Studio Atelico, the game studio building new AI-first gaming experiences, has closed a $5 million seed round led by Air Street Capital and angel investors including Chris Ré (Factory), Thomas Wolf (Hugging Face) and Alex Ratner (Snorkel). The company’s mission is to craft AI-first games and technologies that push the boundaries of conventional gameplay, creating new genres that captivate and surprise players in profound ways.
“We’re passionate gamers at heart and we believe that great games are made by people, for people,” said Piero Molino, CEO and Co-Founder of Studio Atelico. “This investment accelerates our work in empowering developer creativity and delighting players with experiences that resonate on a profound level. We’re here to create gameplay the world has never seen, and to remind us all of why we fell in love with games in the first place.”
Building games and developer platforms
The studio is committed to protecting and enhancing the rights of artists as they build out their AI technology. The seed funding will be used to achieve three goals:
- Creating games utilizing Atelico’s proprietary technology: Releasing games that exemplify the power of generative AI to unlock innovative gameplay.
- Accelerate the development of the Atelico Engine: Building and scaling technology and tools to enable other game developers to tap into the power of AI without breaking the bank.
- Doubling down on its pro-artist ethos: Developing partnerships with studios and artists who share in the vision of promoting a fair approach to building and utilizing AI technology.
Nathan Benaich, General Partner of Air Street Capital and author of the State of AI Report, led the round and said, “AI-first technology is set to enable entirely new and exciting types of gameplay. The team at Studio Atelico brings together frontier AI expertise with a proven track record in game design – a rare combination that sets them up to create gaming experiences that players haven’t seen before.”
Alongside this financing, the team is bringing on gaming and tech industry veteran Chris Olson, an entrepreneur in the video games space who also previously led SEGA’s growth in the mobile gaming sector. At Studio Atelico, Chris will leverage his broad expertise to drive and accelerate game development and marketing as the studio enters its next phase of growth.
Making the Impossible Playable
Studio Atelico’s mission is to build games where AI makes the impossible playable. AI in games will be used in service of creativity, helping empower artists to explore new heights. Studio Atelico wants to create worlds that change and react in real-time, offering new horizons in gameplay while keeping the heart and soul of the creator’s vision at the forefront.
