Fight with your cards, not your words.
Developer 360 Studios revealed today that it raised $1.5 million in funding that it will pour into MMA Federation, a turn-based, mobile card game based on mixed martial arts. MMA Federation already launched in Canada for iOS and Android devices, however, it releases across all English-speaking territories today. 360 Studios will seek a new round of funding for $1 million in Q1 2016 as it hopes to make MMA Federation a hit in a mobile industry worth $30 billion in 2015.
Combining cards with mixed martial arts might seem like a bizarre idea, however, studio head Rick Giolito says that it adds depth to the game.
“We set out to bring a fresh approach not just to the fighting genre, however, to sports sims in general,” Giolito noted in a press release sent to GamesBeat. “There is no point just bringing out another fighting game that apes already existing franchises. The reason we’ve brought in a card battling system is because it automatically makes this more than a button basher — it’s a game of strategy, meaning anyone can take it on, however, it’s firmly bedded in the MMA world, so it’s also the perfect companion for martial arts aficionados.”
You can see footage from the game in the video below.