Dead Astronauts, a relatively young studio, announced today that it has raised €4 million, or about $4.1 million in an oversubscribed seed round. Behold Ventures led the round, with Lifelike Capital, 1Up Ventures, Acequia Capital participating alongside angel investors Are Mack Growen, Matt Bilbey, Klaas Kersting, Asbjoern Malte Soendergaard, and Kristian Segerstråle. The company plans to put the funding towards expanding its team and working on its first title.
The studio started in 2024, founded by Tobias Nyman, Erik Morin, Robert Moschos, and Thomas Tedemalm, who previously worked at Massive Entertainment, Ubisoft and Epic Games. The founders say they intend to expand beyond this team of four and recruit new talent from triple-A and indie studios. Its first game is an open-world action-adventure game called VEIL, a UE5 title set in “a mysterious world inspired by the vast Nordic wilderness.”
Morin and Nyman said in a statement, “We are thrilled to have successfully completed our seed round and to bring our vision for Dead Astronauts to life as a next-generation game studio, with Behold Ventures leading the way. While today’s market presents unique challenges, we see immense opportunities to reinvent open worlds and push game-changing technology. We’re incredibly grateful to have investors who believe in our vision and are excited to support bold new player experiences.”
Karl Magnus Troedsson, Behold managing partner, added, “We are delighted to back such an ambitious team and look forward to seeing them bring their groundbreaking vision to life. At Behold Ventures, we are passionate about supporting visionary founders who are shaping the future of interactive entertainment. Investing in a new game studio is more than just funding—it’s about empowering creative talent to push boundaries.”
