Swedish game Dead Astronaut raised over $4 million for their first game project, Veil. These funds will be used for hiring staff for their open-world action-adventure game. But who are the developers behind this new game company?
The Core Team
According to Artic Startup, Dead Astronauts was founded by four people who previously worked with Ubisoft’s Massive Entertainment.
- Erik Morin, CEO-Morin entered the gaming industry in February 2010. He started as a junior product manager for Warner Bros. Entertainment’s Swedish branch. He later became a lead international product manager for Massive Entertainment in January 2023.
- Thomas Tedemalm, Technical Director-Tedemalm has been programming video games since August 2010. During his 7 years at Massive Entertainment, he was a tool and game engine programmer. He assisted in Tom Clancy’s The Division from 2012 to 2018.
- Tobias Nyman, Creative Director-Nyman was a longtime employee of Massive Entertainment since May 2007. He had three director roles: Cinematic, Realization, and Creative.
- Robert Moschos, Technical Director-Moschos has been involved with multiple game projects with Massive Entertainment. He helped design the environments for Mario & Rabbids, Tom Clancy’s The Division & Division 2, and Star Wars Outlaws.
Who Helped Dead Astronauts’ Veil Investment Fund?
When Dead Astronauts first formed in August 2024, they were advised by Bird & Bird to start a seed fund for their company. Corporate leader Martin Folke was happy to help Morin’s team in searching for investors. He understood that their indie studio could empower Sweden’s game development recognition through business cooperation:
“Every fourth person in the world has played a Swedish game, and Swedish game studios continue grabbing market shares. This successful round not only proves the country’s highly competitive but also our company’s strong offerings in this area, providing clients with seamless advice on their gaming-focused strategic transactions.”
Dead Astronauts’ Veil caught the eye of game investor company Behold Ventures. Through their investment, the four-man game studio surpassed $4 million, making them their 17th studio partner. Other companies and angel investors made contributions to the ambitious action-adventure game, including:
- Lifelike Capital
- Acequia Capital
- 1UP Ventures
- Matt Bilbey
- Are Mack Growen
- Klaas Kersting
- Asbjorn Malte Soendergaard
- Kristian Segerstråle
The Beginning of Dead Astronauts
The team has expressed their gratitude to everyone who showed support to Veil on GameIndustry.biz. Morin and Nyman said:
“We are thrilled to successfully complete our seed round and bring our vision for Dead Astronauts to life as a next-generation studio. […] We’ve seen immense opportunities to reinvent open worlds and push game-changing technology. We are incredibly grateful to have investors who believe in our vision and are excited to bold new player experiences.”
Veil is currently under development in Unreal Engine 5. The developers will use Nordic wilderness and space for inspiration. Veil’s core gameplay will involve tool crafting for player survival. We hope to see more details from this title in the future. Good luck, Dead Astronauts!
