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Grand Games secures $3m for global AI-powered mobile gaming

Written by:

Farwa Mehmood
Posted: 22-07-2024

Grand Games secures $3m for global AI-powered mobile gaming

This is an AI-generated image created with Midjourney by Molly-Anna MaQuirl

Istanbul-based mobile gaming startup Grand Games has secured a pre-seeding investment of $3m to develop social games with the help of AI. The company released its first game just four months after its inception. 

Key investors and planned utilization of funds

The primary investor in this round of investment was the Early Bird Digital East Fund, with additional contributions from Laton Ventures. Grand Games was established by Mehmet Çalim, Mustafa Firtina and Bekir Batuhan Çelebi, who previously held leadership positions in other gaming companies. Grand Games employs AI to automate up to 30% of each game's development. 

Grand Games will utilize the funding to expand their team, launch their initial game and recruit enthusiastic people who share their vision of AI reshaping the gaming landscape. They are seeking cross-functional talents in various roles, such as marketing, art, product and software development.

Turkey's gaming industry milestones 

Turkey has made significant achievements to become a central player in mobile gaming, offering a promising future for the industry. Some of their key achievements include:

Global hub

The country has emerged as an international hub in the gaming industry, and is home to influential global-scale development within the mobile sector.

Substantial ecosystem

The country provides a robust, successful and supportive environment for gaming companies, including vital ecosystem factors such as supportive government policies, funding access, skilled talent and growing consumer interest in the industry.

Success stories

Notable milestones in the Turkish gaming ecosystem have involved large financial exits, such as Peak Games' sale to Zynga for $1.8bn in June 2020, and success stories such as Dream Games. These success stories underscore the industry's high potential for returns while inspiring confidence among investors.

First unicorn

Peak Games was Turkey's first company to reach unicorn status, with a value of over $1bn. They helped to foster growth and highlighted the attractiveness of Turkish gaming organizations to international partnerships.

Grand Games vision and approach 

Grand Games aims to revolutionize the gaming space by using innovative AI platforms such as Midjourney to help generate game art efficiently. This strategy highlights several advantages, including:

  • Building deeper emotional connections with gamers

  • Faster game creation and publishing 

  • Quicker development and testing

  • Rapid learning and iteration 

  • Shorter player feedback loops

  • Accelerated execution 

  • Social competition features across diverse genres

Long-term future goals and monetization strategy 

CEO Bekir Batuhan Çelebi emphasizes that the company's long-term vision focuses on quality, innovative development, swift execution and AI integration to enhance the development process in the competitive gaming market. The upcoming second release, Car Match, is expected to launch in early 2025. The company will concentrate on its flagship title, which features social interaction, following this month's initial release.

Securing initial funding is a positive sign, but sustainable revenue generation is vital for long-term growth. Developing an effective monetization strategy to increase social engagement is a complex process that requires a trained team. Overall, investor confidence and an optimistic outlook contribute to building a strong position for Turkey in the global gaming market. 

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Grand Games secures $3m for global AI-powered mobile gaming

Written by:

Farwa Mehmood
Posted: 22-07-2024

Grand Games secures $3m for global AI-powered mobile gaming

This is an AI-generated image created with Midjourney by Molly-Anna MaQuirl

Istanbul-based mobile gaming startup Grand Games has secured a pre-seeding investment of $3m to develop social games with the help of AI. The company released its first game just four months after its inception. 

Key investors and planned utilization of funds

The primary investor in this round of investment was the Early Bird Digital East Fund, with additional contributions from Laton Ventures. Grand Games was established by Mehmet Çalim, Mustafa Firtina and Bekir Batuhan Çelebi, who previously held leadership positions in other gaming companies. Grand Games employs AI to automate up to 30% of each game's development. 

Grand Games will utilize the funding to expand their team, launch their initial game and recruit enthusiastic people who share their vision of AI reshaping the gaming landscape. They are seeking cross-functional talents in various roles, such as marketing, art, product and software development.

Turkey's gaming industry milestones 

Turkey has made significant achievements to become a central player in mobile gaming, offering a promising future for the industry. Some of their key achievements include:

Global hub

The country has emerged as an international hub in the gaming industry, and is home to influential global-scale development within the mobile sector.

Substantial ecosystem

The country provides a robust, successful and supportive environment for gaming companies, including vital ecosystem factors such as supportive government policies, funding access, skilled talent and growing consumer interest in the industry.

Success stories

Notable milestones in the Turkish gaming ecosystem have involved large financial exits, such as Peak Games' sale to Zynga for $1.8bn in June 2020, and success stories such as Dream Games. These success stories underscore the industry's high potential for returns while inspiring confidence among investors.

First unicorn

Peak Games was Turkey's first company to reach unicorn status, with a value of over $1bn. They helped to foster growth and highlighted the attractiveness of Turkish gaming organizations to international partnerships.

Grand Games vision and approach 

Grand Games aims to revolutionize the gaming space by using innovative AI platforms such as Midjourney to help generate game art efficiently. This strategy highlights several advantages, including:

  • Building deeper emotional connections with gamers

  • Faster game creation and publishing 

  • Quicker development and testing

  • Rapid learning and iteration 

  • Shorter player feedback loops

  • Accelerated execution 

  • Social competition features across diverse genres

Long-term future goals and monetization strategy 

CEO Bekir Batuhan Çelebi emphasizes that the company's long-term vision focuses on quality, innovative development, swift execution and AI integration to enhance the development process in the competitive gaming market. The upcoming second release, Car Match, is expected to launch in early 2025. The company will concentrate on its flagship title, which features social interaction, following this month's initial release.

Securing initial funding is a positive sign, but sustainable revenue generation is vital for long-term growth. Developing an effective monetization strategy to increase social engagement is a complex process that requires a trained team. Overall, investor confidence and an optimistic outlook contribute to building a strong position for Turkey in the global gaming market.