Mainframe Industries is building a cloud‑native, open‑world sandbox massively multiplayer online game with a single cloud runtime designed to enable richer worlds and seamless crossplay across devices. The studio operates out of Helsinki and Reykjavik and recently opened a new studio in Paris, and its founders include veterans from CCP, Remedy Entertainment, and Next Games. The team has more than doubled over the past year to over 55 people, representing 11 nationalities, with headcount expected to reach about 60 by year end. The company is using Epic’s Unreal Engine and is transitioning to Unreal Engine 5 to push advanced visual features. Financially, Mainframe has raised $22.9M in its latest financing and previously secured an $8.3M round led by Andreessen Horowitz in 2020; Finland’s government supported the company earlier with an R&D loan. More details about the game will be revealed later, and the studio says it is focused on persistence, spectator support, and broad device accessibility. Mainframe Industries operates studios in Helsinki and Reykjavik and raised $8.1 million in a round led by Andreessen Horowitz. The team is building a sandbox MMO designed for cloud streaming, developed on Epic Games’ Unreal Engine. Its cloud-first approach targets streaming platforms such as Google Stadia and Microsoft xCloud to enable new multiplayer experiences and business models. Leadership describes cloud gaming as an industry inflection point that will change how games are made and experienced. The company is scaling up from a roughly 20-strong crew as it moves through its Series A process. Andreessen Horowitz’s involvement was highlighted by conversations with general partners and is positioned as a strategic, hands-on investor. Mainframe Industries is a pan‑Nordic game venture with studios in Helsinki and Reykjavik, formed by thirteen veteran game developers. The team is building what it describes as the first open‑world, social sandbox MMO designed for cloud gaming and friction‑free play across devices. The company plans to leverage cloud computing to deliver high levels of immersion, complex physics simulation, advanced AI, and richer character systems that remove device visual gaps. Leadership centers on co‑founder and CEO Thor Gunnarsson, who says the team has been preparing to build this game for their whole careers. Mainframe believes advances in network technology (including 5G) and cloud capacity will enable broader discoverability, social features, and cross‑platform delivery through streaming. Financially, the company launched with a €2 million seed round from early‑stage tech and gaming investors.

Total raised

$33M

Funding rounds

3

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Nov 2021