Munich-Based Game Studio welevel Secures $5.7M to Revolutionize AI-Driven Game Development

Independent German game development studio welevel has secured $5.7 million in seed funding, marking a significant step forward in its mission to redefine the gaming landscape through AI-driven game development. The funding round, led by BITKRAFT Ventures, includes contributions from BMWK (DLR), Goodwater, and prominent angel investors such as Chris Carvalho (Board Member, Roblox), Daniel Weinand (co-founder, Shopify), Heiko Hubertz (founder, Bigpoint), Kun Gao (co-founder, Crunchyroll), Nate Mitchell (co-founder, Oculus), Ralf Reichert (co-founder, ESL), and football star Mario Götze.

With this capital infusion, welevel is set to double its development team as it advances work on its ambitious AAA sandbox survival game, which has been in development since 2021. Leveraging in-house generative AI models, the game is expected to enter early access next year, promising a revolutionary experience where AI-driven world-building and NPC behavior create a living, evolving universe.

AI at the Core of AAA Game Development

While the gaming industry is traditionally dominated by large studios with extensive budgets, welevel is taking an innovative approach by using AI to streamline production without compromising creativity or quality. The company’s proprietary AI-powered development tools enhance various aspects of game design, including:

• Procedural world-building: Leveraging Unreal Engine 5, the studio uses advanced procedural generation techniques to create stunning, hyper-realistic environments that ensure no two gaming experiences are the same.
• Dynamic NPC interactions: Non-playable characters (NPCs) are designed with memory and contextual awareness, allowing them to form relationships, remember past encounters, and interact in ways that mimic real-world behavior.
• Adaptive storytelling and quest generation: Unlike traditional, static narratives, welevel’s AI-driven quests evolve based on player actions, offering a truly personalized gameplay experience.

“AAA development traditionally requires massive resources and budgets that most indie studios cannot afford,” said Christian Heimerl, Founder and CEO of welevel. “Having worked with AI in previous companies, I saw the potential for it to empower smaller teams. Over the past four years, we have built tools that not only allow us to compete with AAA studios but surpass them in innovation. BITKRAFT shares our vision, and with their support, we are creating the game of our dreams—and those of countless players.”

Redefining the Sandbox Survival Genre

welevel’s debut title is poised to set a new benchmark for sandbox survival games. By going beyond traditional resource management and base-building mechanics, the game introduces an AI-driven ecosystem that responds dynamically to player actions. NPCs do more than populate the world—they adapt, evolve, and provide meaningful interactions that impact the game’s unfolding narrative. Trade, construction, and survival mechanics are deeply integrated with generative AI processes, allowing for greater creative freedom and unpredictability.

Investor Confidence in AI-Driven Gaming

BITKRAFT Ventures, known for backing transformative gaming and Web3 projects, expressed confidence in welevel’s ability to push the boundaries of AI in game development.

“Building a AAA game in a major genre is a monumental challenge, particularly for a young studio,” said Jasper Brand, Partner at BITKRAFT Ventures. “However, welevel’s lean team has developed groundbreaking AI technology that accelerates production while maintaining exceptional quality. Their prototype already delivers extensive gameplay and high visual fidelity, proving that their approach can lead to a compelling, long-lasting experience.”

A Studio Built by Players, for Players

Based in Munich, welevel is a fast-growing studio with a deep passion for survival and city-builder games. The company believes in crafting spectacular gaming experiences that prioritize player immersion over monetization. By pushing the limits of Unreal Engine 5, welevel blends exploration, construction, and survival in ways never seen before.

Beyond its initial project, the studio has long-term plans to expand into other genres and introduce user-generated content, further harnessing AI to create expansive, player-driven worlds.

For those attending the Game Developers Conference (GDC) from March 15-20, 2025, welevel’s leadership team is available for meetings.

With its latest funding round, welevel is on a clear path to revolutionizing game development. As AI continues to reshape the gaming industry, this innovative studio is leading the charge—proving that small, passionate teams can create groundbreaking experiences that rival the giants of the industry.