Spekter Games, a next-gen game publisher dedicated to building roguelite mobile games with seamless Web3 incentives, announced a $5 million pre-seed funding round and launched its first title, Spekter Agency. The funding round saw participation from prominent investment firms, including a16z speedrun, London Venture Partners, BRV Capital, Chamaeleon, Accelerator Ventures, Impact46, Versus Ventures, and Alumni Ventures.

This funding coincides with today’s official launch of Spekter Games’ first title Spekter Agency, a rogue-lite action game debuting on Telegram. Inspired by breakout hits like Vampire Survivors, Spekter Agency offers addictive, arcade-style gameplay tailored for mainstream audiences, planning to integrate passive blockchain rewards without the complexity associated with Web3 gaming.

Utilizing Telegram’s massive platform of over 1 billion monthly active users, Spekter Agency runs on Telegram’s Mini Apps infrastructure, enabling frictionless onboarding and instant, native gameplay. And Telegram’s built-in wallet capabilities can simplify crypto transactions, drastically reducing the barriers traditionally associated with blockchain gaming and opening it up to a wider audience.

Company founder: Spekter Games was created by industry veteran and serial entrepreneur Taehoon Kim (TK), who brings over 20 years of experience in the gaming industry with multiple exited startups. At his previous company, nWay, TK led the development of real-time, cross-play multiplayer hits like Power Rangers: Legacy Wars and Battle for the Grid, amassing 100+ million downloads. nWay was acquired by Animoca Brands, where TK stayed on to lead Web3 gaming initiative in collaboration with partners like Yuga Labs and Dapper Labs. TK and the Spekter team bring deep expertise in both Web2 and Web3 game development, uniquely positioning them to build games that seamlessly bridge both worlds for mainstream adoption.

How the funding will be used: The funding raised will enable Spekter Games to scale Spekter Agency across additional platforms, including other chat-based super apps and traditional mobile stores like the App Store and Google Play. Plus, the capital will support the ongoing development of the publisher’s second game, already underway.

KEY QUOTES:

“We’re building games that people love for the gameplay, not just the rewards. Web3 incentives can supercharge retention and virality, but they should never get in the way of the fun. By keeping these systems passive and behind the scenes, we’re showing that it’s possible to bring Web3-enhanced games to the mainstream without compromising gameplay.”

Taehoon Kim (TK), CEO and founder of Spekter Games

“We believe there is a real opportunity to improve the early tap-to-earn games on Telegram with deep mechanics that resonate with real gamers. We’re thrilled to back TK and his seasoned team as they push the boundaries of what’s possible in gaming on chat-based super apps.”

Robin Guo, investment partner at a16z speedrun