Key Notes
- Tencent led Circle Games’ $25 million Series A, taking the Istanbul studio’s disclosed funding to $32.25 million after its 2025 seed round.
- The studio plans to keep growing Sort Express, bring Jelly Escape to more markets and at least double its workforce.
- The announcement does not disclose Circle’s valuation, Tencent’s ownership share or a detailed schedule for the planned expansion.
Circle Games has raised $25 million in a Series A round led by Tencent, securing fresh backing to expand its mobile puzzle-game business. The Istanbul studio plans to grow Sort Express, take the recently released Jelly Escape into additional markets and at least double its workforce.
Swipeline reported the funding exclusively on September 24. Existing investors e2vc, BITKRAFT Ventures, APY Ventures and a16z Speedrun also participated. The round brings Circle’s disclosed financing to $32.25 million, following a $7.25 million seed investment in July 2025.
The latest announcement does not disclose Circle’s valuation or Tencent’s ownership percentage. The $25 million is newly raised capital, while $32.25 million is the cumulative funding figure. Neither should be read as the studio’s market value or as revenue generated by its games.
More Resources for Sort Express and Jelly Escape
Sort Express is built around sorting and matching colorful 3D objects. Its store listing describes drag-and-drop play, grouping items to clear them and increasingly demanding puzzles. The game is free to download with optional in-app purchases, making its ongoing player experience important to the commercial model.
Circle’s expansion plan covers both an established product and another game finding its audience. Supporting Sort Express while rolling Jelly Escape out more widely gives the team separate development and operating demands. The funding announcement does not provide a country-by-country schedule for Jelly Escape or a timetable for further releases.
Co-founder and chief executive Göktürk Balıkcı told Swipeline that the studio wants to preserve attention to detail as its games and team grow. He presented Tencent’s backing and continued investor support as resources for pursuing that goal. No new headcount total was supplied alongside the plan to at least double the workforce.
A Second Round for the Puzzle Studio
The Series A follows a seed round led by BITKRAFT. Swipeline’s earlier report named a16z Speedrun, Play Ventures, e2vc and APY Ventures among the seed participants. Circle was founded by Mustafa Özdemir, Mehmet Ay, Göktürk Balıkcı and Arda Özarslan.
At the time of that July 2025 announcement, the company said it had 12 employees and wanted to add content to Sort Express, develop additional games and expand the team. That was a historical headcount, not a confirmed baseline for the hiring target announced with the new round.
The two rounds show how the studio’s stated priorities have developed: first, building the debut game and organization; now, supporting multiple products and broader market reach. The latest financing offers more room for that work, but does not by itself establish how profitable either game is or how quickly the planned hiring will happen.
Circle’s announcement follows another investment in Turkey’s mobile-development sector. Earlier this month, we covered Arcustin Games, which received $500,000 from Webrazzi GSYF at a $10 million valuation to complete its first hybrid-casual puzzle game. The businesses are at different stages, so their financing amounts are not a direct comparison of game performance.
For Circle’s players, the clearest commitment is continued work on its puzzle portfolio and wider availability for Jelly Escape. Specific new games, content roadmaps and release dates remain separate announcements to watch; the Series A funds the expansion rather than unveiling a new title today.
