Digital Chocolate Receives Multi-Million Dollar Financing

Trip Hawkins-headed social gaming developer Digital Chocolate has received a 'multi-million dollar' revolving line of credit from Bridge Capital Holding, a subsidiary of Silicon Valley business bank Bridge Bank, for "general corporate purposes". Founded in 2003 and headquartered in San Mateo, California, Digital Chocolate has raised a total of $43.8 million across three investment rounds, the last of which secured the developer $22.5 million in June 2006. The publisher has put out more than 80 titles on Xbox Live, the web, and mobile phones across over 80 countries. It recently expanded its focus on mobile/online products to social games, releasing Facebook titles like MMA Pro Fighter, NanoStar Siege, Millionaire City, NanoStar Castles, NanoTowns, Safari Kingdom, and Tower Bloxx. To support that shift and its global expansion, Digital Chocolate promoted three of its directors -- Ilkka Paananen to president, Marc Metis to chief marketing officer, and Saurin Shah to vice president -- last February. "Digital Chocolate is emerging as one of the new leaders in mobile and social games," says the firm's founder and CEO Trip Hawkins. "Bridge Bank will help us grow faster. They have confidence in our performance to date and the strong market position we are building."