News/Circle Games Secures $7.25m

Circle Games Secures $7.25m

Investments

11 July 2025 11:50

Circle Games has announced the successful close of a $7.25 million seed funding round, signaling a strong vote of confidence from investors in the studio’s future direction. The round was led by Bitkraft Ventures, with additional participation from a16z Speedrun, Play Ventures, e2vc, and APY Ventures.

The funding will primarily go toward the continued development of Sort Express, the studio’s debut title, as well as other projects currently in stealth. A portion of the investment will also be used to expand the team as the company positions itself for long-term growth in the competitive mobile puzzle genre.

More:Million Victories Secures $40m

"We want to double down on our talent and scale our first title… The first focus area for Circle is the casual puzzle market, and we know players expect better visuals, better user experiences because the competition is really high compared with 10 years ago," said CEO Gokturk Balıkcı in an interview with GamesBeat. "The game should meet players’ expectation in terms of skill."

Balıkcı highlighted Turkey’s strength in mobile game development, especially in the puzzle segment, pointing to the local industry’s track record of international hits. Circle Games aims to build on this legacy by enhancing late-game mechanics and player engagement. "Turkey’s biggest hits are from the mobile puzzle genre, so the talent experience is there… We’re trying to innovate in the later game phase for player experience by introducing new mechanics. We think that will be vital for long-term player retention."

Bitkraft Ventures, the lead investor in the round, praised the studio’s approach and potential. "Circle Games is one of the most promising studios we’ve seen at seed stage," said Jasper Brand, Partner at Bitkraft Ventures. "They combine deep domain expertise with a strong game sense, fast shipping velocity, and a clear understanding of how to win in today’s mobile gaming market. With their innovation in progression systems, dynamic difficulty, and playable ad strategy, we believe they have all the ingredients to become Turkey’s next major casual gaming success."

Tags: Circle Games

Share:

Sources:

Report mistake Submit news

Related news

View All

Midwest Games Secures $2m

Midwest Games, a rising game publisher headquartered in Wisconsin, has secured a fresh $2 million investment to expand its efforts...

Investments

Sep 24, 2025

A16Z Speedrun Fund Announced

Andreessen Horowitz’s startup accelerator, A16Z Speedrun, has officially launched the application window for its sixth cohort, inviting early-stage startups to...

Investments

Sep 03, 2025

Studio Atelico Secures $5m

Atelico has raised $5 million in seed funding to power its ambitious plans to integrate generative AI directly into game...

Investments

Aug 18, 2025

Fateless Secures $14m

Fateless has officially raised $14 million to support the development of its debut title, Godforge, a cross-platform RPG slated for...

Investments

Aug 15, 2025

Qloud Games Secures $5m

Qloud Games has closed a $5 million seed funding round to accelerate the development of its upcoming cozy MMO title,...

Investments

Aug 14, 2025

Circle Games Secures $7.25m

Investments

11 July 2025 11:50

Tags: Circle Games

Circle Games has announced the successful close of a $7.25 million seed funding round, signaling a strong vote of confidence from investors in the studio’s future direction. The round was led by Bitkraft Ventures, with additional participation from a16z Speedrun, Play Ventures, e2vc, and APY Ventures.

The funding will primarily go toward the continued development of Sort Express, the studio’s debut title, as well as other projects currently in stealth. A portion of the investment will also be used to expand the team as the company positions itself for long-term growth in the competitive mobile puzzle genre.

More:Million Victories Secures $40m

"We want to double down on our talent and scale our first title… The first focus area for Circle is the casual puzzle market, and we know players expect better visuals, better user experiences because the competition is really high compared with 10 years ago," said CEO Gokturk Balıkcı in an interview with GamesBeat. "The game should meet players’ expectation in terms of skill."

Balıkcı highlighted Turkey’s strength in mobile game development, especially in the puzzle segment, pointing to the local industry’s track record of international hits. Circle Games aims to build on this legacy by enhancing late-game mechanics and player engagement. "Turkey’s biggest hits are from the mobile puzzle genre, so the talent experience is there… We’re trying to innovate in the later game phase for player experience by introducing new mechanics. We think that will be vital for long-term player retention."

Bitkraft Ventures, the lead investor in the round, praised the studio’s approach and potential. "Circle Games is one of the most promising studios we’ve seen at seed stage," said Jasper Brand, Partner at Bitkraft Ventures. "They combine deep domain expertise with a strong game sense, fast shipping velocity, and a clear understanding of how to win in today’s mobile gaming market. With their innovation in progression systems, dynamic difficulty, and playable ad strategy, we believe they have all the ingredients to become Turkey’s next major casual gaming success."

Share:

Sources:

Report mistake Submit news

Related news

View All

Midwest Games Secures $2m

Midwest Games, a rising game publisher headquartered in Wisconsin, has secured a fresh $2 million investment to expand its efforts...

Investments

Sep 24, 2025

A16Z Speedrun Fund Announced

Andreessen Horowitz’s startup accelerator, A16Z Speedrun, has officially launched the application window for its sixth cohort, inviting early-stage startups to...

Investments

Sep 03, 2025

Studio Atelico Secures $5m

Atelico has raised $5 million in seed funding to power its ambitious plans to integrate generative AI directly into game...

Investments

Aug 18, 2025

Fateless Secures $14m

Fateless has officially raised $14 million to support the development of its debut title, Godforge, a cross-platform RPG slated for...

Investments

Aug 15, 2025

Qloud Games Secures $5m

Qloud Games has closed a $5 million seed funding round to accelerate the development of its upcoming cozy MMO title,...

Investments

Aug 14, 2025