a16z bets big on gaming with $600M fund

Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, also known as a16z, plans to invest $600M into the games industry.

The fund: The well-known firm has created its first-ever dedicated fund to invest in gaming.

• While a16z has a history of investing in gaming companies, it's launching its 'GAMES FUND ONE' venture to support the "next generation" of games developers.
• The firm believes that the industry has entered a new phase and is planning to invest $600M across games studios, consumer apps and platforms (citing Discord and Twitch as examples), and tools and services that enable game development.
• As is the norm these days, the announcement from a16z mentions the 'metaverse.' It believes that the metaverse will be built by games companies, which certainly aligns with what companies like Epic Games are banking on.

The purpose: a16z is well-versed in gaming, having invested in games companies for a decade.

• The venture capital firm has invested in companies such as Roblox, Epic Games, League of Legends developer Riot Games, FarmVille developer Zynga, virtual reality specialist Oculus, and EVE developer CCP Games.
• 'GAMES FUND ONE' includes financial contributions from Roblox CEO David Baszucki, Discord CEO Jason Citron, Riot Games Co-founder Marc Merrill, and Blizzard Co-founder Mike Morhaime.
• Why create a dedicated gaming fund now? The games industry is undoubtedly experiencing a period of major evolution and consolidation, with many acquisitions, sales, and investments already taking place in 2022. The metaverse is the new trend in the industry and many of gaming's top players are looking to capitalize on it.