Turkey's Grand Games lands $70m Series B

"Grand Games Oyun ve Yazılım, the Istanbul-based mobile gaming studio behind Magic Sort and Car Match, has raised $70m in a Series B funding round led by Balderton Capital's Growth Fund, the company said on Monday. Bek Ventures, Laton Ventures and angel investor Mert Gür participated alongside Balderton, which is doubling down on its January 2025 Series A position. The latest round brings Grand Games' total funding to $103m."

"Grand Games was founded in early 2024 by a team that previously built Zen Match at Moon Active. Magic Sort, the studio's first commercial title, broke into Apple's top-selling casual-gaming charts within six months of release. Its second title, Car Match, followed shortly after. By the time the Series A closed in January 2025, the two games were producing combined gross app revenue in the order of $4m per month."

"The Series B suggests that the revenue trajectory has continued, although Grand Games has not disclosed updated figures. The round arrives in a Turkish gaming market that has produced more positive M&A news in the past six months than any other startup category in the country. Scopely acquired a majority stake in Loom Games at a $1bn-plus valuation in March, just under a year after the studio's founding. CVC took a strategic position in Dream Games at around a $5bn valuation."

"Both deals followed Zynga's earlier $1.8bn acquisition of Peak Games in 2020, the transaction widely credited with kickstarting the Istanbul gaming scene. Investors are betting that the same playbook, mobile-casual studios run by alumni of previous Turkish gaming successes, will continue to compound. Grand Games is a direct heir to that lineage."

Grand Games Oyun ve Yazılım, an Istanbul-based mobile gaming studio behind Magic Sort and Car Match, raised $70m in a Series B round led by Balderton Capital’s Growth Fund. Bek Ventures, Laton Ventures, and angel investor Mert Gr also participated. The funding brings the studio’s total raised capital to $103m. The company was founded in early 2024 by a team previously behind Zen Match at Moon Active. Magic Sort reached Apple top-selling casual-gaming charts within six months, and Car Match followed soon after. By the time the Series A closed in January 2025, the two games generated combined gross app revenue of about $4m per month. The Series B indicates continued growth, though updated figures were not disclosed. The round comes amid increased Turkish mobile gaming M&A activity, including Scopely’s $1bn-plus Loom Games acquisition and CVC’s $5bn Dream Games deal.

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