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Small indie studio becomes first game developer in Norway to receive venture capital funding from Altered Ventures.

Press release:
Bergen, Norway – April 25, 2018 – Henchman and Goon, an independent game studio based in Bergen, Norway, announced today that Altered Ventures, a Venture Capital fund based in Silicon Valley, has invested over $400,000 in their upcoming game, Pode. This is the first time a Norwegian game studio has received Altered Ventures funding for a project, and Pode has already received accolades, including a People’s Choice Award Nominee for Game Connection in 2018.

“For us it was important to find a partner that had experience from the games industry, with the same passion for games that we have, and who could also contribute valuable feedback in terms of insight, a strong network and vision,” says Game Director and CEO, Yngvill Hopen. “It means the world to us to have an investment partner that believes in us so much at this stage in the production, allowing us to focus more on design and development as we gear up for the launch. Having a great partner like Altered Ventures during these last stages of production is absolutely essential.”

Henchman & Goon is an indie game studio that has been working together for years on both external and independent projects.

“Altered Ventures’ core team have collectively over 20 years of experience making, producing and publishing video games, and we recognized the potential in Pode immediately,” said Mario Valle-Reyes, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Altered Ventures. “We are thrilled and honored to work with Henchman & Goon, helping to fund a great game that is already proving to be a beloved new IP.”

Pode is a co-op puzzle exploration game about two unlikely travel companions going on an exploratory adventure within a mysterious and magical mountain. Through their unique individual talents they reveal a magical world within the mountain by working together to solve the puzzles. Pode is visually inspired by Norwegian art and culture resulting in a stunning exploration game.

Pode won the development award for the Best Casual Game and was selected as a nominee for the People’s Choice Awards as well as for the Best Quality of Art in GameConnection 2018. Check the updates in www.podegame.com

Follow Pode on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/podegame/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/podegame
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/henchmangoon
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/henchmangoon/

About the developer:
Henchman & Goon is an independent game studio in beautiful Bergen, Norway. We’ve known and worked with each other for years and we’re proud to have a studio that encompasses our unified vision for making great games. Our mission is to create games that we want to play ourselves and that leave a lasting positive impression. Henchman & Goon consists of a dedicated team of professionals that work brilliantly together in a unified passion for creating excellence in game development. For more information, visit: http://henchmangoon.com/

About the investors:
Altered Ventures is a Venture Capital fund with offices in San Francisco, Kuala Lumpur and Mexico City. Launched in partnership with leading VC Mountain Nazca and AAA cross-platform game development and creation services company, Streamline Media Group, Altered Ventures invests between $250K and $1.5MM in games and interactive entertainment projects for digital platforms, including PC, game consoles and VR/AR. The company is a global fund that supplies talented independent game developers all over the world with smart money to bring their innovations to fruition. For more information, visit: http://venturecapital.game