Patrick and the team will be able to maximise the opportunities this investment presents and we look forward to working alongside Aonic as an investor.”
The news is a huge boost not only to nDreams and VR, but to the whole video game industry in the South East.
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