AI Game Dev Startup Raises $27M to Build Smart Agents
▼ Summary
– Sett, a startup building AI agents for mobile game development and marketing, emerged from stealth with $27 million in funding, including a $15 million Series A led by Bessemer Venture Partners.
– The company, founded in 2022, has been in stealth mode refining its product and now counts major gaming studios like Zynga and Unity among its early customers.
– Sett’s AI solution focuses on creating cost-effective and faster “playable” ads and marketing content to help games stand out in a highly competitive industry.
– The startup claims its AI can produce marketing content 15 times faster and 25 times cheaper than traditional methods, addressing a key pain point in mobile gaming.
– While Sett’s current focus is on marketing and in-game content, its long-term vision may expand to broader AI-driven game development, though full automation remains uncertain.
The gaming industry’s evolution from GPU-powered graphics to AI-driven development marks a pivotal shift in how games are created and marketed. A new player has entered this space with significant backing—Tel Aviv-based startup Sett has secured $27 million in funding to develop AI-powered agents that streamline mobile game production and promotion. The investment, led by Bessemer Venture Partners with participation from Saga VC, Vgames, and industry veteran Akin Babayigit, positions Sett to tackle one of mobile gaming’s toughest challenges: cutting through the noise in an oversaturated market.
Founded in 2022, Sett has operated quietly, refining its technology while onboarding major clients like Zynga, Scopely, and Unity. Now emerging from stealth, the company plans to scale its engineering team to meet demand from over 100 studios on its waiting list. The core innovation lies in automating high-cost marketing content, particularly playable ads that entice users with interactive previews. CEO Amit Carmi emphasizes that while creating games has become easier, achieving success remains statistically daunting—a problem Sett aims to solve by slashing production time and costs by 15x and 25x, respectively.
Babayigit, whose experience at Tripledot underscores the critical role of marketing, calls Sett’s approach a “no-brainer.” The startup’s timing aligns with broader industry shifts, including AppLovin’s $800 million sale of gaming assets to Tripledot—a move highlighting how AI-trained models are reshaping game monetization.
Yet questions linger about AI’s expanding role in creative processes. Carmi acknowledges the potential for end-to-end automation but stresses Sett’s current focus on enhancing marketing and in-game content rather than replacing human creativity entirely. As Babayigit notes, competing in today’s market demands exceptional detail—a hurdle where AI assistance, not full replacement, may offer the edge. With its fresh funding and proven traction, Sett is betting big on being the bridge between automation and artistry in gaming’s next chapter.
(Source: TechCrunch)
