Build A Rocket Boy has completed an £86.3 million fundraising round

Build a Rocket Boy has completed a round of Series D fundraising, in which it has raised over £86.3 million ($110 million) to support its development and publishing efforts.

The money will be used to drive the company’s growth as it moves ahead towards several projects, including the launch of the gaming platform EVERYWHERE, the release of the first part of its upcoming episodic video game MindsEye, and a set of easy-to-use UGC design tools called ARCADIA. 

Build A Rocket Boy (or BARB) is an independent game developer and publisher based in Scotland, although it has other teams in Budapest, Hungary and Montpellier, France. The company was founded by (and continues to be led by) game developer Leslie Benzies, and currently employs hundreds of staff in the UK and Europe.   

RedBird Capital Partners was the private investment firm that led the Series D fundraising round. Julia Wittlin from RedBird will join the board at BARB of the company following the acquisition of the funds. The list of Build A Rocket Boy investors includes Galaxy Interactive, NetEase Games, Endeavor, Alignment Growth, Woodline Partners LP, GTAM Partners and more.

“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. RedBird’s expertise in building successful entertainment and media platforms will be invaluable and makes them a perfect partner,” said Leslie Benzies, founder and chairman of Build A Rocket Boy. 

“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.”

“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,” added Julia Wittlin, partner at RedBird Capital. 

“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.”