Mother Games raises $5 million to fuel its games ambitions

• Mother Games has raised $5 million in a pre-seed round
• The startup’s first title will target serotonin rather than dopamine for a healthier relationship with the game

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New York-based startup Mother Games has raised $5 million through a pre-seed funding round to create mobile games with philosophical depth that awaken players to “their own mental programming”.

BoxGroup, Shine and Lerer Hippeau Ventures all participated in the round, with funds due to go towards the development of Mother’s first mobile game, Le Zoo, and future projects, as reported by GamesIndustry.biz.

A dash of endocrinology

Mother Games has come out of stealth just over a year after its founding by Kelsey Falter and Raissa Chagas. Falter previously founded data analysis platform Poptip.

The duo are joined by a leadership team comprising former GTA 5 lead Brian Alcazar, former Ubisoft engineering lead Yvgen Kopa, Behance co-founder Matias Corea and award-winning game artist Christof Stanits.

The new studio’s debut title, Le Zoo, is a 3D open-world mobile game built around a multi-tiered theme park. Veering away from “traditional mobile games that exploit the dopamine system to addict players,” Le Zoo will instead aim to tap into players’ serotonin cycles – serotonin is a mood stabiliser rather than a reward hormone.

Kelsey Falter said: “With the launch of Mother and the announcement of Le Zoo, we’re giving people a key to unlock the cages of the mind through the power of play. Life is a game, but too often we find ourselves playing by rules we never consciously chose,” 

“We built Le Zoo to help players remember who they really are – with less ‘doing the work’ and more fun.” Said Falter.

Raissa Chagas commented: “Le Zoo is more than just a game – it’s a mirror that reflects our reality back to us in new and surprising ways. By blurring the line between game and life, we create opportunities for players to see their world with fresh eyes.”

AI and philosophy

Lerer Hippeau invested in the round due in no small part to Mother’s philosophy, which “sets them far apart from the crowded field of competitors”. The team is also leveraging machine learning alongside human-driven art and AI prototyping.

The venture capitalist shared on LinkedIn: “The gaming industry, particularly mobile gaming, is stuck in an aging paradigm, relying on waterfall development principles and dopamine-driven strategies, akin to social media, to harvest attention. As mobile technology and hardware continue to develop, there is a need for a suite of games that can break new ground.”

“Mother is pioneering a new frontier of the gaming industry with its novel delivery approach and focus on added value for players who can engage their consciousness.”