London-based mobile games studio Landmark Games has announced amassing $4.6 million in a seed funding round. The studio will aim to work on free-to-play co-op games, as Landmark feels the genre needs some reignition.
The investment was led by both Project A Ventures and InReach Ventures, with participation from existing investors Moonfire Ventures and Concept Ventures. Nick-Button Brown and Aream Co-Founder Kartik Prabhakara also contributed as angel investors.
Landmark was founded in 2021 by former Big Pixel Studios employees. A large chunk of this revenue will be used to expand the team and continue developing Sea of Souls, the company’s first title. The co-op pirate game allows players to team up, build and upgrade ships, weapons, and captains.
CEO and Co-Founder of Landmark Games, Dave Burpitt, shared thoughts and feelings about the co-op genre the studio looks to build upon:
“We want to fundamentally change the experience by dismantling the negative expectations of being out-skilled or pummelled by your friends in exchange for joining what should be a fun gaming session. There are billions of potential players who love the idea of fast-paced action in a highly social experience that is put off by the ultra-competitive and often anti-social environment. It takes a different approach to build a studio dedicated to this huge audience, and we are ahead of the curve here at Landmark.”
James Older, Creative Director of the company, also chimed in with some comments:
“We are designing our games from the ground up to be the best place to play with your friends. Players seek quality experiences for regular social gaming sessions, such as strategizing for raids in Destiny or sailing together in Sea of Thieves. But the experiences currently on offer have high entry barriers, whether limited to specific platforms or complex first-person controls. We promise hand-crafted, highly accessible adventures for everyone to enjoy.”
Each individual on the management team of Landmark possesses over ten years of experience in the game industry. Dave Burpitt has 14 years of experience with over 20 titles under his belt. Both James Older and Jon Chisholm (Technical Director and Co-Founder) have worked in the industry for ten years and counting, focusing on free-to-play games.
