AN online data analysis business has secured $1.3 million (£862,000) of investment which will help it to double staff numbers.

GamesAnalytics, founded two years ago, plans to use the money to boost the development of its technology platform Predict and add to its sales and marketing activities in Europe and the US.

Management believe that will help the business attract several new customers.

At the moment, the Edinburgh company focuses on analysing data from free-to-play online games and apps to help software developers better monetise their products.

GamesAnalytics also looks at how often people play, why they abandon games, how likely they are to pay and what companies can do to encourage more players to make in-game purchases.

It has worked with the BBC on the Top Gear Stunt School game and with German based Bigpoint Games on a number of online titles, including Battlestar Galactica.

Chris Wright, GamesAnalytics chief executive, hopes to increase employee numbers from 12 to at least 24 over the next six to nine months.

He said: "The funding really allows us to take our core technology out there to more customers, add to the technology, increase the staff numbers, improve sales and marketing and take the company to that next level.

"This is a huge growth market with lots of opportunity in it and this funding gives us the opportunity to take advantage of that.

"To start and grow the business in Scotland and attract the funding from Scotland really should be seen as a great boost to the [technology] sector here and shows you don't need to go to London or the west coast of the US to build a tech company."

Mr Wright said the success of mobile devices as gaming platforms is leading to many games having far wider player bases than would have been imaginable in previous years.

Many software developers now release games for free to attract wide numbers of players with a plan to charge for additional content which can be anything from extra levels to bonus items to use within the game.

Mr Wright said: "The services we provide to these companies lets them see where people are playing the games, where the blockages are and what's making players abandon the game.

"Ultimately it is about gameplay. A really good indicator of whether a player will spend money is how long they play for. If they are really engaged and having fun, they are more likely to buy extra levels.

"Even though there may be hundreds of millions of players, typically only between 1% and 5% will spend any money."

Par Equity, STV and the Scottish Investment Bank's Scottish Co-investment Fund are backing GamesAnalytics with this tranche of funding with more likely to be available in the future.

Paul Atkinson, partner at Par Equity, said: "GamesAnalytics has clearly demonstrated a growing requirement for analytics within an industry reorienting itself to new business models and platforms.

"With a technology roadmap which is firmly focused on strengthening its European and US market position, we are anticipating a successful partnership with the team at GamesAnalytics."

Mr Wright indicated there may be further spin-offs into other areas of the media for the technology GamesAnalytics has developed.

He added: "All media is moving towards more interactive platforms and there are potential applications for the technology beyond gaming."