Layer, the AI software gateway constructed particularly for recreation builders, has raised $6.5 million in seed funding to make next-generation manufacturing instruments.
Layer acts because the glue for recreation studios to deploy AI shortly and effectively, with an expert suite of instruments to construct, handle and refine 2D, 3D and video property whereas considerably decreasing manufacturing time. Layer helps scale content material throughout manufacturing pipelines, making it simpler to develop and keep video games of all kinds. It’s acquired numerous cell recreation prospects, which is why it has raised a brand new spherical of funding and is determining the right way to go after the PC and console recreation studio enterprise.
“We’re the main AI-powered software for content material creation, and we’re right here for recreation studios,” stated Volkan Gurel, CEO of Layer, in an interview with GamesBeat. “We began off with a give attention to video games. We’ve grow to be the main resolution utilized by cell studios worldwide. We now have tremendous deep gaming DNA.”
Arcadia (Akin Babayigit’s new fund), and an funding car linked to Riccardo Zacconi (co-founder of King), led the spherical, with participation from current buyers e2.vc (previously 500 Rising Europe). Layer beforehand raised $1.8 million in November 2023.
“We’re simply very excited in regards to the funding floor. We’re very excited in regards to the staff we’re constructing, not only for for product growth, however on the board stage. We’re tremendous enthusiastic about how we’re the leaders in cell. And I imagine we would be the leaders in PC and console gaming content material creation.”
Based by {industry} veterans from Unity and MIT, Layer has shortly grow to be the main AI-powered content material creation platform for cell studios worldwide. Since launch, greater than 200 studios, together with leaders like Zynga, Tripledot, SciPlay, Huuuge Video games and Machine Zone, have built-in Layer into their manufacturing pipelines to speed up asset creation whereas sustaining model consistency.
Embracing a number of AI fashions
The corporate helps recreation studios create content material for all the things from in-game property to reside ops, artwork and advertising and marketing property. It’s versatile in that it permits recreation studios to make use of the best-of-breed AI fashions for various duties resembling 2D imagery, 3D imagery and extra in an AI manufacturing pipeline, Gurel stated.
“It’s a jigsaw puzzle. Each firm has a distinct want, and what we constructed was principally is an [all-in-one] platform the place all these basis fashions are available in. So we’re mannequin agnostic,” he stated. “We convey all these collectively beneath one umbrella after which ship this tremendous accessible software for artists. And that truly additionally brings me to my subsequent level, which is we strive to not hold AI entrance and heart within the product as a lot because the human facet. We empower the artists.”
Gurel stated many corporations discovered our early that AI fashions had been good for producing constant output. However if you wished to edit pictures, resize issues or convert a picture right into a 3D mannequin, there have been no instruments for that. That’s what Layer targeted on, Gurel stated.
“Sport studios most well-liked us as a result of we had all of the fashions. We weren’t tied to 1 mannequin and restricted simply to what that one mannequin may do,” Gurel stated. “We may do it multi function platform. So it gave us a bonus.”
Against this, some AI instruments get criticized for eliminating human builders.
“The imaginative and prescient now we have of the long run is an artist with style, an artwork staff with style, driving this content material creation and making a differentiated providing,” he stated. “We don’t imagine in a future the place AI is churning out the identical stuff for everybody. We imagine there must be tremendous controllable, deep artist involvement in no matter artwork is created now and sooner or later.”
Constructed with recreation makers in thoughts from the beginning, and enterprise prepared, Layer has already grow to be the popular associate to cell builders, the corporate stated.
“At a time that everybody was creating level options, we noticed that the very best path to successfully apply AI fashions to video games in probably the most customized, versatile and long-term manner, was to have a multi-modal, tool-agnostic platform,” stated Gurel. “We’re the one games-specific firm delivering an enterprise prepared resolution, and the response from the {industry} has been close to fast. We now have shortly grow to be the popular associate for cell recreation corporations, and with our seed funding, and the assist of our unbelievable buyers Akin and Riccardo, our staff will improve our platform and develop to the broader video games {industry}.”
The Layer staff contains specialists in AI, gaming and artwork manufacturing, all targeted on constructing the very best instruments for artistic professionals so the corporate stands out with its means to serve recreation creators. Layer helps with all the things from core recreation growth property to reside service content material, to advertising and marketing pipelines, and offers groups a grounded AI resolution designed to resolve actual challenges, at scale, of their model type.
“Layer is the primary resolution I’ve seen to supply builders with the best technique to convey AI into their manufacturing pipelines,” stated King cofounder and investor Riccardo Zacconi, in an announcement. “I’m impressed with the staff Burcu and Volkan have constructed, in addition to Layer’s expertise and deployment pace. I’m excited to affix this proficient staff’s journey alongside fellow investor and cell video games vet, Akin Babayigit. “
“The staff at Layer basically get video games, and so they have the suitable imaginative and prescient and momentum to create a brand new {industry} commonplace to remodel how world-class studios are scaling recreation growth and manufacturing with AI,” stated Tripledot cofounder and investor Akin Babayigit, in an announcement. “I’m excited to assist Burcu and Volkan, who’re executing with unbelievable effectivity, and to affix Riccardo, who is an exceptional entrepreneur himself.”
With this funding, Layer will proceed to ship industry-leading instruments for cell studios whereas increasing the staff and constructing options to assist a variety of video games. Because the video games {industry} continues to evolve, Layer shall be laser-focused on serving to creators bridge the hole between AI innovation and recreation growth.
Origins
The founding staff contains Gurel, who’s a technologist with deep experience in AI, scalable techniques, and machine studying.
He had an engineering background from MIT and studied beneath AI pioneers Marvin Minsky and Pat Winston. Gurel has spent his profession on the forefront of AI-driven product growth. He has held key engineering management roles at Coinbase, the place he labored on scalable monetary infrastructure, and at Airware, the place he helped develop AI-powered options for enterprise functions. His expertise spans large-scale distributed techniques, AI analysis, and product innovation, all of which now drive Layer’s mission to convey generative AI to recreation studios worldwide.
He labored at Hunch, an organization cofounded by Chris Dixon. They made a suggestion engine utilizing machine studying to resolve the advice drawback for e-commerce. They finally acquired acquired by eBay, and Gurel was a part of the staff that constructed the eBay merchandising system powered by machine studying.
“That’s the place I acquired uncovered to some personalization facets of how machine studying may actually assist them generate much more income from a baseline as soon as it’s utilized to a use case like personalization,” he stated.
The cofounder and chief income officer is Burcu Hakguder, a enterprise chief with deep experience in constructing and scaling companies for recreation studios. She drives the corporate’s progress technique, forging partnerships with high recreation studios worldwide. Earlier than Layer, Burcu spent over a decade in gaming-related companies, specializing in enterprise growth and go-to-market technique.
At Unity Applied sciences, she performed a key function in constructing new income streams throughout a number of management positions, serving to set the corporate up for a profitable IPO. She has additionally labored with a number of tech startups, scaling AI-powered merchandise for the video games {industry}. As a cofounder, she drives partnerships with high recreation studios like Zynga, SciPlay, and Huuuge Video games, serving to them scale their manufacturing pipelines and proceed to develop. Gurel credited her for realizing lots of people within the {industry}.
“She’s superb with seven years of expertise in enterprise growth at Unity,” Gurel stated. “She actually is aware of everybody. It’s a small neighborhood and if you construct that repute of being trusted, you may arrange actually robust partnerships and construct merchandise with suggestions in thoughts. That’s how we had been capable of get the place we’re with such a small staff.”
The street forward for AI
Gurel sees all kinds of corporations embracing AI, together with new studios with a few folks. He additionally sees greater studios utilizing the instruments to grow to be extra environment friendly. The instruments will ship video games with extra personalization, localization and maybe 10 or 100 instances extra content material, he stated. The groups that ship this content material shall be world-class groups, not simply groups with a single particular person he stated.
Gurel sees AI persevering with to ship decrease prices, sooner creation and higher-quality creation going ahead, on the tempo of Moore’s Regulation, which drives chip and {hardware} innovation ahead.
“It should hold occurring and we’re counting on it,” he stated. “We see that again and again, so we all the time attempt to keep forward.”
However Gurel doesn’t imagine that can put all recreation builders out of labor.
“We imagine the other. We imagine that the close to future may have extra sensible functions of AI, and it’ll rework how we work digitally. And our focus is on that sensible facet,” he stated. “Like, how can we assist artists, recreation studios adapt to this future, rework digitally for content material creation.”
The corporate has a staff of 16 folks, and Gurel stated it’s an environment friendly staff partly as a result of it’s utilizing AI in all of its disciplines throughout engineering and advertising and marketing.
“It’s the identical for us as it’s for our prospects,” Gurel stated. “There’s all kinds of points and blockers with AI that we all know the right way to overcome. We use these learnings to construct a terrific product.”
