Play Hard Sports Inc. has recently completed series B funding, landing a cool $8M to further their efforts.  The free-to-play, microtransaction based sports games developer has raised $13M in funding in less than nine months.  Play Hard’s funding was led by Valhalla Parners and joined by TriplePoint Capital, as well as their existing investor, New Enterprise Associates.  As a result of Valhalla’s heavy investment, General Partner Scott Frederick will now join the Play Hard board.

Play Hard is based in Foxboro, Massachusetts (yes, home of the New England Patriots), and is committed to developing premium, free-to-play titles for sports fans.  They focus on delivering head-to-head competitions that incorporate stunning graphics, the ease of accessibility of Flash, and the draw of fantasy sports.

“We were presented with a number of opportunities that would accelerate our growth and market position and were thrilled to secure funding from well respected firms like Valhalla, TriplePoint and NEA,” said Play Hard founder and CEO, Jeffrey Anderson. “The new financing will allow us to capitalize on current opportunities, expand our portfolio and secure additional marketing, licensing and sponsorship prospects.”

Anderson (previously of LoTRO creators Turbine) and company are hard at work on their first tite, Play Hard Football (PHF) which is scheduled to launch concurrent with the 2009 football season (take THAT madden!). but is slated to open it’s beta doors in just a few months.  PHF will be a browser/flash based game that allows users to try their hand at coaching or general managing their own team, with the ultimate goal of rising up in the ranks and becoming the ultimate global football coach/GM.

“There is a lot of innovation coming from online entertainment and games companies right now,” said Scott Frederick, General Partner, Valhalla. “We are confident that Play Hard Sports’ pioneering ‘freemium’ model will be successful. Add the team of industry veterans, who are responsible for the market’s biggest MMORPGs and sports games, including Madden 05, 06, 2KNFL, 2KNBA and The Lord of the Rings, and you have an unbeatable combination of strategy and execution.”

Sports MMO’s are something we’ve seen a rising in lately, with Football Superstars recently breaking the 250k registrations landmark, and Six Degrees Games on track to become a virtual world powerhouse.  However, it looks like Play Hard is working the fantasy football sports angle, and as Fredrick points out, having a team of industry veterans working on the same project puts them in a unique position.  Clearly, Play Hard is one to watch in 2009.

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