Raze and Rebuild launches with zero external funding, testing the post-boom co-op model
Summary
Four AAA veterans formed Raze and Rebuild Studio as a worker-owned co-op with no external funding
Founders include ex-Monolith writer Tanya DePass, Global Game Jam co-founder Ian Schreiber, and two accessibility specialists
Survival path is grants, outside partnerships, and small-scope prototypes - no VC, no publisher advance
"Structuring this so that the unpredictable nature of disability is addressed up front... is something we can make foundational in a cooperative structure, and is so rarely supported"
01
Zero-funding launch enters a harder environment than prior co-ops
Raze and Rebuild launched with no VC round, no publisher advance, no disclosed personal capital
Stated runway sources: grants, small-scope prototypes, unspecified outside partner conversations
KO_OP built viability slowly before the 2020-2021 funding boom - the current post-boom environment is materially harder
Glory Society, an earlier worker-owned co-op, shut down due to founder health factors rather than financial failure
02
Co-op structure is both the differentiator and the constraint
Equal profit distribution requires commercial success before any member sees meaningful return
No external investors means no dilution, but also no runway buffer for a slow first release
Accessibility-by-design is embedded in governance, not bolted onto the product post-hoc
"Right now we are focusing on keeping our scope small, and seeing which prototypes are most worth pursuing for our first full release"
03
Senior credentials substitute for capital - but cap the revenue ceiling
Founding team: Tanya DePass (Monolith narrative), Ian Schreiber (Global Game Jam), Tarja Porkka-Kontturi (BD/accessibility), Laura Kate Dale (accessibility)
Debut direction targets "games for impact" drawn from lived experience of industry unemployment
Niche positioning reduces marketing spend but caps the revenue ceiling the equal-distribution model needs to clear
What this means
For Investors & VC: Displaced AAA talent is now forming equity-free co-ops - reducing the deal pipeline of fundable senior-led new studios
For Publishers & Developers: Grant-hungry co-ops with senior credentials are viable low-cost co-development or work-for-hire partners
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