Zattikka raises $5.5m for its browser and mobile social games

Zattikka, the browser and mobile games company, has announced that its raised $5.5m through its parent company Expedite 5, Inc.

The new round of funding is being led by Notion Capital and a group of private investors which include Harald Ludwig, co-chair of Lionsgate Entertainment. Ludwig will also join Zattikka’s Board.

The London-based startup previously received seed funding from Atomico Ventures, the early stage VC firm created by Skype founders Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom.

Zattikka, which competes with the likes of Zynga, says it will use the new investment for “recruitment, research and development and marketing to further broaden its portfolio of browser and mobile games, taking advantage of the diversifying audiences for social gaming.”

It’s clear that Notion Capital sees browser-based and mobile social gaming as a big growth area with founding partner Ian Milbourn noting that “online social gaming is one of the most exciting markets at the moment.” He also says that Zattika stands out because in comparison to many of its competitors who are dependent on one product or franchise, the company “is dedicated to owning as much IP as it can.”

On that note, the company claims 100 games in its portfolio, helped by the acquisition of portal Gimme5Games in September 2009, which hosts titles such as the Phantom Mansion series, and says it’s currently developing 2 new titles per week. But it doesn’t appear to be just gunning for the casual gaming market. Zattikka’s portfolio also includes BadHed, which targets more hardcore gaming fans, says the company.

In the last three months, Zattikka, which was founded in August 2009 by Tim Chaney and Mark Opzoomer, two former Virgin games executives, says it has increased its average monthly unique users by 76 per cent, exceeding 1 million unique users in June, 2010. It also boasts a total of over 77 million “recorded game plays” across its entire games portfolio.