Mission Control Games, a mobile game studio focused
on the casual puzzle genre, has announced its launch alongside the close of a
$4 million pre-seed funding round. The investment was led by General Catalyst,
with participation from Arcadia Gaming Partners and e2vc.
The studio was co-founded by Kıvanç Okutur (CEO) and
Murat Gürel (CTO), both veterans of the team behind the casual gaming title
Merge Dragons. Headquartered across London and Istanbul, Mission Control Games
aims to create engaging puzzle experiences that balance familiarity with
innovation.
Kıvanç Okutur, co-founder and CEO, noted that while
casual gaming attracts the largest audiences, it still offers significant
untapped opportunities for innovation, drawing inspiration from concepts like
Conway’s Game of Life, where simple rules can lead to complex and engaging
outcomes.
We want to move fast using emerging capabilities of
AI and build games that feel alive. Our ambition is to become the largest
mobile gaming company with the smallest team,
Okutur adds.
Operating within the casual gaming segment, the
studio seeks to explore new design approaches and develop original sub-genres
rather than replicate existing formats. Speed and iteration are central to its
development process, enabling the team to rapidly test and refine game concepts
while leveraging emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.
The company will use new funding to grow the team and
accelerate development of the studio’s first title.