Seattle-based studio Gardens today announced that it has raised $31.3M in funding for its ambitious online fantasy PvPvE action-RPG game.
Lightspeed Venture Partners and Krafton are joined by names such as Mike Morhaime’s Dreamhaven, Oculus Co-Founder Nate Mitchell, Pyrtana Media co-creators Annie and Jeff Strain, and others in supporting the project.
Having secured the funding, Gardens announced that Microsoft Chairman John W. Thompson, former Sony Computer Entertainment America President and CEO Jack Tretton, former Tencent President and Take-Two CEO Ben Feder, alongside Yamauchi No.10 have joined its advisory team.
The funding will fuel development for the studio’s upcoming ever-evolving online PvPvE fantasy adventure sandbox ARPG.
“It’s a game inspired by our favorite memories playing online RPGs, MMOs, and fantasy action-adventure games over the years, memories of crossing paths with strangers,” said Gardens Co-Founder and Game Director Chris Bell.
“The game builds upon multiplayer ideas and lessons from previous titles I helped design like Journey, Sky, and even my student game Way, while bringing players into a higher stakes, shapeshifting fantasy wilderness where cooperation is key, yet betrayal is still possible. We’re including novel cooperative gameplay that rewards players who help each other, which can encourage friendship and dialogue with PvP and conflict in interesting and subversive ways.
“We’re growing the world we want to play in every day, a world designed to offer new experiences every time you play, growing and evolving for years to come. Thanks to our amazing new partners and this latest round of funding, we can continue crafting the best game possible while growing and supporting our incredible team.”
The team behind Gardens’ debut title is comprised of industry veterans who previously contributed to such titles as Sky: Children of the Light, Journey, What Remains of Edith Finch, Outer Wilds, and Tunic.
The studio presented a playable prototype of its upcoming game behind closed doors at GDC 2023, receiving positive feedback.
Maria Park, Vice President and Head of Corporate Development at Krafton who is also joining Gardens’ board of directors, noted how the title’s “multiplayer co-op elements emphasize tactile interactions between players as they collaborate to navigate the world, solve puzzles and awaken dormant magic, like riding atop a friend’s shoulders to fetch fruit from a tree, leaping across a chasm into the arms of a stranger, tugging armor off a giant monster together, or joining forces to cast a magic spell.”
Gardens aims to significantly scale up its team this year, to support development for the ARPG. Available positions with the remote studio are highlighted on its website.
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