Madefire has raised an additional $6.5 million in Series B funding, according to a company press release. Plus Capital led the funding round. The company has partnered with Oculus to offer a virtual reality platform for comics.
The company’s app offers a motion book format and has been the best-rated app in the Apple’s App Store book category.
The company also announced the release of motion book previews on Samsung Gear VR. Madefire will bring stories to life with motion, sound and 3D capability. Users will see the comics in a 360-degree reality to bring comics to life for the reader.
The free app will provide previews of some of the industry’s best comics, including Injustice: Year One and Revolution, among many others. The latest cash infusion also included funding from Musician Drake and Actor Kevin Spacey. The company’s previous investors include Big Loud Capital, True Ventures and several others.
Madefire considers their comics to be a “motion book.” Competitors bring comics to a digital platform, but Madefire adds in sounds and animation to bring the comics to life in a whole new way. Investors hope that Madefire will give them more control over their intellectual property.
Framestore, a visual effects studio, also invested in the company. Framestore will be working alongside the company to offer their own Madefire-specific content to engage their audience.
Madefire began their operations by creating their own content. The company has now partnered with numerous comic book publishers to bring their comics to life. DC and IDW are two big publishers that have utilized the Madefire platform.
The company’s funding round will enhance the experience on different platforms, including the move into virtual reality. The company has stated that they want to expand into VR and augmented reality, but few details have been given.
In 213, Madefire raised $5.2 million in Series A funding and partnered with deviantART.