{"rewrite":{"id":"r_f016c25bf91e22e842ffc890","clusterId":"c_f7e4af0c1d75b4307925d00d","slug":"gardens-interactive-raises-over-35m-series-b-for-debut-social-rpg","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"Gardens Interactive Raises Over $35M Series B for Debut Social RPG","summary":"Gardens Interactive, a U.S. studio founded by developers who worked on Journey, What Remains of Edith Finch, and Sky: Children of the Light, announced on October 7, 2026 that it raised over $35 million in a Series B round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. The money goes to launch and live operations for an unannounced social RPG the studio calls \"strandbox.\" Platforms and release timing were not disclosed.","whyItMatters":"The round's investor list, which includes the Yamauchi No.10 family office, Slack co-founder Stewart Butterfield, and Sora co-creator Thomas Dimson, shows that the studio's live-service RPG has drawn backing from game money and tech money at a stage when the game itself is still unannounced.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eLightspeed Venture Partners led the round and also co-led the Series A. New backers include Zenith Capital, founded by James Altman, former publishing director at Bethesda Softworks and executive producer of the TV adaptation of \u0026#34;Fallout,\u0026#34; along with Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures, Accel, Innovation Endeavors, and Bayshore. Individual investors include Butterfield, FunPlus founder and CEO Andy Zhong, and Dimson. Existing investor Yamauchi No.10 reinvested.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe board and advisory structure also expanded, with former TikTok COO V Pappas and others joining. Altman is expected to support publishing negotiations, management, and expansion into other media.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Gardens Interactive, staffed by developers from Journey and What Remains of Edith Finch, raised over $35M in a Series B led by Lightspeed. The money is for an unannounced social RPG the studio calls \"strandbox.\" Platforms and release timing are still undisclosed.","twitterPost":"Gardens Interactive raised over $35M in a Series B led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. The studio, founded by developers from Journey and What Remains of Edith Finch, will put the funds toward an unannounced social RPG it calls \"strandbox.\"","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Gardens Interactive raised over $35 million in a Series B round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with new backing from Zenith Capital, Sequoia Capital, Index Ventures, Accel, Innovation Endeavors, and Bayshore. Individual investors include Slack co-founder Stewart Butterfield, FunPlus founder Andy Zhong, and Sora co-creator Thomas Dimson, while the Yamauchi No.10 family office reinvested. The funds go to launch and live operations for an unannounced social RPG the studio calls \"strandbox.\"","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"GameBusiness.jp\",\"url\":\"https://www.gamebusiness.jp/article/2026/10/08/28255.html\",\"title\":\"Yamauchi Family Office and Slack Co-Founder Among Investors - Gardens Interactive Raises Over $35 Million for Debut Title\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":4594,"outputTokens":681,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1791430634,"createdAt":"2026-10-08T03:32:30.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-10-08T03:36:10.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-08T03:36:10.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_f7e4af0c1d75b4307925d00d","canonicalTitle":"山内家ファミリーオフィスやSlack共同創業者らが出資―Gardens Interactive、デビュータイトルに向け3,500万ドル超を調達","representativeArticleId":"a_9c84486bb1b474dfd732e0fc","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[\"Gardens Interactive\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"business\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-10-08T02:30:25.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-10-08T02:30:25.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-08T03:36:08.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"GameBusiness.jp","url":"https://www.gamebusiness.jp/article/2026/10/08/28255.html","title":"山内家ファミリーオフィスやSlack共同創業者らが出資―Gardens Interactive、デビュータイトルに向け3,500万ドル超を調達"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":[],"studios":["Gardens Interactive"],"people":[],"type":"business","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":null}