“Netflix of games” raises USD 3M in a Series A funding round

AirConsole transforms any Laptop or AndroidTV into a video game console. Smartphones are used as gamepads, without the need of downloading any software or the use of additional hardware. Over the past 4 years, more than 150 games have been developed by 4,000+ developers globally. AirConsole built up a community of 5 million players over the past 4 years and is widely considered the «Netflix of games». In 2019 alone, players from more than 180 countries have played more than one million hours of games via airconsole.com.

AirConsole solved the challenge of latency when playing across multiple devices over the internet. «We have developed an ultra-low latency mechanism: Input arrives faster than the computer can draw the next frame, making e.g. reactions in games instant, which particularly in faster games such as car races is of critical importance» explains Andrin von Rechenberg, Founder of AirConsole.

The Series A funding round was led by Ringier Digital Ventures. New investors such as Swiss Founders Fund, Alpana Ventures, Equity Pitcher and Investors from Swiss ICT Investor Club (SICTIC) participated alongside existing investors Wingman Ventures and prominent angel investors such as Dr. Christian Wenger.

Thomas Kaiser, Chairman of Ringier Digital Ventures sees large growth opportunities for AirConsole: «Digital casual gaming is a huge trend globally and TV set-top box operators are looking for new ways to differentiate themselves from competition and to stay relevant. AirConsole is a fantastic opportunity for these partners and will give AirConsole’s game publishers a boost in audience for their games».

Andrin von Rechenberg intends to bring AirConsole to every home with a TV. Swisscom, the largest set-top box operator in Switzerland, already pre-installed AirConsole on 1.5 million SwisscomTV set-top boxes, something that von Rechenberg is now looking to replicate with operators and TV manufacturers in other countries as well. «We will first address the AndroidTV set-top boxes, of which 100M+ will be distributed by 140 TV operators until 2022.» elaborates Andrin von Rechenberg.

Casual gaming via local wifi is truly social, unlike multiplayer games over the internet. Historically, AirConsole saw an increase in sessions during the colder months of the year, with a drastic spike on Thanksgiving and between Christmas and New Year’s, likely driven by social gatherings with family and friends.