Grand uses AI to build up to 30% of each game’s codebase, and uses platforms like Midjourney to generate the art concepts for its products, dramatically reducing the time it takes to create and publish titles and allowing them to build, test, and iterate faster than their competitors. By shortening the feedback loop from the players, Grand Games aims to be the fastest learning and iterating company in the industry.
In addition to this accelerated execution, Grand is bringing luck and social competition features to new games and genres, allowing gamers to build deeper emotional connections with titles and ultimately improving the experience for all players. With this strategy, Grand Games aims to quickly outclass smaller, less sophisticated publishers and secure a leading position in the fragmented mobile gaming industry, currently valued at over $100bn.
“We saw how fragmented mobile game development had become and took the opportunity to build a radically different company to what we were seeing in the market. The majority of mobile games created now are often poorly executed copies of successful titles, and we see an opportunity to build a billion-dollar business made possible by adopting the latest AI technology which is helping us build and iterate games faster. Swift execution combined with innovation will be what separates us from other companies,” commented founder Bekir Batuhan, co-founder and CEO.
Grand’s first title, Magic Sort!, is now in soft launch in the US and available for download on both iOS and Android with its second, Car Match, expected to soft launch in early July. Then, the company will shift its focus to its flagship title, which will be focused on social interaction and is expected to debut in early 2025.
Turkey has become a global hub in mobile gaming, boasting one of the strongest ecosystems with several large exits and success stories including Dream Games, and Peak Games, Turkey's first unicorn, which was sold to Zynga for $1.8 billion in June 2020. The investment in Grand Games marks Earlybird's first gaming investment since Peak.
Oguzhan Ozer from Earlybird Digital East Fund, commented on the investment: “It’s been a great pleasure to closely witness the stellar development of Turkey’s gaming ecosystem for more than a decade, to become a leading global hub, especially after Peak’s exit. We are quite selective investors, and knowing the challenges of the market with the insider view, have approached it cautiously. What set Grand Games apart and convinced us was the team quality and their vision, and we are very excited to support them in their journey”.
Görkem Türk from Laton Ventures stated: “As Laton Ventures, we have full confidence that Grand Games, with a visionary founding team that has developed successful games on a global scale, will write new success stories. We are very excited about being a part of and helping this unique journey.”
Grand Games plans to use the investment to grow their team size and launch their initial titles. Having grown the team from four to thirteen full-time employees in just five months, Grand Games continues to search for passionate people that share the desire to reshape the gaming landscape across all functions including product, marketing, art and development.
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