Bit Odd, a inventive studio in Finland led by former Supercell chief Lasse Louhento, has raised $18.2 million (€17 million) in funding to make cellular video games.
Griffin Gaming Companions led the spherical, with participation from Makers Fund, Index Ventures and others. These are good buyers and that’s some huge cash for this point in time, contemplating gaming has had 33,000 layoffs within the final 2.5 years. However this is sensible as a result of Louhento was the sport lead on Conflict of Clans, a mighty cellular sport that has generated $10 billion in revenues.
Griffin Gaming Companions mentioned it’s dedicated to empowering Bit Odd to ship fascinating experiences that resonate deeply with gamers worldwide. I used to be in a position to get a uncommon interview with Louhento.
The startup goals to reintroduce marvel and eccentricity into the gaming world, a top quality typically overshadowed by the finance-first focus of cellular gaming. The crew’s mission is to create video games that entice gamers by emotion and innovation slightly than simply conforming to conventional metrics.
“We began Bit Odd as a result of we felt one thing was lacking in gaming right this moment,” mentioned Louhento. “The cellular gaming surge has been unimaginable, however it has additionally steered many studios towards finance-first considering—over-relying on metrics and following the competitors. Our method is a bit completely different. We concentrate on designing video games that stir the soul, embrace quirkiness, and faucet into the emotional magic of gaming classics.”
“Launching one thing really unique in gaming takes guts, authenticity, and an unshakable ardour for
the craft. In an period the place knowledge is usually the core driver for design, Bit Odd is charting a special course — we’re excited to again Lasse and a crew of next-gen expertise” mentioned Pierre Planche, Associate at Griffin Gaming Companions.
Working inside a vibrant studio atmosphere paying homage to an atelier, Bit Odd is pioneering a brand new period in sport improvement. Drawing upon their in depth expertise and private journeys, the crew is creating greater than only a sport — they’re designing an immersive expertise meant to encourage gamers in ways in which conventional approaches have neglected.
Griffin Gaming Companions is likely one of the world’s main enterprise capital corporations centered on the worldwide gaming
market with over $1.3 billion in belongings below administration.
Bit Odd mentioned it’s devoted to delivering a unprecedented cellular gaming expertise by prioritizing gameplay above all else.
A unusual firm
The corporate’s crew consists of Louhento, former sport lead and artwork director at Supercell. Bit Odd stands by a dedication to creativity and quirkiness. The imaginative and prescient is easy: video games ought to be crafted from the bottom as much as improve participant enjoyment.
“Crusing with a small crew is rarely simple, and it’s taken us time to search out our stride. However now we’ve reduce by the waters, the present is pulling us ahead, and our vacation spot’s in sight,” mentioned Louhento, in a weblog put up. “I couldn’t be prouder of our crew. We’ve bought hearth in our bellies, a mixture of recent recruits and seasoned specialists with the scar tissue to show it. However all of us share the identical need: to make video games which have the magic of the classics we grew up with.”
He mentioned the studio in Helsinki has the depth of a workshop, an atelier.
“No swings or private baristas right here. Solely ‘overclocked’ computer systems, drawing tablets, markers – and naturally our shrine stacked with the video games and memorabilia of previous masters, to remind us why we do that,” he mentioned. “We’re making an attempt to make one of the best sport conceivable. What does ‘one of the best’ imply, for us? It’s not
one thing you get from obsessing about metrics or overanalyzing market developments.”
He mentioned the sport is crafted with coronary heart and soul.
“One that can linger within the thoughts lengthy after the display goes darkish and the final pixels fade away,” Louhento mentioned. “It’s one we may be happy with, as we sit within the previous of us’ house. This sport is extra particular to me than all of the earlier video games I’ve labored on. A decade in the past, I had surgical procedure for a slow-growing mind most cancers. It introduced house to me what I ought to do with the remainder of my life. I’m going to maintain doing what I used to be already doing.”
The corporate beforehand raised a €5 million seed funding from Index Ventures.
Origins
Louhento, whoc grew up in Finland, recalled fondly that in his second grade class, the ladies circulated a “pal e-book” across the class with the query, “What are you going to be whenever you develop up.” Louhento wrote that he needed to be a “pc sport repairman.” It got here from the notion that pc video games didn’t all the time load correctly and appeared to want some sort of restore.
He didn’t know whether or not that job existed. However at an early age, he bought his first pc, a Commodore 64. Again then, Finland solely had two TV channels. However the Commodore 64 revolutionized Louhento’s life. Among the many video games he performed was Hektik, a 1984 motion arcade sport by Mastertronic.
“It was similar to a gateway to this Narnia, this totally wondrous, wondrous world. And I’m nonetheless dwelling on this bizarre fantasy bubble,” Louhento mentioned. “I assumed video games could possibly be improved. I’m in that journey. I’m sort of nonetheless a pc video games repairman. I’m nonetheless bought on this. I’ll do something to do that.”
Louhento went to neighborhood school as a result of his grades weren’t that nice. He was distracted by gaming, and he didn’t end school. He cherished journey point-and-click video games from Sierra and others. He met a fellow who was making a sport and Louhento mentioned he would do something to make the sport with him. That was his first title, and he created artwork on an Amiga pc.
They needed to undergo an elaborate scanning course of to create pictures. In 1993, Louhento joined an organization known as Bloodhouse, then that mixed with Terramarque in 1995, a fusion of the 2 founders Ilari Kuittinen and Harri Tikkanen. It was known as Housemarque, and it’s nonetheless the oldest energetic developer of video games in Finland. One among its largest hits, revealed in 2021, was Returnal.
Louhento bounced round and bought a job in Dublin at a sport firm known as Funcom. He made video games there, like Pace Punks, which debut on the PlayStation in 1999.
“That’s the place I actually realized my chops,” he mentioned.
With this route, Louhento didn’t observe the trail of many Finnish sport builders, who labored on cellular video games within the house nation of Nokia.
“I began as a hardcore gamer,” he mentioned. “Cell video games are this factor that the entire trade has advanced to. I labored on console video games for a few years.”
Then, he mentioned, “I met a lady.” Their relationship took him again to Finland for good. He labored at extra sport corporations and wound up at Sulake, the maker of Habbo Resort. He labored there for seven years on video games like Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds. He left Sulake for Digital Chocolate, an early cellular sport maker created in 2003 by Journey Hawkins.
He labored there for some time and met Ilkka Paananen and others who would grow to be well-known later. In 2011, they approached him and recruited him to hitch Supercell, the place he turned a sport lead and artwork director on a sport known as Conflict of Clans. As sport lead, each new proposal for one thing went by Louhento. And it turned out to be a easy improvement course of.
The sport debuted in 2013 and went on to generate $10 billion in income and it led to Supercell being acquired by China’s Tencent. Louhento spent 6.5 years at Supercell and labored on Conflict Royale (2016) as nicely.
After leaving Supercell, Louhento did extra startups and did consulting. Then he began Bit Odd in 2019.
Getting began and elevating cash
On the outset, there have been simply three folks engaged on sport concepts and prototypes. They began out doing work for rent to pay the payments and herald some cash for a few years. About 3.5 years in the past, they started specializing in their very own sport. They labored for a very long time and have been in a position to create a playable vertical slice of a sport. There are 17 of crew members now. It’s a mixture of each sport veterans and youthful builders as a result of the crew needs a mixture of expertise and views.
Annina Salvén, former CEO of Subsequent Video games, mentioned that Louhento’s crew was sensible in that they didn’t exit to boost cash till they’d an pleasurable vertical slice that was enjoyable to play.
“It’s uncommon to have a crew that bootstraps themselves,” she mentioned. “That units a tone for fiscal accountability. And Lasse’s observe file speaks for itself.”
Salvén joined as CFO of the corporate, and she or he had contacts with Peter Levin, managing director of Griffin Gaming Companions. At Subsequent Video games, there have been some tough occasions, however Levin stayed levelheaded, Salvén mentioned.
“You’ll have bumpy occasions, and also you need somebody who can cope with these bumps,” she mentioned.
That’s how Griffin got here in as the most important investor.
Whereas Louhento has been making hardcore video games for a very long time, the method of creating cool video games on cellular at Supercell had an affect on him.
“The platform for me is a no brainer, as everyone has a cell phone,” Louhento mentioned. “I’m a joystick gamer. I want there have been a joystick for cell phones, however there isn’t. However I like a problem, and it’s not not possible. So we began out engaged on the controls.”
He wouldn’t say extra concerning the sport they’re engaged on, apart from it’s an action-oriented sport. Louhento is glad that the sport resonated with buyers. As for why the corporate raised $18.2 million, Louhento mentioned the corporate has a low improvement finances.
“We don’t have baristas,” he mentioned.
However he mentioned that right this moment’s video games want numerous advertising finances to assist them catch on.
“You want capital for that stuff,” he mentioned.
The corporate will probably do a comfortable launch for the sport early subsequent yr. However in improvement, something can occur. And Louhento encourages that. That’s why he known as the corporate Bit Odd.
“There’s a sure celebration of eccentricity, however I simply like it,” he mentioned.
