On-line Gamer Trion Attracts Some Media Giants

Trion World Network, a developer of on-line gaming, raised $30 million in funding from a consortium that includes some media heavyweights. According to the company, the new funds and the new relationships will be used to develop and publish new connected games and entertainment franchises.


Venture capital firm Rustic Canyon led the round of financing with Time Warner, GE/NBC Universal’s Peacock Equity and Bertelsmann AG’s BDMI Invest. Existing investors in Trion – DCM and Trinity Ventures – also participated in the funding.

 "Trion's network service model for connected entertainment has the potential to dramatically impact how our industry creates and monetizes content and how consumers participate in the entertainment experience," Time Warner Investments’ senior vice president Rachel Lam noted in a statement.

 Trion was founded in 2006 by Dr. Lars Buttler, former Vice President for Global Online at Electronic Arts, and Jon Van Caneghem, founder of New World Computing and creator of the best-selling Might and Magic and Heroes game franchises.