Hypemasters has raised $1 million in funding to make new strategy games in addition to its World War Armies titles.
Riyadh-based Impact46 led the investment round in United Arab Emirates-based Hypemasters, an international game development studio focused on competitive strategy experiences for mobile. The round included significant participation from GEM Capital.
Hypemasters builds strategy titles distinguished by competitive depth and precise game design, with more than seven million players across the globe. As part of the round, Hypemasters plans to expand its presence in the Middle East/North Africa and open an office in Saudi Arabia, in Riyadh.
“We’re focused on deepening our presence across the region and pushing forward with the next generation of strategy games, including a major new title already in soft launch,” said Boris Kalmykov, CEO of Hypemasters, in a statement. Partnering with Impact46 marks an important step for Hypemasters. Impact46 shares our long-term vision for building world-class strategy games from the MENA region, and their support reinforces our commitment to expanding our portfolio with high-quality releases.”
The investment reflects Impact46’s continued interest in game development and interactive entertainment, and supports its broader efforts to partner with studios building ambitious titles for global players.
The studio is progressing development on several upcoming projects, including a new title currently in soft launch, as it strengthens its footprint in markets with sustained demand for high-quality strategy games.
“Strategy is one of the most demanding categories in game development, and Hypemasters approaches it with uncommon discipline,” said Basmah Alsinaidi, managing partner at Impact46, in a statement.” Their work shows a clear understanding of what committed players expect from this genre, and we believe their upcoming titles can serve a global audience with genuine depth. We are pleased to support a team that builds with intention and long-term ambition.”
Impact46 is an innovation-driven, CMA-licensed asset management firm managing over $746 million in alternative investments. Based in Saudi Arabia, Impact46 delivers institutional-grade investment products across venture capital, private credit, and capital markets. Impact46 has a $40 million gaming fund and an expanding credit advisory practice.
Hypemasters is an international game development studio founded in 2019. It creates mid-core player-versus-player (PvP) mobile and PC games. The company’s flagship title is the strategy game, World War Armies.
Hypemasters has offices in the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East, with a main development center in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. Hypemasters was founded in 2019 by Boris Kalmykov and Ekaterina Bazhanova. Kalmykov, the CEO, has a background at companies like Facebook, Unity, and Goldman Sachs, while Bazhanova serves as the strategy director, with previous experience at Goldman Sachs and data.ai.
In addition to the new funding round with Impact46, Hypemasters has raised $5 million to date. The company has 20 people, with headquarters and main team in the United Arab Emirates, with some based in Serbia.