When I founded The Game Band in 2015, I wanted to create a studio that could reinvent itself. My favorite bands stayed relevant by changing their sound while maintaining their spirit. Little did I know, reinvention would turn out to be more than a creative goal — it would be how we survive.

Blaseball came from two places. We love to talk about the creative inspiration, a desire to make a game that could bring people together during an incredibly isolating time. But it also came from a terrifying period of setbacks and uncertainty. As we pitched new projects and took on contract work, we developed this game on the side, praying that it would resonate and buy us some time.

Turns out a few of you liked it. When the fan-art started, we were stunned. Then came the music, the research papers, the tabletop games, the podcasts, the charity drives — not a day went by when we weren’t giddy with excitement over what you were making. Your enthusiasm fueled us, and your generous support on Patreon extended our lifetime.

Blaseball isn’t yet sustainable, nor is it as great as we know it can be. Fortunately, we’ve found a fantastic partner to help us get there. Today we’re thrilled to announce a significant investment into The Game Band from Makers Fund, with additional investments from 1Up Ventures and Matthew Ball.

The investment will first and foremost be used to pay the team what they deserve for all of the hard work they’ve put into Blaseball. I didn’t just start a studio to make games, I started a studio to create a work environment where everyone feels valued and appreciated. Everyone who works with us should expect competitive pay and benefits. Secondly, we’re going to grow the team to make Blaseball a better and healthier experience overall. We’ve read all of your feedback and have somany ideas of our own. Now we’ll have the resources to be able to start to put some of them into action. And finally, the investment enables us to look to the future and plan out new projects without the fear of going under. I’m so proud of this team for creating an incredible game under enormous pressure, but I don’t want to us to face that kind of stress again in the future.

The Game Band remains an independent studio and Blaseball will stay under our direction. All of the things you love about Blaseball aren’t going anywhere. The game will remain free to play, and we’ll work to make it a more welcoming and fulfilling experience for everyone. We’re also planning ways to better support the endless creativity shown by the community and to honor all the contributions you’ve made to the game. 

Stay tuned for more information on the future of Blaseball and the Patreon. If you’ve donated to us in the past, thank you. Your support helped us get here. We’re so excited to bring you more Blaseball for eras to come.

– Sam