Build a rocket boya Scotland-based game development company founded by one of the former lead developers behind Grand Theft Auto franchise, announced today that it has raised $110 million in a Series D funding round.
The funding comes ahead of the long-awaited launch of the company's first titles and its immersive open-world platform.
Leslie Benzies He is perhaps best known as the former president of northern rock stardriving the development of its great success. Grand Theft Auto series starting with the third installment in 2001, through each subsequent title until Leaving the company in 2016 after a 17-month sabbatical.. That same year, Benzies initiated legal action against his former employer, arguing that he had effectively been expelled and denied a share of the gambling winnings. A substantial part of the complaints They were dismissed in court two years laterwith the parties finally reach a confidential agreement in 2019.
During much of this, Benzies was laying the groundwork for his next big project.
Leslie Benzies Image credits:Austin Hargrave / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
Initially called Royal Circus Games (named after a prestigious address in the company's hometown of Edinburgh), lawyers representing Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive argued that The acronym “RCG” was strikingly similar to Rockstar Games (RSG) and was deliberately designed to confuse. It is unclear whether the name change was a direct result of this accusation, but Royal Circus Games transformed into Build a Rocket Boy in 2018 and went to raise at least $40 million in financing to develop and market a set of new titles.
While these have not yet seen the official light, the company has introduced a new immersive open-world platform called Everywhere, presented as “community-driven games” where players can build their own world, in what could perhaps be interpreted as something similar to Roblox. AND then there is MindsEyepromoted as a “story-driven action adventure.”
Both titles are scheduled for release “in the near future,” while the company is also introducing a suite of user-generated content (UGC) design tools it calls Arcadia.
“I started Build A Rocket Boy so I can continue sharing the stories I love with gamers and give them a place to create and share,” Benzies said in a Press release. “We believe in a future where game creation will be in the hands of players, and we will give them the tools to help shape this vision with us.”
Build a Rocket Boy Series D round was led by New York-based investment firm RedBird Capital Partnerswith the participation of NetEase Games, Galaxy Interactive, Endeavor, Alignment Growth, Woodline Partners, GTAM Partners, among others.
In addition to its headquarters in Edinburgh, Build a Rocket Boy has opened additional development centers in Budapest, Hungary and Montpellier, France.
