Brain Jar Games have announced their $6.7 million seed round with support from an outstanding trans media syndicate. A new global studio composed of AAA veterans, the money raised is going into launching an action-music spectacle in 2025. The studio’s first game Dead as Disco promises to deliver a gameplay experience that fuses the energy of John Wick and Baby Driver into the game.
Support included the Transcend Fund and Menlo Venturesb who co-led the round. Additional participation came from 1UP Ventures and an array of angels and advisors from across gaming and music. These include Chris Rigopulos (Former COO Harmonix), prominent gaming influencers CohhCarnage and Sacriel, Eden Chen (CEO Pragma), Nate Mitchell (co-founder Oculus), David Stelzer (President at Xsolla, former Head of Games at Creative Arts Agency), Scott Hartsman (former CEO Trion Worlds), Jiten Dajee (Rendered VC), Oksana Kubushyna (CEO Seeker Games, former Riot COO Entertainment), as well as former executives from Blizzard, Riot, Sony, Netflix, and Universal Music Group.
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Will Cook, the CEO and co-founder of Brain Jar Games spoke about the support.
“The enthusiastic backing we’ve received for our game and studio vision is inspiring and deeply motivating…Transcend and Menlo immediately understood our ambitious dream to create a new, spectacular form of gameplay that you love to share with friends.”
Brett Krause, General Partner at Transcend Fund, spoke about Brain Jar and their aspirations.
“Brain Jar is creating something really special, an iconic spectacle that will stand out from the crowd. They’re combining music, gameplay and tech to easily share moments with virality by design as a key to find and scale audience. Will’s ambitious, global vision goes beyond just making a fun game. It is to build a company that is a platform for musicians and creators alike, and he has assembled the top-talent necessary to build fast and deliver.”
CEO Will Cook said spoke about their first game, Dead as Disco.
“There’s a fantasy that every action fan can relate to: when that perfect song comes on, the adrenaline kicks in, and every move you make just flows to the music. Our team is laser-focused on delivering that innovative moment-to-moment experience, one overflowing with audio-visual spectacle and irresistible watchability. And the best part is we’re putting it in players’ hands in 2025.”
Cook is an award-winning leader with more than 20 years of experience as a designer and creative director. Cook is joined by co-founders from the Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and Call of Duty franchises. Together they’ve launched more than 30 titles across PC, console, and mobile. Together they have more than a century of industry experience
