Aliso Viejo-based gaming software startup Gaikai Inc. has raised $30 million from some big backers in a recent funding round.
The third-round funding was led by Silicon Valley venture capital firm New Enterprise Association. Other backers included San Diego chipmaker Qualcomm Corp. and Intel Capital, the venture arm of chipmaker Intel Corp. in Santa Clara.
Intel already had an investment in Gaikai, which now has raised some $45 million.
The money will go toward the company’s interactive cloud network, where games are computed in servers and then delivered to players through high-speed Internet connections.
The funding comes on the heels of a major deal Gaikai inked with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. last month to stream video games on walmart.com’s Gamecenter, where visitors can test games, get previews and preorder titles.
It also has a deal with Redwood City-based Electronic Arts Inc., maker of the “Madden NFL” and “Tiger Woods” games.
Gaikai founder David Perry told gaming magazine Edge earlier this month that if cloud gaming sees mass adoption, it could change the online gaming industry and rattle the traditional retail market in favor of digital distribution, akin to the music and movie industry.
The video game market of late has been dominated by creators of online games, such as top video game maker Blizzard Entertainment Inc. in Irvine and Electronic Arts.
