Skip to main content
VentureBeat Homepage
  • Events
  • GamesBeat
  • Data Pipeline
  • GamesBeat Summit 2022
  • Account Settings
  • Log Out
  • Become a Member
  • Sign In
VentureBeat Homepage

GamesBeat

VentureBeat

  • AR/VR
  • Big Data
  • Cloud
  • Commerce
  • DataDecisionMakers
  • Dev
  • Enterprise
  • Entrepreneur
  • Marketing
  • Media
  • Mobile
  • Security
  • Social
  • Transportation

Follow

follow us on Twitter follow us on Facebook follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on RSS

The Machine

  • AI
  • Machine Learning
  • Computer Vision
  • Natural Language Processing
  • Robotic Process Automation

Follow

Follow us on RSS

GamesBeat

  • Games
  • Esports
  • PC Gaming

Follow

follow us on Twitter Follow us on RSS

Events

  • Upcoming
  • Media Partner
  • Webinars

General

  • Newsletters
  • Got a news tip?
  • Advertise
  • Press Releases
  • Guest Posts
  • Contribute to DataDecisionMakers
  • Deals
  • Data Pipeline
  • Jobs
  • VB Lab
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy

Join the GamesBeat Community

Free: Join the GamesBeat Community for access to 3 premium posts and unlimited videos per month.

Learn More

Sign up with your business e-mail to continue with ticket purchase

Please wait...

Share

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • VentureBeat Homepage
  • Newsletters
  • Events

Arcade sports mobile game maker Bit Fry Game Studios raises $3.5 million

Dean Takahashi@deantak
February 12, 2020 3:00 AM
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
Ultimate Rivals
Ultimate Rivals launched on Apple Arcade during the Game Awards.
Image Credit: Bit Fry/Apple

Did you miss a session from GamesBeat Summit 2022? All sessions are available to stream now. Learn more. 


Bit Fry Game Studios has raised $3.5 million to make arcade-action sports mobile and console games such as its Ultimate Rivals: The Rink.

The Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based Bit Fry raised the money from 1Up Ventures, founded by Xbox co-creator Ed Fries; and Bitkraft Esports Ventures, a venture capital fund focused on esports. The capital supports continued growth of Bit Fry’s arcade-action sports gaming franchise, Ultimate Rivals, which had its premiere launch on Apple Arcade during The Game Awards in December.

Ben Freidlin, CEO and founder of Bit Fry Game Studios, showed me the game during a briefing in December. In a statement, he said that Bitkraft and 1Up Ventures will be strategic partners that can help the studio attract more talent and strategic capital in a highly competitive market.

Ultimate Rivals

Above: Ultimate Rivals features characters from a lot of sports.

Image Credit: Bit Fry/Apple

Scott Rupp, a founding general partner of Bitkraft, said in a statement that the sports game category is overdue for innovation on the broader entertainment platforms that are popular with gamers today. He thinks Friedlin is ripe to disrupt the space.

And Fries said in a statement he agrees that great sports video games have evolved too slowly and the market has calcified. He said Bit Fry’s ability to execute on its vision has been remarkable and they will continue the attack.

Bit Fry’s licensing agreements are with 10 major professional sports organizations, including the National Hockey League, the National Hockey League Players Association; the National Basketball Association; the National Basketball Players Association; the National Football League Players Association; Major League Baseball; the Major League Baseball Players Association; the Women’s National Basketball Association; the Women’s National Basketball Players Association; the US Women’s National Soccer Team; as well as Wayne Gretzky.

Freidlin started Bit Fry Game Studios in 2013, and his first investor was former Red Sox owner and vice chairman Les Otten.

Ultimate Rivals is available now on Apple Arcade.

Above: Ultimate Rivals: The Rink brings together athletes from different sports.

Image Credit: Apple/Bit Fry

In addition to continuing to expand its franchise of sports titles into additional sports, the studio announced two key hires in support of its growing interest in the competitive gaming and esports space:

  • Nick Caras (BreakyCPK) joins as Bit Fry’s new vice president for competitive gaming strategy. Caras is an experienced esports caster, was trained in sports broadcasting, and has been involved in esports and on notable games including Heroes of Newerth, Dota 2, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Overwatch, World of Warcraft and more.
  • Hali Oughton joins as Bit Fry’s new vice president for community and engagement. She brings deep digital and social sports covering 20 different sports in roles from on-air hosting and streaming, to video production and branding.

GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it. Learn more about membership.

Author
Dean Takahashi
Topics
Business GamesBeat Mobile

GamesBeat Summit 2022 On-Demand Library

Head over to our on-demand library to view sessions from the live event and rewatch your favorite sessions from our virtual days.

Watch Now

GamesBeat Summit On-Demand Library

Head over to our on-demand library to view sessions from the live event and rewatch your favorite sessions from our virtual days.

Watch Now

Search jobs and find your dream job today.

Get Hired
  • GamesBeat
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Follow us on Twitter
  • Follow us on LinkedIn
  • Follow us on RSS
  • VB Lab
  • Newsletters
  • Events
  • Special Issue
  • Product Comparisons
  • Jobs
  • About
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

© 2022 VentureBeat. All rights reserved.

×

We may collect cookies and other personal information from your interaction with our website. For more information on the categories of personal information we collect and the purposes we use them for, please view our Notice at Collection.