By Sagar V. Mankar 
Build a Rocket Boy, founded by former Rockstar executive Leslie Benzies, has acquired UK-based developer PlayFusion for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition strengthens Build a Rocket Boy’s development capabilities as it continues to work on multiple projects.
The company’s current portfolio includes:
- MindsEye, an action game in development
- Everywhere, a gaming platform
- Arcadia, a suite of UGC (User-Generated Content) tools
PlayFusion brings significant expertise to the acquisition, with its team having collaborated for nearly two decades. The studio is currently developing Ascendant, a squad-based tactical shooter that recently completed its open beta phase.
PlayFusion CEO Mark Gerhard emphasized the merger’s potential to “democratise premium game development” and disrupt the gaming industry. Benzies noted that PlayFusion’s “creativity and innovative approach to transmedia entertainment” aligns with his company’s vision of empowering players to create AAA-quality games.
This acquisition follows Build a Rocket Boy’s $110 million Series D funding round in January, led by RedBird Capital Partners. While that funding supported the development of Everywhere and Arcadia tools, the company subsequently underwent staffing adjustments, laying off an undisclosed number of employees.
The merger positions both companies to leverage their combined expertise in game development and player-created content, potentially accelerating their ongoing projects’ development timelines.
Source: VentureBeat