Lighthouse Games Secures Fresh Tencent Funding, Unveils New Driving Game In Development
PRESS RELEASE, June 4, 2025 – Lighthouse Games announced it has secured additional funding from leading global technology company, Tencent. This investment will accelerate the studio’s growth as it develops its debut driving game and continues its journey towards becoming one of the UK’s top AAA development studios.
Supported by Venture Lab, Tencent’s dedicated business unit designed to support early-stage developers, this second round of funding will enable Lighthouse Games to strengthen its 120-strong team in Leamington Spa, UK; from hiring more top-tier talent to investing in cutting edge technology, all while maintaining full creative control over both its new AAA driving game and the studio’s broader vision.
Lighthouse Games is led by Gavin Raeburn, founder of Playground Games and former leader of Codemasters Racing Studio, where he helped define the driving genre.
“Tencent’s Venture Lab has been a fantastic partner, and we are incredibly grateful for their continued support as we grow both our game and our studio,” said Raeburn. “This additional investment signals real confidence in our project, our capabilities and long-term vision, especially at a time of significant change in our industry. It also allows us to strengthen our studio in Leamington Spa and pursue exciting, new creative opportunities for our debut title in the driving genre.”
With over 30 years of award-winning innovation across five generations of hardware, Raeburn has been the creative force behind 15 of the industry’s most successful racing and driving games, including all five critically acclaimed and award-winning Forza Horizon games, F1 2010, Colin McRae Dirt 1 & 2, Racedriver Grid and the TOCA and WTC series.
Under his leadership, Lighthouse Games has built a team of experienced developers with deep expertise in the racing and driving genre. Blending AAA ambition with a collaborative studio culture, the team is focused on delivering a brand-new driving experience for players around the world, with further details about the project to be shared at a later date.
“We have tremendous confidence in the talent and vision of Lighthouse Games,” said Juno Shin, Vice General Manager at Tencent Games, Venture Lab initiative. “Gavin Raeburn and his team bring unparalleled experience and a proven track record in the driving genre. We’re proud to support a studio with such strong foundations and bold creative vision.”
About Lighthouse Games
Lighthouse Games was founded in 2022 by veteran developer Gavin Raeburn. He and the senior team at Lighthouse have proven track records of building studios which ship critically acclaimed and commercially successful titles on console and PC.
About Tencent
Tencent is a leading global technology and entertainment company with a diverse portfolio of products and services. The Tencent Games business is a world leading platform for game development, publishing and operations, and is home to some of the world’s most innovative and popular titles.
With a diverse global studio network, Tencent Games manages over 170 games across more than 200 markets for over 800 million active users globally, while supporting hundreds of studios and developers.
