Realtime Games wins funding for fantasy football app

UK-based Realtime Games has closed a £600,000 (€682,00/$804,600) funding round to support its real-time fantasy football mobile game.

UFL is the first game to be launched by Realtime and is described by the studio as the first fantasy game of its type that allows fans around the world to connect simultaneously to a live football match.

The action happens as the match unfolds and every player’s move on the pitch is mirrored in a real-time game.

Launched in 2016, the game now has more than one million registered users worldwide.

Realtime plans to use the funding from Mercia Fund Managers and an unnamed mobile games developer to expand its team, step up marketing in the run-up to the 2018 Fifa World Cup, and develop the platform further to allow it to create similar games.

Sohail Godall, chief executive and founder of Realtime, said: “We’re delighted to secure our funding round and see this milestone as a testament to the hard work our team has put in.

“This round provides us with a great platform to build upon our core game technology, scaling up for the World Cup and beyond.”

Mike Hayes, head of digital and digital entertainment at Mercia, added: “UFL is unique in the market; it is the first ‘free-to-play’ fantasy game, and the first to combine a real-time live game with short play experiences, which makes it ideal for the casual fan.

“Realtime Games has not only built a popular soccer app with a loyal fan base, but it has also created a platform that could be applied across a much wider range of sports.”