Clockwork Labs is a technology company.
Clockwork Labs has raised $4.0M across 1 funding round.
Clockwork Labs has raised $4.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Clockwork Labs is a San Francisco-based game studio founded in 2019 that develops massively-multiplayer "societal games" emphasizing social interaction, cooperation, and creative collaboration over combat.[1][2][5] The studio builds expansive virtual worlds, such as the survival-crafting MMORPG *BitCraft: Age of Automata*, where players rebuild civilizations, personalize land, and engage in community-driven experiences, potentially integrating crypto rewards like Hex coins.[1][3] It serves gamers seeking meaningful multiplayer connections and has raised $26.3M in funding, including a $22M round two years ago, backed by investors like Supercell, Firstminute Capital, and angels from Unity and EVE Online.[1][2]
The studio targets the gaming industry with sandbox MMORPGs that blend engineering challenges in distributed systems with artistic world-building, attracting talent from Ubisoft and Kakao.[2][4] Its growth includes early funding like $4.3M for an unannounced community sandbox MMO and recent trailers for *BitCraft*, signaling momentum in a remote, flat-team structure.[3][4][5]
Clockwork Labs emerged in 2019 (with some sources noting 2017) as a venture-backed studio founded by industry veterans, including Alessandro Asoni (Founder) and Carter Minshull (Lead Game Designer), focused on rekindling the social essence of MMOs.[1][2][3] The team drew from experience in large-scale distributed systems, art, and engineering, inspired by games that forge lasting friendships through shared impossible experiences like farming or world-conquering.[2] Backed initially by Supercell and others, it raised $4.3M early for a community sandbox project, evolving from unannounced MMOs to *BitCraft*'s 2024 reveal.[2][3][4]
Pivotal moments include attracting angels like CCP Games' CEO and Unity's founder, plus rapid team growth with Ubisoft alumni, all united by a vision for non-combat societal games in massive sandbox worlds.[2] Headquartered at 350 Townsend Street in San Francisco, the fully remote studio prioritizes small, autonomous teams over hierarchy.[1][4][5]
Clockwork Labs rides the wave of sandbox MMORPGs and social gaming resurgence, capitalizing on post-pandemic demand for cooperative virtual worlds amid declining solo PvP titles.[2][3] Timing aligns with advances in distributed systems and cloud tech (e.g., via Google, DigitalOcean stacks), enabling seamless global multiplayer without lag in massive environments.[2][4] Market forces like blockchain gaming hype (crypto rewards) and remote work trends favor its model, as players seek meaningful connections in editable, persistent universes.[1][5]
It influences the ecosystem by pioneering "societal games" that bridge art, engineering, and community, inspiring studios to prioritize collaboration—much like EVE Online's legacy—while its investor network amplifies indie MMO viability in a Supercell-backed landscape.[2]
Clockwork Labs is poised to launch *BitCraft* fully, leveraging 2024 trailers and $26M+ funding to capture the MMO market's cooperative niche amid AI-enhanced worlds and Web3 integration.[1][3] Trends like procedural generation, cross-platform play, and metaverse fatigue will shape it, pushing emphasis on human-driven societies over automated content. Its influence may grow by setting standards for player-owned economies and flat orgs, potentially spawning spinouts or acquisitions, solidifying its role as a social gaming innovator from San Francisco's startup hub.[2][5] This societal pivot redefines multiplayer fun, echoing the studio's origins in forging global friendships.
Clockwork Labs has raised $4.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Clockwork Labs's investors include 1Up Ventures, Arbor Ventures, Benchmark, Bessemer Venture Partners, Citi Ventures, Crowberry Capital, Dune Ventures, Felix Capital, foobar.vc, Galaxy Interactive, L Catterton Growth, March Capital.
Clockwork Labs has raised $4.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $4.0M Series A in August 2021.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2021 | $4.0M Series A | 1Up Ventures, Arbor Ventures, Benchmark, Bessemer Venture Partners, Citi Ventures, Crowberry Capital, Dune Ventures, Felix Capital, foobar.vc, Galaxy Interactive, L Catterton Growth, March Capital, NewView Capital, PS Investments, Scale Venture Partners, Sequoia Capital, Sequoia Capital Israel, Summit Partners, Dan Raveh, Eden Chen, Jaroslav Beck |