Kazakhstani online game Grand Mobile has raised $750,000 in investment from the Astana Hub Venture Fund. The deal was made at a company valuation of $75 million.
Grand Mobile is an open-world RP life simulator created by 27-year-old Roman Lineytsev from Ust-Kamenogorsk, a participant in the Forbes «30 Under 30» list.
Grand Games, a Kazakhstan-based online game developer, currently develops the game. To date, the game has been downloaded more than 60 million times and draws a monthly audience exceeding 5 million users. Last year alone, the mobile game’s revenue amounted to $17.9 million.
«We raised funding a few months ago. We didn’t see investment as a necessity, but rather as a strategic step. Astana Hub Ventures offers more than just capital — it provides access to unique industry expertise, structured scaling experience, international networks, and a powerful ecosystem. Such partnerships help us move faster, smarter and with greater resilience toward our big goals,» Lineytsev commented.
Grand Mobile will use the funding to develop its core product, expand its team, and launch marketing campaigns outside the CIS region. The company aims to enter new markets and strengthen its international presence, particularly in Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East and North Africa.
The game is especially popular among international audiences, as players can create their own characters, find jobs, build careers and earn money within the game. Kazakhstani users account for only 15% of the total player base. Last year, 90% of the game’s revenue came from outside Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan’s software sector has been experiencing steady growth in recent years. According to the Bureau of National Statistics, the value of IT services provided by Kazakhstani individuals and entities to foreign clients reached $647 million in 2024. This was mainly driven by program code development and testing ($365 million), software product and internet resource support ($145 million), IT consulting ($57 million) and online games ($5.6 million).
