Turbulenz Raises $5 Million For Online Game Platform

With $5 million in funding raised, a new company called Turbulenz is coming out of hiding to unveil its new development and publishing platform for online browser games. Founded by former Electronic Arts and Criterion vets in 2009, the UK-headquartered company's been spending the last six months building a tech team in Europe, recruiting "developers and business leaders" from companies like Apple, Google and Square Enix, among others. The staff and new funding are aimed at a 2011 launch. Former EA director of technology James Austin says the team is excited to "continue expanding our development goals, enabling Turbulenz to power a new generation of online games." Former Summit Partners tech investor Gavin Shields is the company's COO, and says Turbulenz's success at fundraising speaks to the potential in its tech: "Being able to raise these funds in this tough economic climate reflects the ambitious plans we have to transform the way games are created, distributed and played online," he says. The company describes Turbulenz as an end-to-end game content creation, publishing and monetization platform for the web. It chose its Guildford location at the "center of UK game development, where it will remain and recruit from the local scene for the next five years.