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Little Umbrella’s next Jackbox-style game pits you and your friends against an AI game show host  | TechCrunch

Jan 30, 2025 - techcrunch.com
Web-based party games are experiencing a resurgence with the integration of generative AI, and Little Umbrella is at the forefront of this trend. The startup recently secured $2 million in seed funding to expedite the launch of three AI-powered social games. Their flagship game, Death by AI, became a hit with over 20 million players in its first three months. The game leverages AI to create unique and entertaining experiences, allowing players to craft deadly scenarios and see how they and their friends react. Little Umbrella plans to release a new game, The Last Show by AI, a dystopian game show, with a beta version set for the 2025 Game Developers Conference.

Little Umbrella's Playroom, a cross-platform social game kit, powers their games and is available to other developers. The kit includes an AI orchestration layer developed in partnership with ElevenLabs, Inworld, and OpenAI. Led by Tabish Ahmed, formerly of Meta’s Horizon Worlds, the team includes industry veterans like Timothy Johnson and Sean Webster. The company aims to bridge the gap between demand and content availability by creating platform-agnostic social games. Investors in the recent funding round include a16z speedrun, Breakpoint Ventures, and others, with notable angel investors like Matt Bilbey and Ryan Peterson.

Key takeaways:

  • Little Umbrella, a startup leveraging AI for social party games, announced a $2 million seed funding round to expedite the launch of three AI-powered social games.
  • The company's flagship game, Death by AI, attracted over 20 million players within the first three months of its launch and is available on Discord, the web, and iOS.
  • Little Umbrella plans to launch a new game, The Last Show by AI, with a beta version expected during the 2025 Game Developers Conference.
  • The company developed a cross-platform social game kit called Playroom, which is available to video game developers and includes an AI orchestration layer utilizing custom models.
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