Leslie Benzies Raised $42M For Everywhere

Benzies, an influential producer behind the Rockstar games, originally left the company in 2016. He sued Take-Two Interactive for $150 million in unpaid royalties. The case was settled in 2018.

After leaving Rockstar, Benzies launched Build a Rocket Boy, an Edinburgh and Budapest-based studio hiring over 130 people. Former GTA developers, including GTA V programmer Colin Entwistle, lead cinematics animator Felipe Busquets, music director Craig Conner and audio director Matthew Smith have also joined the project.

The latest funding round allowed the studio to raise £32m, including investments from Cayman fund Makers and New York cryptocurrency investor Galaxy Interactive.

The team is now working on its first game, an open-world title Everywhere. "Everywhere has a lot of traditional game mechanics but we’re going for something more that draws inspiration from, well, everywhere," Benzies told Venturebeat. "Players are getting smarter and require more from their games, and we want players to have the real freedom to live in our worlds in the ways they want to. We’re aiming to offer a huge variety of game modes and styles that not only tell our stories but also enable players to live in the identities and adventures they most want to explore."