Last September, MegaBots Inc. raised over $550,000 on Kickstarter to upgrade its giant, piloted robot –the Mark II– with hydraulics and heavy armor plating in preparation for a metal-bending showdown with Japanese counterpart Kuratas.
Details of the battle are scarce, the date and location are yet to be determined, and the only prize may be bragging rights. But for MegaBots –and anyone with a fetish for twisted metal– even a devastating loss could still be fun to watch.
The California-based startup recently raised $2.4 million in seed funding from investors who must be just as eager as us to see massive machines pummel the paint off of each other’s chassis. Some of this funding will go towards making Mark II a more formidable opponent, but the rest will be spent making manga-like mech battles a legitimate and lucrative sport, according to TechCrunch.
MegaBots essentially wants to create a major sports organization, like FIFA or the NFL, and it’s looking to the Olympics for inspiration on how to develop an association with international reach and participants. There are apparently a number of legal matters to consider, though, so moving forward MegaBots will begin working with the same law firm who represents the International Olympics Committee, reports TechCrunch.
Until machine fighting becomes the international sport that MegaBots imagines, the startup’s seed funding will likely be put towards additional upgrades on their 12,000 plus pound brawler, though an investor said he also expects the money to go towards getting sponsorships and continuing to expand the MegaBots brand through TV appearances, and maybe even a show.
To date, MegaBots has already earned $1 million more than the $550,000 from Kickstarter, through things like live appearances and merchandising. There’s no purse set for the battle against Kuratas, but the money will surely come if the showdown is a crowdpleaser.
