Gaming Trends
Carv raises $10M series A to simplify data monetization for gamers
Carv has been profitable since December 2023 with a monthly revenue surpassing $1 million
Investment Bounceback
Gaming startups are getting investor attention once again
More than $260 million has been invested globally in early-stage rounds through Q1 2024
Investment News
Multi-million funding to ignite growth for UK games studios
The UKGF's £3 million initiative will provide grants of up to £150,000 to 22 promising games companies in the UK
Hot Five
Hot Five: New VC funds for mobile, Turkish investments, and Baby Shark makes a splash in Brawl Stars
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Investment News
Lil Snack lands $3 million in funding for AI gaming tools
The tiny team of four prioritize partnerships over marketing, working with Amazon Prime and BuzzFeed for distribution
Investment Incoming
Ludus Ventures invests $1M in Turkish studio Midas Games
Midas Games plans to launch multiple titles later in 2024
Investment News
Wargaming co-founder launches $50 million investment fund Mika Games to support mobile studios
The company aims to invest globally in mobile-first, free-to-play live service games with strong monetisation potential
Funding News
Laton Ventures secures $35 million for games investments in Turkey and beyond
Founder Görkem Türk tells PocketGamer.biz why he's so bullish on games and how Turkey's rising games industry has helped spur its fund raise
Funding Influx
Illuvium raises $12M funding for blockchain games
An open-world creature collector, city builder and autobattler will feature interoperable blockchain elements
New Partnerships
Tamatem Games relocates HQ to UAE after Abu Dhabi investment
The backing aims to help fuel publisher's growth and strengthen the UAE's overall gaming ecosystem
Monetisation Strategies
Balancy raises $700K to transform game monetization and live ops
Balancy has partnered with more than 100 games since it was established in 2022
Funding For Games
Gamecity Hamburg allocates €400,000 for game prototypes
Both small and medium-sized start-ups and studios located in Hamburg can submit applications
The Web3 Way
Gamer Arena nets investment into Web3, AI and esports ambitions
Dutch VC fund Domino Ventures has invested an undisclosed sum into the competitive platform
Scuti Incentives
Scuti.ai raises $10 million to incentivise player spending
The AI platform looks to retain players through rewards on its platform
Empowering Players
Ex-Homa staff raise $1.5 million for UGC platform PlayMakers
Start-up aims to make suite of tools available to any developers looking to add user-generated content to their games
Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow
Gaming veteran Chris Heatherly raises $3 million for new game venture
Shima Capital led the funding round with participation from Sfermion, GSR Markets, Arca, Lyrik Ventures, Flying Falcon, Press Start Capital, and 32-Bit Ventures.
Hot Five
Hot Five: Apple and Roblox embrace AI, a Match Factory milestone, and Warframe mobile gets further funding
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Mobile Gaming Ecosystem
Matchingham Games' Ginger Joy spin-off secures $1.26M for Web3 gaming
Ginger Joy aims to develop Web3 games specifically designed for mobile devices
Digital Deal
Nitro Games receives further €3.5 million to continue Warframe mobile development
Digital Extremes’ popular IP turns 11 this year with a mobile version on the way
Hot Five
Hot Five: Layoffs stack up, strategic investments are abound, and Nintendo finds cause for mobile celebration
Our quick-fix start-the-week roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
New Studio
Ex-Mojang and Toca Boca devs raise €1.5m for new studio Roro
Stockholm-based developer working on "3D digital dollhouse" for mobile
Funding Round
Helsinki studio Order of Meta raises $3.3 million
Developer will use financing to finish development and soft launch Cargo Hunters
Ecosystem Expansion
AOFverse raises $3 million to propel Web3 gaming vision
The platform seeks to strengthen its position with the release of its flagship game Army of Fortune later this year
Financials
Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal drives record $86 billion in games industry deals in 2023
“We predict M&A activity to steadily increase again in 2024”
Empowering Gamers
Rize.gg wraps up pre-seed round, raises $430,000 to train and empower gamers
The company intends to allocate these funds to advance the platform's development and broaden its user base
Fitness & Gaming
Talofa Games secures $6.3 Million to build fitness-focused games
The team will use its newly secured funding to engineer and develop Run Legends as well as create new titles
New Studio
Playdemic founders raise $10m for new UK mobile studio ForthStar
Paul Gouge and Alex Rigby head up the new Manchester studio following their $1 billion success with Golf Clash
Flagship Funds
Leslie Benzies' Build A Rocket Boy studio raises $110M for "flagship" trio of projects
RedBird Capital Partners leads investment in Build A Rocket Boy’s Everywhere, MindsEye and Arcadia
A Strong Start
Pine Games secures $2.25M for mobile game development in Istanbul
The team currently has four staff and plans to grow that number to 15 for the creation of IP-based mobile games
Pgc London
Pocket Gamer Connects London: The Show Me The Money track
Explore investment advice and funding ideas next Tuesday, January 23rd
Rallying Relief
Capcom and Square Enix donate millions in relief funds to support victims of Japan earthquake
Donations of ¥120 million and ¥50 million from two of Japan's gaming giants will support victims of the earthquake and rebuilding efforts
Ai-powered Games
ArenaX Labs raises $6M for AI-driven game development
The company aims to use gaming as a way of educating players and gain a greater of understanding as to the workings of artificial intelligence
Second Round
Marvel Snap dev Second Dinner raises $100 million
Studio to invest in Marvel Snap live ops and new game development
Sprouting Seeds
Barnyard Games raises $3.4m in seed round to make games for Fortnite
Menlo Ventures led the round with participation from BetaWorks, Alumni Ventures, Charge VC and others
Here We Go
W4 Games raises $15 million to boost Godot engine development and services
Irish start-up aims to double headcount over the next 18 months
Support From Supercell
Supercell co-founder supports $1.6M funding round in Chinese publisher MyGamez
Supercell co-founder Mikko Kodisoja, Small Giant Games co-founder Timo Soininen, Reworks co-founder Ilkka Teppo and former Riot China head of operations Daniel Wang are on board
Hot Five
Hot Five: Supercell’s path to fame, a Chinese gacha hit and 20M in Web3 funding
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Nft Now
NFTs incoming: Matr1x doubles funding to $20M ahead of its debut Web3 mobile launch
Matr1x Fire is an upcoming NFT shooter on mobile, bolstered by new $10 million funding round
Production Power
Layer AI seed round raises $1.8M to bolster generative game art production
The AI-powered productivity tool sees support from The Games Fund, GFR Fund and others
Very Noice
Games livestreaming start-up Noice raises $21 million
New company aims to blend multiplayer gaming with livestreaming
Funding Success
TapNation generates $16.1 million in latest funding round
The round included the participation of Re-Sources Capital and Paluel-Marmont Capital
First Round Funding
Istanbul-based game studio SuperGears successfully completes first investment round led by TMRW foundation
SuperGears first investment round is based upon a valuation of $10 million and will add Crytek founder Cevat Yerli to the board of directors
Hot Five
Hot Five: Web3 tactics gaming, FunPlus’ latest soft launch and a bunch of new investments
Our quick-fix roundup of the hottest stories on PocketGamer.biz
Investment Round
Casual games hub Playbite nabs $1 million in funding
US-based company aims to expand on its userbase of "several hundred thousand" monthly active users
Investments
Developer Funstop secures $1.5 million funding from Indian investors
InfoEdge continue their investment in home-grown talent as part of India's increasingly vibrant mobile tech scene
Ai Advancement
Harmony Games raises $3M in seed round to build an AI puzzle game
The seed round was led by Griffin Gaming Partners
Vc Funding
The games industry drew $454 million in VC funding in the third quarter of 2023
The figure represents a 9% decline from the previous quarter
Uk Gaming Scene
Ukie's new manifesto demands an increase in government funding for video games
They claim that the UK’s lack of investment sees it lose out on an estimated £133 million per year
Forge Finds Funding
Riot-backed Forge raises $11M to launch a platform rewarding gamer communities
Makers Fund, Animoca Brands and Bitkraft Ventures led the round
Studio Seed
Krafton invests $7M in former Riot and Blizzard artist’s Studio Sai
The Seed Round comes after the success of Eternights and will support development of Sai’s next game