The launch of headsets like the Meta Quest 3 and Apple Vision Pro has sparked interest in mixed reality (MR) gaming. Despite Meta selling over 20 million Quest headsets, the MR content market remains relatively underdeveloped. Enter MixRift, a Dublin and Bucharest-based MR gaming startup, which has recently raised €1.4 million in a pre-seed investment round. This round was backed by prominent investors such as Outsized Ventures, Underline Ventures, and SOSV. The funding aims to accelerate MixRift’s mission to develop and publish compelling mixed reality titles.
MixRift’s games are designed to be easy to pick up yet deeply immersive, targeting a broad audience. The startup believes that mixed reality, with its advanced wearable technology that doubles as computing devices, will attract a diverse range of users. The company’s founders, Bobby Voicu, David Pripas, and Andrei Vaduva, bring a wealth of experience and vision to the table. Voicu, MixRift’s CEO, is a seasoned entrepreneur and XR influencer, known for his previous success with mobile games studio Mavenhut. Pripas, the company’s CPO, is a gaming influencer and official Meta AR Partner, while Vaduva serves as the CTO.
“We’re at the very beginning of what mixed reality could do for gamers,” said Voicu. “We know there is a huge untapped market, and our founding team knows what it takes to create the games that hook those players in. This puts us in a unique position to capitalize on the opportunity.”
MixRift plans to use the investment to continue its development efforts and release new titles later in 2024. The company focuses on refining game mechanics rather than specific titles, allowing them to quickly identify what resonates with players. “We are committed to rapidly prototyping games, getting them into the market, and gathering real user feedback as quickly as possible,” Voicu added. “We use those insights to improve titles that connect with audiences and replace those that don’t. This investment gives us the support we need to take that approach and demonstrates experienced, knowledgeable backers’ buy-in to our philosophy.”
Lomax Ward of Outsized Ventures shared his enthusiasm for MixRift’s potential: “Mixed reality has immense potential, demonstrated by the likes of Meta and Apple committing heavily to the sector. MixRift’s founding team has deep knowledge and experience, positioning the company to take advantage of both the demand from players and the growing interest in MR. We are pleased to be backing the team as MixRift grows.”
MixRift’s current games, Fractured and Hell Horde, are available on the Meta Quest store, with Fractured also available on the App Store for Apple Vision Pro. As MixRift continues to innovate and expand its game portfolio, it stands poised to significantly impact the mixed reality gaming landscape.
