Talofa Games, a gaming studio developing cooperative and competitive social fitness games, announced the close of its $6.3 million seed round. The round was led by Chamaeleon, with participation from A16Z GAMES SPEEDRUN, Basis Set Ventures, Insight Partners, 1Up Ventures, and various other strategic investors.
Launched in 2021 by a team of experienced gaming developers and engineers who have built games with over 10 million combined downloads, Talofa is currently building Run Legends, the world’s first fitness game that can be played synchronously with friends. In Run Legends, players walk or run to engage in cooperative real-time battles alongside each other. Battles last five to fifteen minutes and are designed so players can perform without looking at their phones. Players can unleash battle skills by moving faster or slower using their Gear and earn rewards.
Jenny Xu, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Talofa, said the following;
“Fitness and gaming do not need to be mutually exclusive, and we are extremely proud to build a game that enables players to improve their health while having fun and playing with friends. We look forward to working with our players to scale this new social fitness experience and create a happier, healthier world.”
Talofa’s seed funding will enable the company to continue to engineer and develop Run Legends as well as other “games for good.” The game is currently available for free on iOS and Android.
Nuno Goncalves Pedro, Founder and Managing Partner at Chamaeleon, adds,
“Gaming is in a league of its own. It is the ultimate interactive media, and it mixes cutting-edge technology with truly creative and unique content. It is our great pleasure to be able to join Jenny and her team at Talofa on her quest to create positive habits at scale.”
Robin Guo, Gaming Investment Partner at A16Z GAMES, said,
“We believe that games are our underlying social fabric and core to the human experience. Talofa is mixing the best of gaming, fitness, and social with Run Legends, designed for you to have fun with your friends and get fit while doing it. Jenny has built many successful indie games in the past with JCSoft, and now she and her team are taking their talents to innovate on something new at this intersection of gaming x fitness.”
Lan Xuezhao, Founder and Managing Partner at Basis Set adds,
“Jenny and the entire Talofa team are pushing the limits of what is possible at the intersection of gaming and fitness. We’ve seen this team execute from day one and know they are capable of fundamentally changing the way people build healthy habits with their friends. It’s natural for people to be aspirational about their health and hungry for community, and we’re excited to help create a future of fitness that is both gamified and multiplayer.”
NEXT: Istanbul-based Pine Games raises $2.25 million on pre-seed round
