Gaming
Gaming site Haste Arcade raises $1.5M in oversubscribed fundraising round
Haste Arcade has just closed its $1.5 million seed round. The fundraising was oversubscribed, Haste was able to exceed the $1 million target that it had set for itself.
“We were originally seeking $1MM to lay a good solid foundation for the product/vision and then have some working capital to start testing our assumptions around product/market fit, specifically with marketing outside the ‘crypto’ community,” said Dan Wagner, the co-founder of Haste Arcade.
“After pitching the concept to a handful of investors, it became obvious that we weren’t the only ones thinking ILP™ Gaming could potentially become a ‘thing.’ We stopped pitching a couple of months ago but due to word of mouth and interest from other investors we were able to secure an additional $500K on top of the original goal bringing the total to $1.5MM,” he added.
The gaming industry
According to Wagner, there are several elements of the Haste Arcade that make investors confident in Haste’s future.
“First and foremost, the idea; its novel, it’s new, and it’s easy to understand. Get on the leaderboard. Get paid. It’s not rocket science by any means and at the same rate, it’s not hard to imagine something like ILP™ Gaming catching on and taking off.
“Secondly, the market. Online gaming is absolutely massive and even if you’re only able to capture a small fraction of the gamers in the world, you can build a business with millions or hundreds of millions of users.
“And finally, our team. It’s not our first rodeo, meaning, we’ve raised capital before and we’ve shown what it takes to build a business. Many don’t know this, but the four co-founders of Haste, Inc. have been working together for basically seven years at this point. We move fast, are great at failing, iterating, pivoting, and quite frankly just getting stuff done and keeping the ball rolling.
“Add in the rest of the folks we’ve brought on and our core team of 8 forms a solid foundation. When you realize the core team’s skill set and experience, you realize that in a lot of ways, it’s not your average startup. Since we started building beta, everything has been done first class. If we are right, Haste Arcade has uncovered an entirely new category in gaming, and there is most likely some money to be made from being the market leader for something like that,” said Wagner.
The lead investor in the round was Jonathan Cogley, the CEO of Logic Boost Labs. Cogley has a long and successful history in the cybersecurity field and recently sold his cybersecurity company Thycotic for $1.4 billion. Now, he spends his time at Logic Boost Labs, a San Diego-based accelerator that invests in early-stage leaders.
Other notable investors that participated in the seed round include Thomas Vu, who formerly worked at Riot Games helping bring League of Legends to market; Anthony Borquez, the CEO of Grab Games and a professor at the University of Southern California; Craig Brennan, the Silicon Valley veteran with decades of experience in software leadership/management that sits as the CEO of private and public companies; and Brad Powers the CIO of Passport.
Seeing new investors throw their hats in the ring is a positive sign. Investors provide companies with the resources they need to succeed because they see value in the company’s business model and have the belief that their business will be worth significantly more in the future. Businesses like Haste that find a way to implement innovative ideas that have the potential to revolutionize an industry will always be sought after by investors.
The fact that the latest haste fundraising round was oversubscribed confirms that theory and supports the idea that there is a tremendous amount of value that can be realized by the businesses using the Bitcoin blockchain as a core component of the app, service, or experience that they are creating.
The Haste Arcade future
“We are highly focused on a couple of things at the moment like capturing and analyzing data from our marketing efforts and sharpening the unit economics so that we have a compelling story when we start raising growth capital. We are also highly focused on creating new and more engaging experiences throughout the arcade. We’re very excited about certain items on our roadmap and believe the online gaming community will be too,” said Wagner.
Ultimately, the money Haste Arcade has raised will bring them closer to having their overall vision come to fruition.
“In the future, you will come to Haste Arcade for awesome experiences. You will play games, compete, and have fun, but you will also drop in just to hang out, be social, and communicate with the friends that you’ve made from all around the world. You will enjoy immersive experiences in the metaverse. You will make some money and some will even quit their jobs and become professional gamers in the arcade,” Wagner said.
“You will see Haste Arcade on national television. You will see Haste Arcade promoted by the biggest celebrities and pro athletes in the world. You will buy a Haste console. You will play ILP™ games at your local bar. You will even walk into a physical arcade and play skeeball or shoot hoops for ILP™. If you are involved now, you will be proud to have been a part of it all in its early stages,” he added.
Bridging the gap between functional hardware and considered design, Phantum debuts its first line of high-performance mousepads. The collection is built for users who demand precision but won’t compromise on aesthetics. Developed in Paris by founders Amine G. and Victor B., the mousepads combine minimalist design with carefully selected materials and collectible elements, positioning the product as a functional tool and a design object.
Created for gamers and digital creatives, Phantum’s mousepads emphasize tactile performance while remaining visually restrained. The surfaces are crafted using Japanese Poron and advanced fabrics chosen for their durability, responsiveness, and sensory qualities. Each product is designed to enhance, not distract from, the overall composition of a desk setup.
The company’s visual language draws on space, transparency, and disappearance themes, an intentional move to create objects that integrate flawlessly into a work or play environment. “Every detail reflects our DNA: clean, sharp, and futuristic,” said co-founder Amine G., whose tech-focused YouTube channel, MRG TECH, has built a following of over 200,000 subscribers. “We create tools that disappear under the hand but leave a lasting impression through design, feel, and finish.”
Phantum’s founders launched the brand after finding few products that met their standards for both performance and design integrity. The debut line is only the beginning: the team is developing glass mousepads and matching performance sleeves, with plans to expand into a broader ecosystem of desk essentials. Each new release will continue to feature collectible packaging designed to add narrative value rather than act as decoration.
Though recently launched, Phantum is already drawing attention beyond France, particularly in Latin America, where design-conscious gamers have begun to integrate the mousepads into their setups. The first collection is now available on phantum.co, with new formats and accessories to follow.
The post Phantum Introduces High-End Mousepads with Collectible Packaging and Parisian Design Roots appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Asia
CyberPowerPC India launches ‘Play Guarantee’ campaign for a transparent and gamer-first experience
In a market where gamers often make high-investment purchases without knowing exactly how their machine will perform until they bring it home and install a game, CyberPowerPC India is changing the game. With the Play Guarantee, CyberPowerPC India reinforces its confidence in the performance and reliability of its systems, offering buyers added assurance that what they receive will meet or exceed expectations. This is a first-of-its-kind offer in India’s custom PC market.
Every system sold under the Play Guarantee will be built using 100% brand-new parts sourced from authorized manufacturers. Each PC will come pre-installed with a genuine and activated version of Microsoft Windows at the BIOS level, ensuring users avoid post-purchase license issues or hidden software costs.
Additionally, customers will receive one year of on-site support, with certified technicians dispatched to their location for repairs or replacements, eliminating the need for long shipping delays or third-party service centers. Before dispatch, all the PCs undergo rigorous stress testing using global industry benchmarks to ensure performance integrity across GPU, CPU, thermals, and memory.
Vishal Parekh, Chief Operating Officer, CyberPowerPC India commented,“As more Indian gamers upgrade to high-performance PCs, trust becomes a critical factor. Gamers shouldn’t have to take a leap of faith when buying a PC. They should know what they’re getting and know it works right out of the box. We at CyberPowerPC India always believed in transparency, may it be sharing FPS benchmarks before purchase or building with only brand-new components. The ‘Play Guarantee’ campaign aligns perfectly with our commitment to building a credible, consumer-first ecosystem in Indian PC gaming, especially as the community becomes more competitive and discerning.”
According to a NeoGrowth study, 54% of Indian consumers prefer offline shopping due to the assurance of authenticity and product quality, underscoring a strong demand for transparency in purchase decisions. CyberPowerPC India’s ‘Play Ready’ campaign aims to replicate this confidence in the online custom PC market.
This campaign follows the company’s recent efforts to strengthen grassroots esports infrastructure, including its partnership with Indian esports organization Orangutan to power ApeCity, a dedicated esports arena in Navi Mumbai, with high-performance systems.
As part of its ongoing investment in the growth of India’s PC gaming market, CyberPowerPC India is also working to make high-performance gaming setups more accessible to a wider range of gamers. With the launch of its ‘Play Ready’ campaign, the company aims to foster a gaming culture built on transparency, trust, and a seamless user experience.
The post CyberPowerPC India launches ‘Play Guarantee’ campaign for a transparent and gamer-first experience appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
In the latest round of Prototype Funding, Gamecity Hamburg, part of Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft, supports six promising digital games with up to 80,000 euros each as a non-repayable grant. This funding enables start-ups in Hamburg and supports companies in developing marketable prototypes. In addition, start-ups and developers can apply for Gamecity Hamburg’s Games Lift Incubator until June 10: https://www.gamecity-hamburg.de/de/inkubator/
The awarding committee selected projects with the greatest market potential from the many applications. Including this seventh round of funding, the development of 37 prototypes has been supported as part of Prototype Funding since 2020. The application phase for the next Prototype Funding round will start in spring 2026.
“The high quality of the projects submitted to this funding round led to an intensive decision process within the awarding committee. The funded projects show a wide variety of genres, ideas, and teams. With the Prototype Funding, we are supporting established companies and up-and-coming start-ups in Hamburg as a games location,” commented Dennis Schoubye, Head of Gamecity Hamburg and member of the awarding committee.
The 2025 funding recipients were selected by the awarding committee, consisting of Hamburg industry experts Nina Müller (VP Publishing & Development Services, Goodgame Studios), Jonas Hüsges (Publishing Director, Daedalic Entertainment), Valentina Birke (Director Indie Arena Booth / Super Crowd Entertainment), Michael Schade (CEO & Co-Founder ROCKFISH Games) and Dennis Schoubye (Head of Gamecity Hamburg).
The Funded Projects 2025
- NeverLight by Nightless Games – € 80,000
- Pet Universe by Tivola Games – € 80,000
- Space Station Manager by gameXcite – € 80,000
- Unbreachable by Buckfish – € 72,000
- Deep Fog Signals by Symmetry Break Studio – € 32,000
- Cosmic Run by Zinktank Labs – € 30,000
NeverLight by Nightless Games
NeverLight is a dark, cooperative role-playing game with fantasy and extraction elements, in which up to three players act as hunters in an endless night in search of terrifying monsters and collect valuable loot. The game combines monster hunting with the excitement of having to bring each reward to safety with the team to receive it.
Pet Universe by Tivola Games
In the 3D animal shelter simulation “Pet Universe”, players build their animal shelter from the ground up, organize animal care, collect donations, and design the shelter grounds according to their own ideas. The aim is to care for the animals with their individual needs and to find them a loving home.
Space Station Manager by gameXcite
In this strategy building game with real-time space battles, players manage a space station that serves as a base for spaceships, battles, recruitment, and a strategy hub for missions. In addition to organizing the base, players manage their limited resources and various upgrades, improve crew morals, and explore the galaxy with their individual fleets.
Unbreachable by Buckfish
In the multiplayer strategy game “Unbreachable”, players build a fortress in each run that competes with ten castles of rival players. Players strategically construct the different fortress buildings to increase attack power or minimize weaknesses to climb the leaderboard in competition with other players.
Deep Fog Signals by Symmetry Break Studio
In this sci-fi horror game with puzzle mechanics, players are trapped in the communication room of a remote research station during a toxic storm. To escape, they must coordinate the various crew members, decipher cryptic transmissions, and complete the research as the threatening situation escalates over several days.
Cosmic Run by Zinktank Labs
In this humorous and fast-paced roguelite, players fight their way through space with their ship in order to escape from a capitalist alien dictatorship. Weapons, shields, upgrades for the engine, and customization of the ship determine the narrative of the game. Depending on the character chosen, the course of the game and the story told vary in several runs.
All detailed information on the teams and games can be found at: https://gamecity-hamburg.de/funding/#Funded_Projects_2025
Developers, start-ups, and companies from Hamburg were able to apply for Gamecity Hamburg’s prototype funding from March 3 to April 7. In 2024, Gamecity Hamburg introduced a diversity checklist when applying for prototype funding, the answers to which can optionally be used by the awarding committee in the evaluation process.
The next application phase for prototype funding will start in spring 2026.
Further funding opportunities through Gamecity Hamburg
Each year, the Games Lift Incubator supports five teams, developers, and start-ups in the development of digital games. In addition to € 15,000 in start-up funding, the recipients receive a comprehensive coaching and mentoring program with international experts as well as workshops and follow-up individual support. Since 2024, the program has also included a visit to an international industry event.
Teams and developers can currently apply for the Games Lift Incubator until June 10.
All information can be found at: https://gamecity-hamburg.de/incubator/apply-now/
The post Gamecity Hamburg Supports six new Digital Games with Prototype Funding appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
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