Sundog, the company behind Ibru, the game, said it will issue more shares—Series E—mostly to existing investors.

The funds will cover Sundog’s designated share of the research and development costs of Ibru, amounting to around €1 million, the Polish newspaper Puls Biznesu wrote on Friday.

The company got €3.9 million from the Polish Enterprise Development Fund (PARP) to help fund the development of the game, but a proviso of the grant was that it raised €1 million as its contribution to the project.

The game developer, which describes itself as being made up of Polish “gaming veterans,” has submitted documentation on the share issue in a Polish court and is awaiting its publication, according to the daily.

The game is based on Tokarczuk’s prose, particularly on her 2006 novel "Anna in the Tombs of the World.” The writer won the 2018 Nobel Prize for Literature and is also a Sundog shareholder.

Ibru is “an immersive role-playing game set in a science-fantasy world blending ancient Sumerian mythology and cyberpunk,” according to the company’s website.

Sundog has capitalized on interest in Tokarczuk’s work and reputation as a vociferous social commentator to gain support for the project.

Publicity, however, is a double-edged sword. Reports that Sundog had run up tens of thousands of euros in losses led to a flurry of media reports, which, in turn, prompted the company to state that “start-ups invest in the development of technology and products before they start selling them and making profits.”

“Projects like ours bring profits not only for shareholders but also contribute to economic growth,” it added.