Voya Games raises $5m to build player-owned economies

German developer Voya Games has raised $5 million to bring player-owned economies to life.

The company said funds will go towards expanding its user base and supporting the growth of its debut game Craft World, which currently has 240,000 registered players during the testnet phase. 

Founded in 2023, Voya Games is led by Oliver Löffler, creator of Idle Miner Tycoon and co-founder of Kolibri Games, which was later acquired by Ubisoft. Löffler is joined by co-founders Florian Dreschner and Dino Erdmann.

The investment round was co-led by 1kx and Makers Fund, with participation from RockawayX and angel investors Jeff ‘Jihoz’ Zirlin of Sky Mavis and The Sandbox's Sébastien Borget. 

Building an ecosystem 

The company described Craft World as a casual resource management game where players team up with dinosaurs to rebuild civilisation after a meteor strike. 

Furthermore, Voya claims the free-to-play iOS, Android and web title hosts 50,000 monthly active users with 1.1m on-chain trades.

“Our goal is to build a token ecosystem where games are connected through a shared player economy and culture," said Voya Games CEO and founder Oliver Löffler. “Craft World is our first step in that vision, already attracting over 50,000 monthly active users in its test phase."

“With this funding, we’ll scale our experiences, expand our user base, and grow our ecosystem, laying the groundwork for a network of interconnected games built on participation and long-term trust. We’re excited to advance this mission with the launch of Craft World later this year."