Blue Scarab, a new game development studio, has successfully raised $7 million in its latest funding round

Swedish startup Blue Scarab Entertainment has secured $7 million in a seed investment round, with lead investors NetEase and Behold Ventures.

Other financial backers include Jonas Antonsson, co-founder of Raw Fury; Ólafur Andri Ragnarsson, co-founder of Betware; and Stefan Lindeberg, co-founder of Creandum.

Guided by seasoned professionals CEO Colin Cragg and CTO Enno Rehling, the company intends to utilize the capital for the production of its first MMORPG game.

Former DICE creative head Craig Morrison is taking on the role of studio director, supported by Guillaume Lhoyer as principal designer and Ashley Nicollette as community and marketing head.

Both Lhoyer and Nicollette previously contributed to Helldivers 2 at Arrowhead Game Studios.

"The games industry’s growth has introduced diverse new audiences," Morrison remarked. "We see potential in blending and transforming past gaming and media experiences for this broader audience."

He added, "Our aim is to channel the accumulated expertise of our team to create unprecedented experiences for a larger audience. We want to challenge genre conventions while leveraging the team’s collective skills and experience."