New studio Mother Games raises $5m in pre-seed round

New studio Mother Games has come out of stealth, announcing that it's raised $5 million in pre-seed funding.

BoxGroup, Shine, and Lerer Hippeau Ventures contributed to the round, with the funds going towards the development of the firm's first title, called Le Zoo, as well as future projects.

Mother Games is based in New York and describes itself as a creator of "experiences designed to awaken players to their own mental programming and expand their inner worlds through play."

It was co-founded by Kelsey Falter and Raissa Chagas in August 2023, and has staff coming from the likes of Rockstar, Ubisoft, and more.

The team's debut project, Le Zoo, is being described as a "platform" where players can "explore a surreal multi-tiered theme park" as part of a 3D open world. It is due to launch on mobile at an unknown date. The project aims to go against "traditional mobile games that exploit the dopamine system to addict players," the announcement said, instead focusing on "the serotonin cycle to expand perception and generate awareness."

Falter, who is CEO of Mother Games, commented: "With the launch of Mother and the announcement of Le Zoo, we're giving people a key to unlock the cages of the mind through the power of play. Life is a game, but too often we find ourselves playing by rules we never consciously chose. We built Le Zoo to help players remember who they really are – with less 'doing the work' and more fun."

Chagas added: "Le Zoo is more than just a game – it's a mirror that reflects our reality back to us in new and surprising ways. By blurring the line between game and life, we create opportunities for players to see their world with fresh eyes."