Swedish studio Dead Astronauts announced a €4 million seed round on 6 February 2025, led by Behold Ventures. The company said the financing would support development of its first game and growth beyond its four founders. The project was then known by the codename VEIL; the studio announced it as HAEX in June 2026.
How much did Dead Astronauts raise?
Dead Astronauts announced that it raised €4 million in its first seed round. GamesBeat reported the amount at the time as approximately $4.1 million; that is a contemporaneous conversion, not a separate US-dollar amount raised. The studio described the round as oversubscribed, but did not disclose an oversubscription multiple or the amount of investor demand.
The announcement was dated 6 February 2025. GamesBeat published its coverage on 10 February 2025 and updated it on 18 June 2025. Dead Astronauts’ announcement and GamesBeat’s report provide the stated figures.
Who invested in the seed round?
Behold Ventures led the financing. Dead Astronauts named Lifelike Capital, 1Up Ventures, and Acequia Capital as co-investors, along with five angel investors:
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How did the studio say it would use the funding?
Dead Astronauts said the money would fuel its development ambitions and allow it to expand beyond its founding team. GamesBeat characterized the plan as growing the team while working on the studio’s first title. Neither source provides a more detailed budget breakdown, so the round should not be read as funding a specific allocation such as marketing, hiring targets, or production milestones.
Who founded Dead Astronauts?
The studio was founded in 2024 in Malmö, Sweden, by Tobias Nyman, Erik Morin, Robert Moschos, and Thomas Tedemalm. The company described the founders as industry veterans with experience at Massive Entertainment, Ubisoft, and Epic Games.
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What game is Dead Astronauts making?
VEIL was the name used in the 2025 funding announcement
When Dead Astronauts announced its seed round, it described its first project as VEIL, an open-world action-adventure built in Unreal Engine 5. The studio said it was using procedural content generation and custom tools, with inspiration drawn from Nordic wilderness and the cosmos.
The studio announced HAEX as its debut title in 2026
On 5 June 2026, Dead Astronauts announced HAEX at Summer Game Fest as its debut title. Its official description calls it an atmospheric multiplayer first-person survival shooter set in an alien-scarred wilderness. It can be played solo or with up to three friends.
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The announced gameplay includes managing cold, hunger, and thirst; gathering resources; preparing a loadout; and using firearms, heavy melee weapons, and specialized survival gadgets. Alien seeds can alter parts of the world. These are details from the studio’s announcement, not confirmation of a release date or final feature set. See the official HAEX announcement for the studio’s description.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What happened to VEIL?
VEIL is the earlier codename used for the project in the 2025 funding announcement. Dead Astronauts subsequently announced HAEX as its debut title; the available announcements do not present VEIL as a separate released game. The change in public naming connects the funding story to the later reveal without establishing that every design detail described under the codename remains unchanged.
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