Leith-based Build A Rocket Boy, the independent game developer and publisher, announced that it has closed on a $110 million Series D fundraising round.
The new capital will enable Build A Rocket Boy to launch its three flagship products: immersive gaming and entertainment open world platform EVERYWHERE, AAA game series MindsEye, and the suite of easy-to-use UGC design tools called ARCADIA.
The company is led by video game industry veteran Leslie Benzies.
Build A Rocket Boy plans to launch the highly anticipated EVERYWHERE and the first episode of MindsEye in the near future.
The fundraising round was led by RedBird Capital Partners, a private investment firm with an extensive track record investing in the media & entertainment, sports and experiential consumer ecosystems.
RedBird Capital partner Julia Wittlin will join Build A Rocket Boy’s board of directors.
The financing round also had support from existing and new investors, including Galaxy Interactive, NetEase Games, Endeavor, Alignment Growth, Woodline Partners LP, GTAM Partners and others.
“We are excited to partner with RedBird and our other investors to help us launch EVERYWHERE, MindsEye, and what we believe will be game-changing UGC design tools in ARCADIA,” said Benzies.
“RedBird’s expertise in building successful entertainment and media platforms will be invaluable and makes them a perfect partner.
“I started Build A Rocket Boy so that I could continue to share the stories I love with players and give them a place to create and share.
“We believe in a future where game creation is put in the hands of the players, and we will empower them with the tools to help shape this vision with us.”
Wittlin said: “We are pleased to partner with and support exceptional talent like Leslie and the Build A Rocket Boy team as they build the next genre-defining game studio and entertainment platform.
“RedBird’s investment portfolio in media, entertainment, sports and experiential consumer enables a differentiated perspective on the gaming industry and its convergence with other forms of interactive entertainment.”
Build A Rocket Boy is headquartered in Leith, Edinburgh, with operations in Budapest, Hungary, and recently-opened offices in Montpellier, France.
Build A Rocket Boy said MindsEye is an AAA, story-driven game “set at a critical moment in humankind’s development, exploring key societal issues around increasing inequality, the explosion of artificial intelligence, the rise of military robots and the impending climate crisis.”
The firm said EVERYWHERE is a “multi-world game experience that blurs the line between reality and the digital world” and “a world of endless possibilities, where anyone can be someone and life has no boundaries.”
RedBird Capital Partners is a private investment firm that builds high-growth companies and provides strategic capital solutions to founders and entrepreneurs.
The firm currently manages $10 billion in assets on behalf of a global group of blue chip institutional and family office investors.
Perella Weinberg UK Limited acted as financial advisor and Goodwin Procter (UK) LLP served as legal counsel to Build A Rocket Boy on the transaction.