Military history animation studio Yarnhub plots games expansion with community-led investment

YouTube military history content creator Yarnhub Animation Studios has launched a community-driven investment round to expand into the games industry. 

The company, which runs channels such as Yarnhub and Blue Paw Print, said it plans to build its games on Unreal Engine 5, the same tech it uses for its animations. Each new film it releases will contribute directly to the game.

Yarnhub said the money raised will go toward expanding the team and developing its first title. It added that most of the investment will go toward production rather than marketing, as it aims to harness its audience of 2.1 million subscribers and content that attracts 35m views per month.

Heading up its transition to gaming is former Rovio VP of operations for games and EA group GM and studio GM Cyril Barrow, who has been appointed as its head of games.

A gaming yarn

According to Yarnhub’s funding page, there are five million shares for sale, at what it has given a post-money valuation of $15m.

CEO and founder David Webb said it can’t promise potential investors it would be successful with the project and warned that it's a risky investment.

The studio’s first title is set to be a free-to-play first-person shooter, with an eye on a 2026 global launch at present.

“Our audience has grown around our love for storytelling, and from the very beginning, we envisioned creating games," said Webb. 

“Today, our audience is demanding a Yarnhub game, and we’re thrilled to take this next step with them."

Barrow commented: “For traditional game studios, acquiring and retaining players is both expensive and inefficient. 

“Yarnhub is in a unique position to build a true cross-media experience, where our 35 million monthly views naturally fuel game discovery and retention.”