Build a Rocket Boy, a Scotland-headquartered game development company founded by one of the former lead developers behind the Grand Theft Auto franchise, announced today that it has raised $110 million in a Series D round of funding. This funding follows the highly anticipated launch of the company’s first titles and immersive open-world platform.
Leslie Benzies, a former president of Rockstar North, who played a significant role in the development of the Grand Theft Auto series, has been a key figure in building the company. Benzies entered into legal action against his former employer, which eventually led him to lay the foundation for his next big project.
Leslie Benzies. Image Credits: Austin Hargrave / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
Initially named Royal Circus Games, the company was later rebranded to Build a Rocket Boy in 2018. Since then, it has secured at least $40 million in funding to develop and commercialize a suite of new titles. Among these is the immersive open-world platform called Everywhere, and MindsEye, an action adventure game, both scheduled for launch “in the near future”. The company is also introducing Arcadia, a suite of user-generated content (UGC) design tools.
According to Leslie Benzies, the founder, “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.”
Build a Rocket Boy’s Series D round was led by New York-based investment firm RedBird Capital Partners, with participation from NetEase Games, Galaxy Interactive, Endeavor, Alignment Growth, Woodline Partners, and GTAM Partners. The company also expanded with development hubs in Budapest (Hungary) and Montpellier (France), in addition to its headquarters in Edinburgh.
