Dundee sports games firm targets £1.5m funding goal

A Dundee-based maker of sports simulation games is seeking to raise £1.5 million as it prepares for the launch of its debut title.

Dundee-based DSA is gearing up to launch its football management game. Picture: Contributed

Digital Sports Arena (DSA), which is developing a mobile football management simulator called Gameday Live, has set itself the goal of netting £500,000 through online investment platform Growthdeck.

A further £1m is being sought from other investors – including specialist industry backers, private equity firms and wealthy individuals – to help fund the continued development of the game, which is set to launch early next year.

DSA has already secured initial seed funding of more than £580,000 through a deal led by the EOS Technology Investment Syndicate, which has enabled its team to pursue a “soft launch” in Australia, Canada and the Netherlands. It aims to learn from players in a real-world, commercial environment and improve the user experience before rolling out the title to more markets.

Stuart Anderson, lead engineer and head of design at DSA, said: “Football management simulation games have been around for over 30 years now, but we strongly believe there’s an opportunity for an alternative but complementary product to be successful in this market.”

DSA has recently strengthened its board with the appointment of Sean Tracey – the former chief executive of five-a-side football pitch operator Powerleague – as its chairman.

“We chose to raise funds for the continued development and future global launch of Gameday Live via Growthdeck because the platform has a different approach to its competitors,” Tracey said.

“We like the fact that Growthdeck’s innovative model brings together the accessibility of crowdfunding with the robustness of a venture capital-style approach for the benefit of businesses and investors alike.”

Derek Bond, head of regional development at Growthdeck, added: “DSA is based in Dundee, the birthplace of the Scottish games industry, and the source of some of the world’s biggest titles, including Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto, so DSA is in good company.

“This critically acclaimed team is truly bringing something new to the marketplace – Gameday Live takes all the popular elements of football management simulation and brings the genre into a modern arena, with an on-demand head-to-head multiplayer experience, which can be enjoyed at the discretion of the user any time, anywhere.”

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