Anorak raises $5m in pre-seed funding from Backed VC, Play Ventures, Supercell and MTG

• The company was founded by Shaun Rutland, who co-founded Hutch in 2011 and served as its CEO until 2025.
• Anorak has a 20-person team split between London and Chengdu.
• Anorak targets communities built around interests such as fishing, sneakers, birdwatching and padel.

Interactive entertainment company Anorak has raised $5 million in pre-seed funding to develop games and experiences built around people's interests and hobbies.

Founded by former Hutch CEO Shaun Rutland, Anorak will use the capital to support its 20-person team across London and Chengdu. It is also developing its first playable formats. 

The company has not shared specific details of the products but plans to bring the playable formats to market and prepares to open its creator platform in early 2027.

The round was co-led by Backed VC and Play Ventures, with participation from Supercell, MTG and angel investors including Zynga co-founder Justin Waldron.

New ideas, new challenges 

The idea came from Rutland's experience at Hutch, the London-based mobile game studio he co-founded in 2011 and led as CEO until 2025, before becoming executive chair.

“At Hutch, we learned just how passionate people can be about the things they love," said Rutland. “Car enthusiasts weren’t just playing our games; they were obsessing over every detail, sharing their knowledge and building communities around a common interest. 

“We started asking ourselves: what if you could create that kind of experience for any interest, no matter how niche? That’s the opportunity we’re pursuing at Anorak."

He added: “The funding gives us the resources to grow our already 20-strong team across London and Chengdu, bring our first playable formats to market and build towards opening up our creator platform in early 2027.

“There’s a lot to do, there will be lots of challenges (foreseen and not so!) but that’s exactly what makes this exciting."