Were excited to announce a $70 million Series A raise led by General Catalyst, with participation from founder and executive chairman Niccolo de Masi. The round represents one of the largest early-stage investments in a game company in recent years and will support our vision to build a next-generation, cross-platform free-to-play game company.
Anchored by our studios 7th Inning (San Francisco) and Swift Games (Berlin), we pair veteran game-making expertise with AI-enabled development, marketing, and live-ops workflows. This will allow our teams to iterate faster, scale content efficiently, and respond to player feedback in real time.
Ares Interactive is led by a veteran team of game industry leaders. We are also supported by an advisory board spanning platforms, publishing, and free-to-play, including Chris Akhavan (former CRO, Glu), Matt Fischer (former VP, Head of Worldwide App Store, Apple), Andrew Stalbow (former CEO, Seriously Digital), and Kent Wakeford (former COO, Kabam).
This round validates our vision, our approach, and the team behind it, said Mike DeLaet, President of Ares Interactive. Ares Interactive brings together rare operating experience and the discipline to build for the long term, as our leadership team has a long history of developing, scaling, and operating hit free-to-play games for some of the most successful publishers in the industry. In a market where many companies are pulling back, this financing gives us the ability to lean in, grow thoughtfully with exceptional partners, and invest in building games we have always wanted to make, creating experiences and communities that will keep players coming back for years to come.
We believe Ares Interactive is uniquely positioned to build enduring hit gaming franchises by leveraging the power of AI workflows, said Erin Schaefer, COO at General Catalyst. The team combines deep operational experience with a clear creative vision and a disciplined, long-term approach to game development. From our first conversations, it was clear they are building with players at the center, and were excited to support them as they scale.
We are already operating successful live games, led by Heroes vs Hordes, our flagship title, which has surpassed 13 million installs to date. The ultimate survival roguelike RPG has earned strong player ratings and reviews, demonstrating our focus on polish, fun-first design, and excellence in live operations.
Next up, we will launch Baseball Hits 26, a game designed by baseball fans for baseball fans, featuring officially licensed professional baseball players. Stay tuned for additional game announcements, we have more coming in 2026!