Summary
Gardens Interactive said it raised more than $35 million in a Series B led by returning investor Lightspeed Venture Partners. The US studio, founded by developers who worked on Journey, What Remains of Edith Finch and Sky: Children of the Light, plans to use the money to launch and operate an unannounced social role-playing game it calls a “strandbox.” Investors include Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures, Accel, Yamauchi No.10, Slack co-founder Stewart Butterfield and Sora co-creator Thomas Dimson. Gardens also expanded its board and advisory group with former TikTok COO V Pappas and former Bethesda publishing director James Altman. Platforms and a release date have not been disclosed.
Hana’s perspective
I see the round as a bet on authored social worlds rather than on a specific technology trend. That matters to animation and interactive-media teams because the hard part is not only producing assets; it is sustaining a coherent world and community after launch. Gardens is hiring advisers with publishing, platform and transmedia experience, which suggests distribution and long-term operations are central to the plan. The involvement of Sora co-creator Thomas Dimson is notable, but the report does not say the game uses generative AI, so it would be wrong to infer an AI production strategy from one investor.
Are you a writer with a great story? We'd love to hear from you: APPLY HERE