Shadows of the Damned Director Raises $1.6 Million for "Emotional Games"

Shadows of the Damned director Massimo Guarani's independent Italian development studio, Ovosonico, has raised €1.44 million ($1.62 million) as part of its effort to build more "emotional" games.

The money comes from Digital Bros., the Italian company that owns 505 Games. Guarini told GameSpot that the investment was a "pretty important achievement" for Ovosonico, as well as a "strong signal" from the Italian game industry.

Ovosonico's latest game was Murasaki Baby, a generally well-received PlayStation Vita platformer released in 2014. Guarini said the new cash injection also allows Ovosonico to continue to "pursuing our vision and creating what we really love and care about," that being what Guarini calls "emotional games."

"Emotional games are a meaningful way for us to create something more universal and wordless, as we're constantly trying to connect with a broader audience of humans, not just gamers," he said. "We believe this will have a huge impact on the market in the years to come, and through this important partnership we believe we will have the right means to pursue our vision."

In addition, the funds help Ovosonico "consolidate its assets and sustain growth as a fully independent studio."

For its part, Digital Bros. CEO Raphael Galante said in a statement that the company is "incredibly excited" to work with Ovosonico.

"We are proud to be able to support the growth of a company that features important traits of the 'Made in Italy' dear to us, such as uncompromising creativity and the ability to trigger emotions," he said.

Ovosonico is currently working a new, original game that is in the pre-production phase. This project has not been announced, but Ovosonico says more details will be shared "when the time is right."

Massimo previously worked at Grasshopper Manufacture as game director. He also spent time at Ubisoft Montreal, where he was the design director for Naruto - Rise of a Ninja.