Dentsu Ventures Invests in U.S.-based Astrocade, a Generative AI–Powered Entertainment Platform that Enables Anyone to Create and Publish Games Using Natural Language

Dentsu Group Inc. (Tokyo: 4324; ISIN: JP3551520004; President & Global CEO: Takeshi Sano; Head Office: Tokyo; Capital: 74,609.81 million yen) announced that Dentsu Ventures Fund II (hereinafter "Dentsu Ventures"), the Company's corporate venture capital fund, has made an equity investment in Astrocade, Inc. (Headquarters: California, U.S.; CEO: Amir Sadeghian; hereinafter "Astrocade"), a company developing a generative AI–powered platform that enables anyone to create and publish games using natural language.

Astrocade has raised a total of US$56 million (approximately 8.8 billion yen), including a Series B financing round led by U.S. venture capital firm Sequoia Capital^*1. Dentsu Ventures is the first Japanese fund to participate in the company’s fundraising.

Traditionally, game development has been limited to individuals and organizations with specialized skills, significant funding, and substantial time resources. However, advances in generative AI have rapidly been lowering these barriers, enabling anyone with an idea to create games. At the same time, as entertainment experiences continue to diversify, platforms that allow users to create, play, and share content are expected to become increasingly valuable. Against this backdrop, new types of game platforms that remove the boundaries between creators and players are emerging for the generative AI era.

Astrocade has developed its proprietary AI game creation agent, “AstroBrain,” and operates “Astrocade,” a generative AI–powered entertainment platform. Without requiring programming languages, the platform allows users to create and publish games through natural language prompts. Key elements of game development, including art, animation, background music, and game mechanics, are automatically generated and integrated by AI.This accessibility has driven rapid growth: within just eight months of its official launch, Astrocade has surpassed 20 million engaged users^*2, while monthly plays have reached several hundred million.

Guided by its mission, “Share fun with the world,” Astrocade aims to democratize game creation through generative AI while fostering a social ecosystem where creators and players interact and collaboratively create and enjoy games. The company is led by co-founders Amir Sadeghian and Ali Sadeghian, both leading AI researchers, who are building a next-generation entertainment platform from a perspective outside the traditional gaming industry.

Through this investment, Dentsu Ventures will support Astrocade’s business expansion and help accelerate the development of its ecosystem, particularly in Japan, by leveraging dentsu’s creator network, IP assets, and brand client base.

An overview of Astrocade and Dentsu Ventures Fund II is as follows:

Profile of Astrocade

Profile of Dentsu Ventures Fund II

Name:	Dentsu Ventures Fund II
Total fund capital:	10 billion Yen
Date of Establishment:	April 2021
Period of operation:	10-year period from April 2021 until March 2031
Investment regions:	Global investments both within and outside Japan
Investment stages:	Wide range of stages from seed-stage investments through to later-stage investments
URL:	https://dentsu-v.com/en/

*1 Please visit Sequoia Capital’s website for more information: https://www.sequoiacap.com/

*2 Refers to users who have demonstrated a certain level of engagement on the platform, such as creating, sharing, or playing games.

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Contact:
Investment Inquiries:
Dentsu Ventures Email：info@dentsu-v.com

Media Inquiries:
Jumpei Kojima, Sho Sugiura
Group Corporate Communications Office, Dentsu Group Inc.
Email: group-cc@dentsu.com