Grand Games, the trailblazing gaming studio behind the widely loved Magic Sort mobile game, has raised a $30M Series A round marking its arrival as the latest up and coming studio to emerge from Istanbul, the gaming powerhouse that brought forth Dream Games and Peak Games. Balderton Capital led the round with participation from existing investors Bek Ventures (formerly known as Earlybird Digital East), Laton Ventures and angel investor Mert Gür.
Securing one of Turkey’s largest Series A rounds in just nine months since founding, Grand Games was the subject of intense investor competition ultimately landing both the world-class investors who backed Peak Games and Dream Games to success. In just under 10 months, Grand’s team has built two of mobile game’s most popular titles, Magic Sort and Car Match. Together the games have exceeded $4m of monthly gross In App Revenue in just three months. This rapid trajectory has arisen from Grand’s determination to build an entirely new studio culture by hiring leading creative and business talent who work in small teams with unprecedented ownership and trust, as well as higher equity levels than competitor studios. Bekir Batuhan Çelebi, co-founder of Grand Games, said: “We are recruiting the best of the best and we give those teams unparalleled ownership and accountability – you build your game your way. Great games are built by world-class creative talents being free to express themselves.”
While the founding team of Mustafa Fırtına, Mehmet Çalım, and Bekir Batuhan Çelebi has built a unique culture that has been core to Grand Games momentum, the startup also has a strategy that differentiates it from other studios. Instead of building clones of existing games, Grand is laser-focused on creating original, genre-defining hits. “As gamers ourselves we were increasingly disappointed with minor low product differentiation of new games available. At Grand we’re focusing on meeting the underserved needs of gamers by creating genre defining games with major product differentiation.”
Grand Games’ strategy of putting talent at the heart of its business model comes in the face of an evolving and fragmented gaming sector. Even though mobile gaming grow in size each year, the quality bar for games has risen significantly over the years and the number of successful games published has decreased each year. “We are striving to capture the most valuable currency of our players, their time. To do that we focus relentlessly on providing a premium experience with a casual game design, enriched by social elements. With two hugely successful titles already under our belt, we’re building a multi-studio entertainment powerhouse that evokes genuine emotion and connection – something truly unique in the casual gaming world.”
Suranga Chandratillake, General Partner at Balderton Capital, said: “Istanbul is producing some of the world’s finest gaming studios and within that ecosystem the founders of Grand Games stood out with their vision to create world-class genre-defining casual games that players love to play. The speed with which they have built a brilliant team culture and achieved success with their first two games demonstrates their talent and commitment. We are excited to be working with a team with sky-high ambition and passion for gaming.”
Oguzhan Ozer, Principal at Bek Ventures, said: “We have maintained a highly selective approach to investing in Turkey’s thriving gaming ecosystem, despite its remarkable strengths, and Grand Games was our first gaming investment since Peak Games. The Grand team convinced us they had the exceptional talent and bold vision to build an enduring company, and since backing them at pre-seed, they have proven their ability to execute beyond a doubt, producing multiple, highly successful premium titles simultaneously. It is a pleasure to continue to support them in their journey.”
Görkem Türk, Founder at Laton Ventures, said: “We are very happy with the success of Grand Games, one of our first investments. With their early traction and solid team culture, we believe they are on their path to become Turkey’s next unicorn.”
Grand Games will use the funds to accelerate its rapid growth, scale into global markets including the US and launch a new flagship genre-defining game in 2025, on its mission to become an entertainment powerhouse. The team expects to grow from 14 to more than 40 this year, hiring across game design, coding, art, music and business development.
