Bunchball is a company that designs custom games for media companies and even has a Facebook Application that focuses on games. Bunchball is based in Redwood City, Calif. and has raised $4 million in funding from Granite Ventures and Adobe Ventures. Both of these venture companies also invested $2 million in 2006, bring Bunchball funding to $6 million in total.

Bunchball’s Facebook Application has games such as 8 Ball Pool, 9 Ball Pool, Alien Exterminator, Arcade Trivia, Football, Checkers, Chess, Pool, and Flower Power. Below is a screen shot (click to enlarge) of the user interface for Bunchball’s Facebook Application:

Bunchball also created a custom game for NBC’s The Office. Users can sign up to act as a fictional character working for Dunder-Mifflin. Dunder-Mifflin is the paper manufacturing company where the characters in The Office work. Below is a screen shot (click to enlarge):

Looking at the current trend, social gaming is becoming a hot commodity on the Internet.  I’m excited about the release of Grand Theft Auto IV and seeing how we’ll be able to play over the network.  It’d be great to see some sort of social network connected to it’s release.

Information Source:
[1] Tech Confidental: NBC uses site engagement specialist Bunchball to keep Web users glued by Olaf de Senerpont Domis
[2] paidContent: Bunchball Gets $4 Million in Second Round Funding by Rafat Ali