Is there a desire for fitness experiences delivered through video games? The significant success of titles such as Ring Fit Adventure indicates that there is.

Quell, a startup located in London, believes this trend is only beginning, and they have secured $3 million in seed funding to further develop their concept.

The central component of Quell’s system is the “Gauntlet” – a wearable device that players use to interact with Quell’s games. As players engage in actions like punching and dodging within the game world, the Gauntlet’s integrated sensors track metrics such as punch velocity and precision, while adjustable resistance bands provide a customizable level of challenge.

We previously covered Quell in August, highlighting it as one of the standout startups from the Y Combinator S20 Demo Day.

This funding round included participation from Kevin Lin and Emmett Shear, the co-founders of Twitch, Naval Ravikant, founder of AngelList, Josh Hannah, founder of WikiHow, TenCent, Khosla Ventures, Heartcore, Social Impact Capital and JamJar Investments. According to Quell co-founder Doug Stidolph, the company initially sought funding based on a $10 million valuation; however, by the time the round closed, the valuation had risen to $15 million. The company also recently completed a Kickstarter campaign, successfully raising £501,341 (approximately $670,000 USD) from nearly 3,000 contributors. Given the continuing pandemic and the associated risks of visiting gyms (depending on local regulations), the demand for at-home fitness solutions is expected to continue its upward trajectory.

Initially, Quell’s hardware and games will be compatible with PC, Mac, and mobile devices. This means console support will not be available at launch – a potential drawback, as a larger television screen would likely be ideal for these types of games, and consoles generally offer a more streamlined user experience. The company states that console integration is on their future development roadmap, but the complexities and costs associated with console hardware certification made it impractical for the initial release.

In the meantime, Quell is establishing its own internal game development studio, and has hired Peter Cornelius (formerly lead producer at Improbable, a gaming technology company) as Game Production director. Quell co-founder Cameron Brookhouse explains that a key objective is to create games that naturally encourage exercise while maintaining a high level of player immersion; they aim for gameplay to inspire movement organically, rather than relying on explicit instructions like, “Now it’s time for jumping jacks!”

The Quell team anticipates shipping their first hardware by the end of 2021. They are currently focused on refining their prototypes for production, addressing aspects such as simplifying resistance adjustments, enabling easier user switching, and expanding the range of exercises that their sensors can recognize and integrate into the gaming experience.