Perplex City Expanding

Via Gamasutra:

Officials from Mind Candy, the UK based company behind the alternate reality game Perplex City, have announced a $7 million dollar investment from Accel Partners and existing investors Index Ventures and NewMedia Spark, preceding a major 2007 expansion of the ARG, including a second new puzzle brand aimed at a younger audience. 2007 will also see a wide-range of new Perplex City products including books, video games and mobile content. Bruce Golden, general partner at Accel Partners said, “We believe that Mind Candy is a pioneer in developing new forms of entertainment that combine some of the best attributes of the internet with the strengths of traditional board games, puzzles, and treasure hunts. Mind Candy’s initial success at establishing a passionate community of participants in Perplex City,
combined with their ambitious plans to build a global brand for consumers interested in this new form of entertainment represents a very exciting investment opportunity for us.
- see the original article

So for all those people who'd been hanging out to see whether Perplex City had been commercially successful, this seems like a pretty clear indication that the long term answer is "yes". ARGs are finally entering the hallowed ranks of "things which are profitable". Huzzah.

EDIT: I should also add it's a mark of both coolness and games-industry foresight that Gamasutra are covering this news. They definitely seem to have a keen eye for where video gaming is going. Kudos, or somesuch.