Lightforge Games raises $15M for new RPG made on Unreal Engine 5

Lightforge Games today announced it has closed a round of funding that will go towards its latest video game project: An RPG with creative elements similar to Minecraft or Roblox.

Bitkraft Ventures led the round, and Galaxy Interactive, NetEase and Dune Ventures also participated. Other participants include Imane “Pokimane” Anys and her agency RTS, Polygon Studios CEO Ryan Wyatt, Epyllion CEO Matthew Ball, Oculus Co-Founder Nate Mitchell, and others.

Blizzard and Epic Games veterans founded Lightforge last year. At the time, the team said they were working on an undisclosed project. Now Lightforge has revealed a bit more about the project, including that it’s storytelling is patterned after tabletop games. It’ll also be made using Epic’s Unreal Engine 5.

Matt Schembari, Lightforge’s CEO, said in a statement: “Games are at their best when they create a shared experience. Our team is building a game that looks to push the boundaries of the stories and worlds players can create together. In raising this round of funding, and doing so with an amazing set of partners, we’ll be able to continue to expand the team to meet our ambitious goals.”

Bitkraft partner Moritz Baier-Lentz added: “The Lightforge team’s credentials speak for themselves, but their vision really came to life for us when we had a chance to look behind the scenes and see the amazing progress that the team had made in such a short time. It’s already an incredibly fun and captivating experience, and I’m not surprised that this group of exceptional founders and executives across gaming, streaming, and interactive media is rallying behind the Lightforge team to take them to the next level, and cheer them on as they continue to push the boundaries and perception of video games.”