In an era where sharing content and music is second nature, authenticity and self expression is evermore important. TikTok has reached 2B users becoming the go to platform for discovering new music and 50% of all users engaged with gaming content. We're entering an era dominated by casual creators where friends and communities blend their talents, ushering in a new generation of gamers where music and memes are the shared language.
Against this creative zeitgeist, Transcend is excited to co-lead Brain Jar Games’ $6.7M Seed round with Menlo Ventures and participation from 1UP Ventures. Spearheaded by MMORPG veteran Will Cook, Brain Jar Games is a new studio with the vision to create bold and vibrant games that players feel compelled to share, combining immersive gameplay patterns with seamless content creation tools. We are joined by an incredible ensemble of industry leaders and former executives across gaming, music, and influencers including Harmonix, Oculus, Sony, Blizzard, Riot, Trion Worlds, Interscope, Universal Music Group, Creative Arts Agency, CohhCarnage, and Sacriel among others.
Their first game, Dead as Disco, is a genre-defying rhythm-based brawler game. The founding team alongside Will includes Rohan Knuckey, Krys Kozlowski, Kaitlyn Kincaid, and Marcin Deja. The team assembles proven gamemakers with over 20 years of experience in creating new game IPs and award-winning franchises such as RIFT, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and Call of Duty. Their collective skill sets across creative, technical, and audio uniquely equips the team to deliver spectacular, vibrant experiences from early innovation to scaled businesses.
The ubiquitous reach and mainstream appeal of music expands the audience potential globally and promises an experience that cuts through the noise. The team is laser focused on pushing boundaries not just in multiplayer experiences, but also in distribution by enabling watchable viral content that naturally engages social media algorithms. With a staged launch planned to start in just 24 months, they aim to make moves in the market quickly.
Our investment in Brain Jar Games aligns with Transcend's commitment to support boundary-pushing ventures in digital entertainment that resonate with a large and diverse audience. Stay tuned for more!
About Transcend
Transcend is a top performing early stage venture capital firm that partners with the boldest founders in the industry to collaboratively build the future of interactive entertainment.
Founded in San Francisco by gaming veterans, the Transcend portfolio features a preeminent group of high growth digital entertainment companies around the world.
More information about Transcend can be found on our website. Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest news from around the Transcend ecosystem.
About Brett Krause
Brett is Managing Director of Transcend and a proven executive leader in the areas of venture investing, games, finance, and banking.
Following a 20-year banking career that included roles as President of JPMorgan China and CEO of Citi Vietnam, Brett spent 4.5 years as Chief Investment Officer at FunPlus, a world- class, independent game developer and publisher, and founder of FPX, one of the world's most successful esports organizations.
Brett speaks Mandarin, Japanese, and French. He is currently based in Zug, Switzerland.