One of the former main creators of the Grand Theft Auto series formed Build a Rocket Boy, a game production business with its headquarters located in Scotland, revealed today that it has secured $110 million in a Series D fundraising round. The company’s initial games and immersive open world platform are expected to launch soon, although this money will arrive before then. The company’s initial games and immersive open world platform are expected to launch soon, although this money will arrive before then.
Build a Rocket Boy is the brainchild of Leslie Benzies, the former president of Rockstar North. Beginning with the third game in the Grand Theft Auto series in 2001, he was instrumental in its development. But in 2016, after taking a 17-month hiatus, he left the firm and filed a lawsuit against his previous employer, alleging he was not given a cut of the game’s earnings. In 2019, a private settlement was reached following an extended court struggle.
Benzies was preparing the groundwork for his next major undertaking at this time. At first known as Royal Circus Games, the business was accused of having too much in common with Rockstar Games by Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar. 2018 saw the firm rebrand as Build a Rocket Boy in response. In order to produce and release additional titles, it has since collected at least $40 million in investment.
The Evolution of Royal Circus Games into Build a Rocket Boy
Initially known as Royal Circus Games (named after a famous address in the firm’s native city, Edinburgh), Rockstar parent company Take-Two Interactive’s attorneys contended that the abbreviation “RCG” was intentionally meant to mislead since it had a striking resemblance to Rockstar Games (RSG). It’s unclear if this charge had any direct influence on Royal Circus Games’ decision to change its name, but the company changed to Build a Rocket Boy in 2018 and raised at least $40 million to create and release a number of new games.
The business has not yet shown any of its upcoming games, but it has hinted at Everywhere, an immersive open world game platform that lets users create their own universe. Additionally, they have shown MindsEye, an action-adventure game with a narrative. Soon, both titles should be available for purchase. The business is also launching a set of tools called Arcadia for designing user-generated content.
RedBird Capital Partners, an investment firm located in New York, led Build a Rocket Boy’s Series D fundraising round, in which many additional investors took part. The business has added Budapest and Montpellier to its list of development hubs outside of Edinburgh.
Leslie Benzies outlined his goals for Build a Rocket Boy in a press release, saying that he wants to empower players and provide them with the means to influence the direction of video game development. Build a Rocket Boy is positioned to have a big effect on the gaming industry because to their successful fundraising round, impending game releases, and open-world platform.
