The Future of Gaming Infrastructure: Key Investment Opportunities in 2021
How Pandemic Shifts Are Reshaping Gaming Investments
When we last surveyed investors about gaming infrastructure startups in May 2020, the pandemic was revealing unprecedented opportunities. Amit Kumar from Accel predicted social and interactivity layers would dominate, citing investments in Discord (now valued at $7 billion) and Mayhem (acquired by Niantic in January 2021).
Recent developments confirm this trend:
- Roblox’s valuation skyrocketed from \(4B to \)29.5B in under a year
- Major game makers are actively acquiring infrastructure startups
- Cloud gaming adoption is creating new opportunities
What Investors Want to See Next
Democratizing Game Development
“We’d love to see more innovation around gaming infrastructure,” say Bessemer’s Ethan Kurzweil and Sakib Dadi. Key areas of interest include:
- Specialized game engines
- Next-gen content creation platforms
- Tools for porting desktop experiences to mobile
- Cloud gaming integration solutions
The overarching theme? Accessibility—making high-quality game development available beyond AAA studios.
Roblox’s Ripple Effect on Investment Strategies
The platform’s meteoric rise has become a case study for VCs. Investors who missed Roblox are now:
- Analyzing its success formula
- Seeking adjacent opportunities
- Looking for similar growth patterns
Expert Perspectives on Emerging Opportunities
Cloud Gaming: Beyond the Hype
Madrona’s Daniel Li notes:
- “Play anywhere” functionality is the real value
- Cross-platform play is more important than game libraries
- Mobile and desktop audiences often differ
NFX’s Gigi Levy-Weiss adds:
- Top developers will adapt to streaming tech
- Game quality matters more than underlying technology
Infrastructure Gaps Needing Solutions
Madrona’s Hope Cochran highlights:
- Better tools for porting AAA games to mobile
- Next-gen development platforms (“Roblox Studio 2.0”)
- Enhanced safety features for social games
Console Generations and Startup Opportunities
Rogue VC’s Alice Lloyd George observes:
- Photorealism is creating magical experiences
- Unreal Engine’s expansion into film shows gaming’s tech leadership
- New platforms enable entirely new game types
Levy-Weiss predicts:
- AI (like GPT-3) could revolutionize game characters
- Hyperrealistic graphics will blur lines between games and movies
The Bottom Line
The gaming infrastructure space is ripe for innovation, with particular opportunities in:
- Cross-platform development tools
- Cloud gaming integration
- Democratized creation platforms
- Next-gen content engines
As investor Hope Cochran notes, “The sector keeps accelerating because builders are often gamers themselves—that passion drives endless innovation.”
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