New Mike DeLaet and Niccolo de Masi-led outfit Ares Interactive has raised $70m in Series A funding as it looks to expand its portfolio of cross-platform free-to-play games.
As we reported back in May 2025, the new Austin, Texas-based outfit has been quietly hiring staff and acquiring studios and games for some time. Today, it announced a $70m Series A raise led by General Catalyst, with participation from founder and executive chairman Niccolo de Masi.
The cash will help DeLaet and de Masi “build a next-generation, cross-platform free-to-play game company,” the company said.
The company also confirmed today that it has added former App Store boss Matt Fischer, ex-Kabam COO Kent Wakeford, former Glu CRO Chris Akhavan and ex-Seriously CEO Andrew Stalbow to its advisory board.
Ares is already working with San Francisco-based studio 7th Inning, and is currently operating Berlin studio Swift Games’ title Heroes vs Hordes, which has over 13m installs to date, says Ares. The company’s next title is Baseball Hits 26, it says, and further game announcements are planned for this year.
“This round validates our vision, our approach, and the team behind it,” said Ares president Mike DeLaet. “Ares Interactive brings together rare operating experience and the discipline to build for the long term, as our leadership team has a long history of developing, scaling, and operating hit free-to-play games for some of the most successful publishers in the industry.”
