Pahdo Labs raises $15M Series A to bring an anime-inspired game world and UGC platform to players

We are now calling fans of anime and action role playing games to join Pre-Alpha playtests for our upcoming title, codenamed Halcyon Zero, starting this September 2023.

Watch Starlight Re:Volver trailer now on IGN!
Pahdo Labs reveals debut title “Starlight Re:Volver”. Watch the trailer on IGN.

Introduction

Pahdo Labs, a game development studio based in New York, has raised $15M in Series A financing led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) with continued support from Pear VC, BoxGroup, Long Journey Ventures, Neo, and Global Founders Capital. The company had also previously raised $2.5M in Seed financing from prominent angel investors such as Kevin Hartz, Mark Pincus, and Cyan Banister.

Pahdo Labs’ mission is to cultivate a virtual world built by players. Our upcoming title will enable players to create their own anime-style worlds through tools enhanced by AI or procedural generation, bringing creative and social features to the forefront of the anime RPG genre. We are now calling fans of anime and action role playing games to join Pre-Alpha playtests for our upcoming title, codenamed Halcyon Zero, starting this September 2023.

Founding Story

Pahdo Labs was founded in 2021 by Daniel Zou out of his apartment in Irvine, California. During the pandemic, he pulled together a small group of game devs online, bonding over their shared interest in anime and action role playing games. One-by-one, the early team members left their day jobs to move to New York and spend days and nights developing multiplayer video games instead.

Pahdo Labs company fridge (August 2023)

In 2021, Pahdo Labs developed a prototype of a 4-player action role playing game inspired by their favorite action games. The members of the early team are avid players of JRPGs, fighting games, and indie adventure games. The team and its vision showed promise and the company raised a $15M round of Series A financing led by Andreessen Horowitz.

“We were impressed by Pahdo’s execution speed and believe the team is well positioned to deliver an incredible next generation Anime RPG platform powered by user-generated content and AI” said Jonathan Lai, General Partner, A16Z GAMES.

With new funding, Pahdo Labs was able to grow their team, and development is funded until Early Access. Pahdo Labs has since grown to employ a 21-person, full-time, international staff based in New York, Vancouver, South Korea, Berlin and beyond. It is a collaboration between tech workers from Boston/Silicon Valley and industry veterans from Riot Games, Capcom, and Electronic Arts.

A Next-Generation Anime RPG

Pahdo Labs is building a project codenamed Halcyon Zero, an isometric anime fantasy role playing game and online game creation platform built on top of Godot Engine. The game takes place in an ethereal fantasy world, centered around bustling towns and cities that serve as social hubs. From towns, players can band together to explore Chaos-ridden wilderness and challenge anime-inspired bosses in search of the secret behind Chaos.

Key illustration for Pahdo Labs’ first title codenamed Halcyon Zero

The core gameplay involves teamwork with fast-paced, fluid, and satisfying combat. Pre-Alpha I will feature four heroes with the Spellblade, Enchanter, Witch, and Spitfire character classes. At launch, the game will offer dozens of anime-inspired heroes to choose from. The game will enter Early Access initially on PC and cross-play releases on other platforms including iOS and Switch are planned.

The online role playing game is augmented with robust level-building tools, that allow players to be their own game designers within Halcyon Zero. The product is designed with player creativity in mind, making user-created maps and game modes a central part of the story and core player experience. The developers aim to break down barriers to making anime-style worlds that look beautiful and feel amazing to play, through tools enhanced by AI or procedural generation.

Building on TikTok

Pahdo Labs is a part of a new wave of game studios that have found an early community on TikTok, joining a growing niche of games that engage their audience early on in the game development process. TikToks showing a glimpse into early stage indie game development and the office life of these young game devs in New York have already garnered millions of views.

Their content appeals to both people excited about their game, but also people interested in pursuing game development in the future. The company hopes that these aspiring game devs will become future creators on their platform. They post on the official @pahdolabs TikTok account as well as that of their founding Head of Product @1indaqin.

Note from the Founder/CEO

I grew up playing online role playing games like MapleStory, Runescape, and Mabinogi. Online virtual worlds provided me with a sense of agency, friendship, and purpose. Shortly afterwards, I found myself spending all of my time trying to make my own games, which stoked my early interest in technology and computer science.

I started Pahdo Labs to ensure that the next generation has access to similar types of enriching and rewarding social and creative experiences online. Our mission is ‘Creating a world where players are empowered to create things of lasting value.’ For me, lasting value means both lifelong memories and the pride that comes from creation and the act of releasing that creation into the world.

These past three years at Pahdo have been both challenging and deeply rewarding for the team. We have made a lofty promise and continue to work hard to bring our vision to players. I want to express my gratitude to everyone who has been on this journey with us so far, including our small group of followers and fans. I hope you will join us for our Pre-Alpha I playtest.

Sincerely,

Daniel Zou