Ares Interactive Snags $70M and Bets Big on the Future of Free-to-Play
- One of the largest early stage game funding rounds in recent years
- AI-driven development meets veteran free-to-play leadership
- Heroes vs Hordes already pulling serious numbers
Ares Interactive just kicked the door open with a $70 million Series A round, instantly putting the young publisher developer on the industry’s radar. The funding was led by General Catalyst with participation from founder and executive chairman Niccolo de Masi, positioning Ares as a serious contender in the increasingly crowded free-to-play space. The company says the cash will fuel its mission to build a new generation of cross platform, player loved franchises.
The San Francisco and Berlin based operation is anchored by two studios, 7th Inning and Swift Games, and blends traditional game development experience with AI-enabled workflows across production, marketing, and live operations.
Mike DeLaet, president of Ares Interactive, framed the moment as both validation and opportunity. “This round validates our vision, our approach, and the team behind it,” DeLaet said. “In a market where many companies are pulling back, this financing gives us the ability to lean in, grow thoughtfully with exceptional partners, and invest in building games we have always wanted to make.”
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A Veteran Team With AI in the Toolbox
Ares Interactive is not a scrappy startup learning on the fly. The leadership team is stacked with industry veterans who have shipped and scaled major free-to-play hits before. The company is also backed by an advisory board that includes former executives from Glu, Apple, Seriously Digital, and Kabam, covering everything from publishing and platforms to live operations.
The studio’s approach leans heavily on AI-enabled workflows, which it says will help teams iterate faster, scale content efficiently, and react to player feedback in real-time. The goal is to shorten the distance between what players want and what shows up in game updates, without burning out development teams in the process.
Erin Schaefer, COO at General Catalyst, said the firm believes Ares Interactive is “uniquely positioned to build enduring hit gaming franchises by leveraging the power of AI workflows,” pointing to the team’s disciplined, long term approach and focus on players.
Heroes vs Hordes and What Comes Next
Ares Interactive isn’t just about big vision and big checks, it’s about having something already working in the wild. Its flagship title, Heroes vs Hordes: Survival RPG, has stood out as a polished survival roguelite action RPG where players face endless waves of monsters in the fantasy world of Midlantica. The game’s emphasis is on real-time survival combat with simple one-hand controls and strategy-driven progression rather than idle auto-play, tasking players with dodging, upgrading, and choosing hero builds to survive ever more punishing hordes.
Heroes vs Hordes features over 100 unlockable heroes, weapons, and skills, varied biomes from cursed forests to frozen wastelands, and multiple modes including campaign, adventure events, arena challenges, boss battles, and guild missions that keep its community engaged with fresh content. The title’s performance speaks for itself, boasting over 5 million installs on mobile platforms and consistently strong ratings from players who appreciate its roguelite mechanics, deep build options, and high replay value.
Behind that success sits Swift Games, a Berlin-based team that launched Heroes vs Hordes and quickly grew a global audience while remaining agile and tightly community oriented. According to Swift Games’ own description, the studio prides itself on fast paced iteration, shipping weekly updates, embracing new AI tools to accelerate development, and leaning on player feedback while maintaining creative ownership of its roadmap.
Curiously, Ares Interactive’s press release makes no mention of another game it has out: Mercenary Syndicate. It’s currently available through the Play Store but only has 25 reviews as of this writing. The next release Ares Interactive does mention is Baseball Hits 26, a game built by baseball fans and featuring officially licensed professional players. While details are still light, the announcement makes it clear that sports is part of Ares’ broader portfolio strategy rather than a one-off experiment.
