Barcelona-Based Cheer Games Secures $4.5 Million Pre-Seed Round to Build Long-Term Mobile Franchises

Cheer Games raises $4.5M in pre-seed funding led by Makers Fund. Learn how the creators of Hexa Sort plan to build the next big mobile gaming franchises.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 5, 2026, 11:15 AM EST

Source: The information in this article was sourced from GamesIndustry.biz

A Heavyweight Pedigree in Mobile Gaming

Cheer Games has entered the market with a significant financial backing of $4.5 million, an unusually high figure for a pre-seed round in the current investment climate. The studio's strength lies in its founding team, which includes CEO Emre Gercel and key leads responsible for some of the mobile industry's most recognizable hits. Specifically, the team includes the design vision behind Hexa Sort—a top-grossing global title—and former executives from AppLovin’s Lion Studios who specialized in scaling hyper-casual and hybrid-casual games into massive commercial successes.

Investment Strategy: Beyond Short-Term Thinking

The funding round was led by Makers Fund with participation from Play Ventures, two of the most active venture capital firms in the interactive entertainment space. According to CEO Emre Gercel, Cheer Games was founded as a reaction to the industry's often "short-term thinking." Instead of chasing fleeting trends, the studio intends to use the $4.5 million to develop durable game franchises and "institutions." The founders aim to leverage their Turkish roots—noted for a high "hunger" for success—within the global framework provided by their new home in Barcelona.

Expanding the Barcelona Tech Ecosystem

Cheer Games currently operates with a core team of 11 industry veterans. The new capital will be immediately directed toward an aggressive recruitment drive to bring "global talent" to their Barcelona office. This move further solidifies Barcelona’s reputation as a premier European hub for mobile game development, joining the ranks of other major studios in the region. Gercel noted that the collective experience of his co-founders—Berkay, Kutay, and Ertan—provides the "machine" necessary to not just build games, but to scale them effectively in a highly competitive market.