Doppio has raised a total of $1.1 million to fund the development of voice-controlled video games at its Portuguese studio.
According to Business Insider, the company received investments from Amazon’s Alexa Fund, Google’s Assistant Investment Program, Unity founder David Helgason, and Supercell game lead Lasse Seppänen.
The studio was founded by Jeferson Valadares and Christopher Barnes, two developers that have experience making games at companies like BioWare, EA, and Playfish. With the $1.1 million in funding secured, the duo is looking to add an additional four developers to its team.
Already, Doppio has released one game, The Vortex, that’s playable with voice input on both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, and is currently developing a second game based on an unnamed TV show. In a statement, Alexa Fund director Paul Bernard calls Doppio one of the first studios to realize the potential of voice-based gameplay.
"Gaming has emerged as one of the most exciting use cases for voice technology, and Doppio was among the first to recognize its potential,” said Bernard. “They've built a compelling game that takes advantage of the unique properties of the medium, and which customers love."