In The News

Shannon Armstrong, chief people officer at ProbablyMonsters spoke with VentureBeat about our hybrid and remote work model and benefits package driving 65% growth in 2022.

Our very own Travis Johnston recently sat down to chat with IGN about Unreal Engine 5’s dynamic global illumination and reflections system (Lumen) and what it means for future game development.

ProbablyMonsters announced that it has closed its latest round of fundraising, revealing the final amount of $250 million – the largest raise in video gaming history.  ProbablyMonsters plans to put the money towards its various development teams, with the goal of building the whole company into a more stable home for developers.

The Tech Tribune staff has revealed its 2022 line up of Best Tech Startups in Bellevue, Washington. This annual series celebrates the hottest technology startups from all over the world, and reflects several factors including revenue potential, leadership team, brand, and competitive landscape. Companies must be independent, privately owned, at most 10 years old, and have received at least one round of funding in order to qualify.

ProbablyMonsters is honored to be the only gaming company recognized in the Bellevue edition, and we’re also proud of how they chose to spotlight our founder Harold Ryan within their prestigious “Profile of a Founder” series which you can read below.

Seattle-based magazine speaks with Harold Ryan about what makes ProbablyMonsters a new category of game company. Bellevue-based ProbablyMonsters has yet to release a game, but it has raised significant money from investors sold on Ryan’s vision to create a gaming company that puts developers first in the belief that great games will follow. On Sept. 1, the company announced that it raised $200 million in a Series A preferred stock financing round.

ProbablyMonsters was founded to change the way AAA development is viewed. The goal is to create a sustainable development model that avoids many of the pitfalls associated with the business. “This raise secures our future beyond any one game or partnership and allows us to go even further to provide our teams at ProbablyMonsters with stable, sustainable, and long-term game development careers – which has been a key goal from the start,” Harold Ryan told GameDaily.

ProbablyMonsters Inc., a game developer founded by former Bungie executive Harold Ryan, pulled off what it said is the largest first round of venture capital financing in the video-game industry. “It’s proof beyond our resume that what we are doing is real,” Ryan, who is chief executive officer, said in an interview. “I’ve always been the leader that put my people first, and seeking to build a place where people can thrive, and be and feel safe, is critical,” he said.

ProbablyMonsters, an independent game company headed by ex-Bungie CEO Harold Ryan, offers a different approach to most: it recruits developers and builds triple-A game studios around their strengths, delivering new IPs. Today, ProbablyMonsters announced it has raised $200 million through a Series A preferred stock financing round–the largest amount of money ever raised in such a way by a video game developer.

As an upstart AAA studio system led by long-time CEO and president of Bungie Harold Ryan, ProbablyMonsters was probably always going to garner interest from investors. But today’s announcement that it has raised $200 million in Series A funding puts it in rare company.

“The investor people tell me it’s the biggest Series A raise in gaming ever,” Ryan says. “But it’s also something that when we looked at our long-term business plan, $200 million was our target for accelerating our growth and continuing to invest in our team and put our people first, so it really is a sweet spot number for us that lets us hold to our focus and growth plans.”

Video game developer ProbablyMonsters has raised $200M in Series A funding, the company announced Wednesday. Funding will expand long-term features for its three studios and enhance employees’ benefits, while also opening the door for future teams and IP’s in new genres. “We have three big priorities that we’re moving forward with right now,” Ryan told The Hollywood Reporter, adding that the first is proving his teams with “meaningful gaming careers over the long term” and ensuring they will be able to eventually retire well from the company.

In April, ProbablyMonsters Studios revealed more details about its team Firewalk. Its leader is Tony Hsu, and it is making an exclusive multiplayer game for Sony Interactive Entertainment. In an exclusive interview with GamesBeat, Ryan said that the deal with Sony shows that its innovative approach to managing multi-genre triple-A games is working. “It really […]

There’s a moment that happens almost every day in our multiplayer playtests – where someone jolts out of their seat, laughs, and says to no one in particular, “Did you just see that happen?” These amazing and unpredictable moments in gaming are the sparks that occur when playing with others. We started Firewalk Studios in […]

Sony Interactive Entertainment and ProbablyMonsters have announced a new partnership in which PlayStation will be the exclusive publishing partner for the first game from ProbablyMonsters’ Firewalk Studios. Firewalk’s Tony Hsu, Ryan Ellis, and Elena Siegman, along with Head of PlayStation Studios Hermen Hulst, spoke with IGN about why both parties wanted to partner for this […]

The debut game from AAA multiplayer developer Firewalk will be published by PlayStation. Firewalk is a subsidiary of ProbablyMonsters Studios, a company founded by former Bungie CEO Harold Ryan. ProbablyMonsters formed Firewalk in 2018 and its leadership team includes studio head Tony Hsu (previously general manager and senior vice president of Destiny at Activision), game […]

Firewalk, a AAA development team founded by former Halo and Destiny veterans, has announced a deal with Sony for its first game, a multiplayer title set in a new universe. Firewalk is a subsidiary of ProbablyMonsters Studios, a company founded by former Bungie CEO Harold Ryan. ProbablyMonsters formed Firewalk in 2018 and assembled its leadership […]

Sony has signed a publishing partnership deal with Firewalk (alongside parent company ProbablyMonsters), and together, they’re developing a brand new multiplayer property. Firewalk is a subsidiary of ProbablyMonsters Studios. It is spearheaded by veteran developers, many of whom have worked on AAA titles in the past. “Ryan Ellis, our Game Director, was a Creative Director […]

1001 ET – Sony’s PlayStation Studios says it has signed an exclusive deal to publish a new multiplayer game already two years into development from the startup Firewalk Studios. Exclusive games can help console makers stand apart from one another and last fall both Sony and Microsoft launched next-generation consoles that are still in high […]

Harold Ryan, the former CEO of Bungie, plans to revolutionize the gaming industry with ProbablyMonsters

This month, ProbablyMonsters took another step towards shaping how games could be made, and it’s one you shouldn’t overlook.

Each studio built by ProbablyMonsters is formed around a game director, who has a particular focus for the experiences they want players to have in their games. Around this, the company assembles a team with a shared passion and vision for what they’re building and set to work in creating a game based on this. Yet while every studio has a different specialism, they maintain the same access to assistance, expertise and mentorship from the wider company.

The bottom line is that each member of the team, at every level, must uphold values of respect, trust, approachability, and accountability.

CEO Harold Ryan talks to GameDaily about how the new studio fits into the ProbablyMonsters business philosophy, and the importance of “sustainable AAA development.”

“Video games are the largest entertainment category, and it’s time to evolve it by treating the artists and developers with respect, caring for their careers, their health, and their families,” Ryan said. “Putting people first should be the benchmark for the entire industry so that we see great games and healthy careers on a wide scale.” – Harold Ryan

ProbablyMonsters expands its family of studios with a third studio led by Torchlight and Borderlands creative leaders.

“People-first game developers with a passion for their craft, who foster trust, respect, and approachability, belong at ProbablyMonsters. John, Marsh, Patrick, and Allen are a perfect fit at ProbablyMonsters, and have joined us to lead the growth of a new co-op RPG studio, adding a new core genre to our family of studios.

“Not only do the four leaders have a passion for crafting original co-op RPG games, they’re people-first developers who have a decade of collaborating on successful original RPG franchises. With ProbablyMonsters resources and support behind them, I’m confident they can fulfill their vision of creating outstanding next-gen co-op RPG games.”

Harold Ryan, CEO and Founder of ProbablyMonsters

ProbablyMonsters has opened an unnamed next-gen studio led by a group of former Borderlands and Torchlight developers. The studio, whose name is still being kept under wraps, is currently working on a next-gen co-op RPG.

ProbablyMonsters has started a new co-op role-playing game studio with former Torchlight and Borderlands creative leaders at the helm. The new studio is the third triple-A game house from parent company ProbablyMonsters. The Bellevue, Washington-based company now has more than 150 employees in three studios, including its previously announced Cauldron and Firewalk dev houses.

A brand-new studio has been launched by a culture-first, AAA-building organization, and it’s already working on a next-gen co-op RPG game–one that will be led by the creative brains behind Borderlands and Torchlight. What’s more, the man who brought us Halo and Destiny has engineered its creation. The as-yet-unnamed outfit is the third of its […]

Video game developer ProbablyMonsters on Thursday unveiled its third studio, which will be dedicated to next-gen co-operative role-playing AAA games. The currently unnamed studio will join story-driven Cauldron Studios and multiplayer-focused Firewalk Studios in Bellevue, Washington. The core team is comprised of Patrick Blank, an original lead level designer on action-RPG series Borderlands, John Dunbar, […]

US games company ProbablyMonsters has announced that it has secured a third development studio to be part of its growing family. The as yet unnamed studio will be working on a title described as a “a next-gen co-op RPG game.” ProbablyMonsters looks to be growing rapidly, and is led by former Bungie President and CEO, […]

When former Bungie CEO and President Harold Ryan left the critically acclaimed Halo and Destiny developer to found ProbablyMonsters, he did so with a goal of changing how AAA development works. With a goal of inclusivity impacting every decision made at the new company and its two studios, Ryan has found the process incredibly rewarding […]

Building a company from scratch during relatively normal times in history is tough. Building one during an unexpected global pandemic is another beast entirely. Probably Monsters CEO Harold Ryan is doing just that, and he’s doing it — like millions of people right now — from home. “It’s hard to build and maintain a creative […]

Last October, Bungie alum Harold Ryan revealed his new game development initiative, ProbablyMonsters.The Issaquah, WA-based company is not merely another game studio, but instead Ryan and his team have envisioned a new game development model that aims to build AAA studios from the ground up in a sustainable manner. Today, even as the world and […]

Former Bungie CEO Harold Ryan has been ramping up a very big game company since he unveiled Probably Monsters last year. The company raised $18.8 million to fuel staffing for the company’s two triple-A game studios. And now it has crossed more than 100 employees across the headquarters and two studio divisions. But it’s getting […]

It’s April 2020 and COVID-19 has begun to reshape the video game industry. While game studios are not suffering the damage afflicting the travel, live sports, or concert businesses, convention cancellations and retail limitations have begun to rewrite how the industry does business. But while the future lies uncertain, what’s become clear early in the […]

With events cancelled, bars and schools closed, and offices citywide realizing how many of those meetings really could have been emails, Seattle is taking self-quarantine pretty seriously. If you’re able to stay home, showing signs or symptoms of what may be COVID-19, or have been in contact with anyone with the virus, it’s time to […]

As a developer, AAA games have always been my passion. I know it is a space where I can put the focus on the team and in the end, maximize the impact of everyone’s efforts. The highest level of quality can be achieved by an excellent team that’s given time to polish, with their work […]

Former Bungie CEO Harold Ryan showed everybody how to go big or go home earlier this month. He announced that his ProbablyMonsters is announcing it has raised $18.8 million for the company’s two triple-A game studios. Ryan is going to need a lot more money than that to pull off not one but two ambitious […]

Every year, video games get more immersive, with better graphics and more intricate gameplay thanks to technological advancements. But there’s another side that goes into the making of video games — the human side. The video game industry is notorious for the pressure placed on its workers. Behind every highly anticipated video game release, there […]

Culture is key. That’s been one takeaway for Harold Ryan, who started working with Bungie as a tester on the original Halo, advanced to studio president by 2008, and spent the ensuing eight years atop the org chart until stepping down in 2016. Ryan’s tenure at Bungie saw the studio resort to “brutal” crunch on […]

Harold Ryan, who has in the past played the role of President and CEO of Bungie, has launched ProbablyMonsters, a new company active in the development sector videogame. In the course of an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ryan has officially unveiled the Company, of which he is the founder and current CEO. Active in […]

Harold Ryan has had a long career in the video game industry. His first job was as a tester for the 1996 Windows game Hellbender. From there, he worked his way up to eventually become the CEO of Bungie, the development studio behind the hit Halo and Destiny franchises. Ryan stepped down as Bungie’s CEO […]

Over the past couple of weeks, new game development studios have been popping up like mushrooms after a rainy day. Here’s another one from former Bungie CEO Harold Ryan. After being MIA for more than three years, Ryan re-emerges to announce a new multi-studio game company called ProbablyMonsters. ProbablyMonsters employs a non-traditional business structure to […]

Harold Ryan, CEO de Bungie hasta 2016, ha anunciado la apertura de un nuevo estudio: ProbablyMonsters. Según dice, será un cruce entre desarrolladora y editora, trabajando desde el inicio de los proyectos con compañías en las que tendrán accionariado mayoritario. Su objetivo es financiar y dar soporte (tanto técnico como creativo) a las empresas para […]

The man responsible for the insanely popular Halo franchise, which garnered $3 billion in the span of its first three releases, is ready to talk about his new project.

ProbablyMonsters made an announcement this morning that the company would be changing its business plans to adapt to a changing video game market. Lead by Harold Ryan, who has worked on Halo, Age of Empires, and MechWarrior, the company released a new plan of how they’ll proceed in the future. Starting today, the company will […]

Harold Ryan, after more than three years in stealth mode, is finally ready to talk about his next venture after leaving as head of Bungie, the game studio behind hits like “Halo” and “Destiny.” Ryan said he’s set up ProbablyMonsters as a different kind of game developer: It functions as a holding company and incubator […]

Game development, at times, can be an arduous task. Crafting the next big game is that much harder when you’re worried about whether you’ll have a job next month. Sustainability, particularly in AAA development, is a big buzzword and for good reason: we’ve seen far, far too many studio closures and layoffs over the last […]

Harold Ryan knows something about developing games and the companies behind them. Ryan has been a part of the industry for over 20 years, starting at Microsoft working at studios with studios like FASA Studios and Ensemble Studios. In 2000, he began his time at Bungie, starting in QA and ultimately leading the studio as […]

Harold Ryan, former CEO of Halo and Destiny studio Bungie, has unveiled ProbablyMonsters, a “developer of developers” that will incubate and oversee multiple studios. Ryan originally quietly founded the organization in 2016 after leaving Bungie. Last July, the company closed a Series A funding round that raised $18.8 million. The round was led by Dallas […]

Harold Ryan, after more than three years in stealth mode, is finally ready to talk about his next venture after leaving as head of Bungie, the game studio behind hits like “Halo” and “Destiny.” Ryan said he’s set up ProbablyMonsters as a different kind of game developer: It functions as a holding company and incubator […]

Harold Ryan, founder and CEO of ProbablyMonsters, has already launched two new development studios under the banner and is rapidly building a third: “The industry needs and deserves a place where it can reliably build a AAA game.” After three years of operating in “stealth mode,” ProbablyMonsters Inc., a new video game studio-building enterprise formed […]

Former Bungie president and CEO Harold Ryan has revealed what he’s been up to since leaving the studio in 2016, today announcing his new business, ProbablyMonsters. Ryan is the founder and CEO of ProbablyMonsters, which was launched three years ago and is only now coming out of “stealth mode.” The company is a developer of […]

Game development, at times, can be an arduous task. Crafting the next big game is that much harder when you’re worried about whether you’ll have a job next month. Sustainability, particularly in AAA development, is a big buzzword and for good reason: we’ve seen far, far too many studio closures and layoffs over the last […]

ProbablyMonsters, a new type of game company described as neither a traditional developer or publisher, has officially announced its formation today and introduced its first two AAA game studios: Cauldron Studios, and Firewalk Studios. Under the leadership of CEO and founder, Harold Ryan, the company has actually been operating in a ‘stealth’ capacity since 2016, […]

The person who for years led Halo and Destiny developer Bungie has re-emerged with a new multi-studio game company that plans to create triple-A games within a non-traditional business structure. Harold Ryan, who was CEO and president of Bungie for over 15 years (and orchestrated the 2007 divestiture from Microsoft) has unveiled ProbablyMonsters, which he […]

ProbablyMonsters™ Inc., a developer of industry-defining video game studios and interactive entertainment, announced its formation under the leadership of CEO and founder, Harold Ryan, offering a new business model for games focused on creating world-class development studios and original entertainment. The privately held company, which has been operating in stealth mode since 2016, today revealed […]

ProbablyMonsters, a developer of game studios and interactive entertainment, has announced its formation under the leadership of CEO and founder Harold Ryan, as well as its first two development studios, Cauldron Studios and Firewalk Studios. Each studio is working on its own “inaugural AAA game franchise” signed by “separate major publishers.”

Former Bungie chief Harold Ryan’s ProbablyMonsters is announcing it has raised $18.8 million for the company’s two triple-A game studios.