Erica developer Flavourworks has secured $3.85 million in Series A funding to "deepen" its cross-platform Touch Video technology and expand its project pipeline. 

The investment round was led by games, esports, and sports technology VC fund, Hiro Capital, and backed up by Sky Ventures.

Flavourworks rose to prominence earlier this year with the launch of Erica, a full motion video (FMV) game that combines live-action footage with tactile choices to deliver a movie-like gameplay experience. 

The UK studio describes its Touch Video tech as "a combination of behind-the-scenes innovations, novel interaction methods, and the endless possibilities of an intuitive visual editor [that] allow us to deliver playable filmed worlds to wide audiences like never before."

According to studio co-founder Pavle Mihajlovic, the patent-pending tool helps Erica stand apart from similar FMV titles by giving players the means to interact with the world in a more nuanced way, beyond simply making binary choices. 

"Our technology combines the mechanics of traditional storytelling with immersive soundtracks and next-level interactions that let you touch, feel and experience nuanced, interactive stories," he commented. "This is the first time a game lets you reach out and touch a real, live-action world and have this world react to you in a meaningful way."