Headquartered and founded in the Scottish capital Edinburgh, Build A Rocket Boy announced its acquisition of PlayFusion, a multi-award winning, independent, UK-based game developer and publisher.
The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Founded in 2016, Build A Rocket Boy is led by former Rockstar North President Leslie Benzies, the video game producer behind iconic games like Grand Theft Auto 3, GTA V, Max Payne 3, and many more.
The acquisition of PlayFusion will help the team which is currently working on on three major projects:
- MindsEye; a story-driven, action-adventure thriller, set in a fictional near future Americana. Featuring best-in-class cinematics, high octane driving, and explosive combat, this highly anticipated console and PC game will be published and distributed by IO Interactive.
Image Credit: Steam
- EVERYWHERE; an entertainment platform where players and builders can unleash their creativity to build, remix, and play with others in a vast connected world. Currently in Builders Beta testing with a specific focus on the building the most initiative and powerful UGC toolset in the world.
- And finally, ARCADIA: A suite of remarkably easy-to-use AAA UGC design and publishing tool.
New role of Mark Gerhard at Build A Rocket Boy
PlayFusion CEO & CTO Mark Gerhard will join Build A Rocket Boy as Co-CEO alongside Benzies.
Gerhard, a prominent figure in the gaming industry, will spearhead Build A Rocket Boy’s ambitious efforts to deliver a pipeline of AAA games, enhance user-generated content (UGC) tools, and drive business growth.
The company also aims to expand its platform into diverse entertainment sectors.
In 2015, Gerhard co-founded PlayFusion alongside the founding team and previously served as CEO and CTO of Jagex, the studio renowned for RuneScape, a record-breaking MMORPG, that has achieved multiple Guinness World Records and boasts over 250 million player accounts.
“We’ve always admired PlayFusion’s creativity and innovative approach to transmedia entertainment, and joining forces with them will ascend Build A Rocket Boy to our next level of excellence.
Our vision has always been to put creativity into the hands of the players and PlayFusion’s shared passion for gaming will help us create a robust offering for our community to seamlessly build their own AAA quality games and create compelling original online experiences soon.”
Leslie Benzies, CEO and Founder of Build A Rocket Boy
Image Credit: Wikipedia
“It’s truly an honour and a privilege to join forces with Leslie and the legendary team at Build A Rocket Boy at such a formative time for the video games industry. We have immense drive for delighting our players and we share an exciting vision for the future.
This next chapter of our combined studios will deliver on that promise as well as disrupt the industry by democratising premium game development. The core team at PlayFusion has been working together for nearly two decades and we are excited to be at the forefront of ushering in a new era of gaming.”
Mark Gerhard, CEO & CTO of PlayFusion
In January 2024, Build A Rocket Boy secured over $110 million in a Series D funding round led by RedBird Capital Partners. The round also saw participation from both existing and new investors, including Alignment Growth, Endeavor, Galaxy Interactive, GTAM Partners, NetEase Games, and Woodline Partners.
“We are thrilled that Mark Gerhard and the PlayFusion team are joining Build A Rocket Boy, strengthening the already talented team and enhancing our capabilities as a next-generation media and entertainment company.
The PlayFusion team has a long track record and history of gaming, engineering, and creative expertise that pair perfectly with the innovative entertainment ethos spearheaded by Leslie. We are excited for the Build A Rocket Boy team to continue to push the boundaries of immersive entertainment.”
Julia Wittlin, Partner at RedBird Capital
Image Credit: RedBird Capital
