Rift creator Trion raises another $85M

Rift developer Trion Worlds has raised $85 million in a new round of funding, helping the company to continue its Asian expansion and launch a number of new games over the coming years. The round of funding, which brings Trion's total raised to $185 million, was led by Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, one of Canada's largest pension fund administrators. European media conglomerate Bertelsmann also participated. This new funding comes as Trion said recently that it is planning to file for an initial public offering at some point soon, going as far as to say that an IPO is "clearly on our horizon." Trion CEO Lars Buttler told Reuters that the $85 million funding may well go towards an acquisition or video game licensing. He declined to say what the company's value is with this new round. The funding will also help Trion to continue its overseas expansion. The company recently announced a number of new hires in Europe, including a new head of European PR and a European commerce director. Subscription-based fantasy MMO Rift is something of a success for the company, which reported 1 million copies sold in the game's opening three months. The company currently has two other games in the pipeline: Defiance, an MMO that will coincide with a television show on cable network SyFy, and End of Nations, a massively-multiplayer RTS by former Westwood (Command & Conquer) veterans at Las Vegas' Petroglyph, which has launched games including Star Wars: Empire at War and Universe at War. The latter title will be Trion's first attempt at a free-to-play title. The company is also touting its Red Door initiative, which will provide a platform for developers to create games using the company's online technologies.