New, Disruptive Studio Sprocket Games Raises $5 Million, Prioritizes Developer Inclusivity

The diverse team at Sprocket Games is hoping to set a new bar for inclusivity.

Another studio enters the fray courtesy of BITKRAFT Ventures’ backing. Following in the footsteps of Lost Lake, Lightforge, and Gardens, Sprocket Games–a game studio promoting a progressive approach to its developers–has today announced a $5 million seed round with participation from 1Up Ventures, Gaingels, and Substrate.

The team, which includes veterans from billion-dollar franchises including League of Legends, Valorant, and EVE Online, will use the capital to recruit and build its core team to develop the studio's first game: a cross-platform, social adventure that leverages its four-strong board's understanding of online multiplayer games.

Sprocket Games was founded by Google and Riot Games senior software engineer Josiah Kiehl, League of Legends design director Jo Graylock, EVE Online top dog Nicolas Tittley, and League principal technical game designer Reina Sweet. Together, the quartet hopes to create a studio that encourages employees to "bring their whole selves to work" and now wants to hire developers who value diversity and the equity of opportunity.

Already, Sprocket has multiple devs from underrepresented groups, which it believes will help it prioritize new and differing perspectives across the organization with each and every hire. It proudly promotes access to top healthcare for all employees, including transgender and non-binary staff, as well as a deeply rooted, mentorship-focused system that focuses on getting the full potential out of every team member.

CEO Kiehl said that Sprocket Games was created to set a new standard for how game developers are cared for and empowered–on both cultural and technological levels–and that every member of the team will be given creative space to take risks and innovate, allowing them the opportunity to add new dimensions to the games they create.

He continued: "Many top-tier game developers in the industry are under-supported, marginalized, and underappreciated. Sprocket will provide developers opportunities they weren't afforded at previous studios, creating a better, safer environment that serves as a stable platform for moonshot after moonshot."

Jasper Brand, principal at BITKRAFT, said he was a firm believer that fun and engaging adventures with friends make games more important–and that the partnership between Kiehl, Graylock, Tittley and Sweet struck his organization as "an amazing leadership team from day one."

He said: "[N]ot only do they have a captivating vision for what those shared adventures could look like, but also a rare track record across game design and infrastructure to bring their ideas to life.

"All of this comes with an exceptional reputation to inspire players and developers, and the passion to build a truly inclusive studio."