Antihero Studios Raises $4.5M from a16z Speedrun and Laton, Misfitz Alpha Soon

Antihero Studios announced a $4.5 million funding round co-led by a16z Speedrun and Laton Ventures as the Barcelona-based studio prepares an open alpha for Misfitz, its social-driven extraction shooter, slated “sometime this year.” PocketGamer.biz published the funding report on March 3, 2026, and the studio says more than 70,000 players participated in pre-alpha playtests that helped shape the game’s social mechanics.

Investors on the round include Laton Ventures and a16z Speedrun, with participation from Sisu Game Ventures, which had previously backed the team. Laton founding partner Görkem Türk posted on LinkedIn that “We feel privileged to back this all-star team as they build an evergreen brand and IP in a genre with a deeply engaged, passionate player base. We believe that combining Antihero’s experience with Laton’s mobile expertise, alongside great investors on board, will create unparalleled synergies in building a world-class company.” Joshua Lu of a16z Speedrun told Business Insider that “They are bringing full experiences to life that allow players to connect with each other and with the content in ways that transcend the game itself.”

Misfitz is described across outlets as a social shooter or extraction-style game, with Mobilegamer.biz calling it “Brawl Stars-like.” Antihero and CEO Brice Laville Saint-Martin emphasize choice-driven encounters where “players don’t necessarily need to compete against each other to win – they can decide to collaborate, fight, or even team up for a short time and betray each other later,” a line published by Mobilegamer.biz that captures the studio’s focus on socially emergent play. PocketGamer.biz quoted Saint-Martin saying, “While the team remains focused on the product at this early stage, we’re using the development time to build strong brand foundations, and I’m excited for the potential we’re already unlocking.”

Engagement numbers from a 10-day playtest reported by Business Insider show the kind of stickiness Misfitz is drawing: the top players logged around 10 hours per day while average players spent roughly 50 minutes per day in the test. Antihero has also worked with creators such as KairosTime as part of its early community-building, and Mobilegamer.biz reports the studio recently added Fernanda Romano, former Supercell CMO, as a marketing advisor.

Company background details line up across reports: Antihero was founded in 2024 by veterans from Supercell and King, including CEO Brice Laville Saint-Martin, ex-Brawl Stars designer Frank Yan, and former King technical director Andre Parodi. Benzatine notes Brice started the studio in Barcelona with a team of ten professionals and that his Supercell credits include work on Clash Royale. Business Insider highlighted Brice’s career arc, reporting he quit a big studio at 30 and by 32 had secured the current funding.

On use of capital and hiring, Business Insider relays the studio’s plan to use this round to continue development and testing ahead of a Series A, with Series A funds earmarked for growth and operations and significant headcount increases planned at that later stage. Trade outlets and aggregators add that Antihero’s stated mission is “Games Worth Sharing” and that the funds will support development, brand building, and technical investment.

A minor but notable discrepancy remains in stage labeling: most outlets call the $4.5 million a seed round, while Mobilegamer.biz describes it as pre-seed. For now, Antihero and lead investors frame the money as the capital to push Misfitz from pre-alpha toward an open alpha in the next few months, with the studio keeping product work central before major hiring or Series A expansion.