About Red 5 Studios
Red 5 Studios is a Media & Entertainment company based in Laguna Hills (United States) founded in 2005 by Mark Kern, and was acquired by L & A International Holdings in June 2016. It operates as a video game developer specializing in MMO domain. Red 5 Studios has raised $56.5 million across 6 funding rounds from investors including the9gamezone, Benchmark and Sierra Ventures. The company has 4 employees. Its chief executive is Mark Kern. Red 5 Studios offers products and services including Firefall and Cosplay Sponsorship Program. Its focus areas include Gaming, PC & Console Gaming, Game Developers and PC & Console Games. Its legal entity is Red 5 Studios, Inc. Its competitors include Riot Games, Krafton, Ubisoft, IGG and Electronic Arts and 5 more; 4 of its 10 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
Red 5 Studios was founded in 2005 in Laguna Hills, United States, focusing on video game development within the massively multiplayer online (MMO) sector. Multiple titles have been created, including the sci-fi MMORPG Firefall, which is distributed on Steam under a freemium model for PC and console platforms. Operations center on crafting immersive online experiences for global players.
- Headquarters Laguna Hills, United States
- Employees 4
- Founders Mark Kern
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsMedia & Entertainment
- Website red5studios.com
- Social LinkedIn X
- Acquired by L & A International Holdings (Jun 2016)
- Legal Name Red 5 Studios, Inc.
- Total Equity Funding$56.5M (USD)
in 6 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$23M (USD), Series B
Jan 2014
- Investorsthe9gamezone
& 3 more
- Employee Count4
- Acquired by
Products & Services of Red 5 Studios
Red 5 Studios offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including Firefall and Cosplay Sponsorship Program.
Free-to-play team-based action shooter for global players.
Sponsors cosplayers for game promotions and events.
Funding Insights of Red 5 Studios
Red 5 Studios has successfully raised a total of $56.5M across 6 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series B round of $23 million completed in January 2014. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $56.5M
- Total Rounds 6
- Last Round Series B β $23M
- First Round $18.5M
(Dec 2006)
- Investors Count 2
All 6 funding rounds of Red 5 Studios with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2014 | $23M | Series B | β | β | β |
| Oct 2012 | $11M | Debt – Conventional | β | β | β |
| Mar 2012 | $15M | Debt – Conventional | β | β | β |
| Nov 2011 | $9M | Debt – Conventional | β | β | β |
| Apr 2010 | $15M | Series A | β | β | β |
| Dec 2006 | $18.5M | Series A | β | β |
4 investors in total: 4 institutional.
Investors in Red 5 Studios
Red 5 Studios has secured backing from 4 investors, including venture fund and institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include the9gamezone, Benchmark and Sierra Ventures.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Venture capital investments are offered to promising startups. | – | benchmark.com | San Francisco, United States | |
Early-stage venture capital investments in AI, healthcare, and enterprise technologies. | – | sierraventures.com | - | |
Core video games are developed and operated across multiple platforms. | 1999 | the9.com | Shanghai, China | |
- | – | lna.com.hk | - |
Investor details for Red 5 Studios
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
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People of Red 5 Studios
2 people are tracked at Red 5 Studios (2 in leadership); the tracked headcount is 4.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Mark Kern | Founder & CEO | Leadership |
XiaoYu (Wizard) Niu | Live Service Director | Leadership |
Complete people profiles for Red 5 Studios
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
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Timeline of Red 5 Studios
5 dated milestones of Red 5 Studios across 11 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Red 5 Studios is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $18.5M.
- Exit Acquired by the9gamezone.
- Funding Latest funding round, Series B, of $23.0M.
- Exit Acquired by L & A International Holdings.
Competitors of Red 5 Studios
Red 5 Studios has 10 listed competitors in our database, 4 of them funded. They include Riot Games, Krafton, Ubisoft, IGG and Electronic Arts, among others.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| riotgames.com | 2006 | San Francisco, United States | $15M | – | Video games are developed and eSports tournaments are organized. | |
| krafton.com | 2007 | Seoul, South Korea | $34.99M | – | A variety of online multiplayer games is provided by Krafton. | |
| ubisoft.com | 1986 | Montreuil, France | – | – | Video games are developed and published by Ubisoft worldwide. | |
| igg.com | 2005 | Singapore | $4.5M | – | Video game developer and publisher focusing on MMORPGs for mobile, browser and PC platforms | |
| ea.com | 1982 | Redwood, United States | – | 956 | Video game developers focused on core games | |
| wemade.com | 2000 | Seoul, South Korea | – | – | MMORPGs and related games are developed by WeMade Entertainment. | |
| lindenlab.com | 1999 | San Francisco, United States | $19M | 213 | Virtual reality games and platforms are developed by Linden Lab. | |
| activision.com | 1979 | Santa Monica, United States | – | 6,190 | Video games are developed and published by Activision. | |
| square-enix.com | 1975 | Tokyo, Japan | – | 216 | Video game developer and publisher specializing in MMORPG games | |
| capcom.com | 1979 | Chuo, Japan | – | – | Video games and electronic machines are developed and distributed globally. |
Detailed competitors of Red 5 Studios
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
- Full competitor set
- Operating metrics
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Web traffic of Red 5 Studios
The website of Red 5 Studios (red5studios.com) receives about 2.5K visits a month.
- Monthly visits2.5K
▲ 60.3% vs previous month
Websites whose visitors overlap most with Red 5 Studios. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| readyatdawn.com | 100% | 4.6K | #3,836,402 | View details | |
firefallthegame.com | firefallthegame.com | 99% | – | – | β |
massively.joystiq.com | massively.joystiq.com | 91% | – | – | β |
insomniacgames.com | insomniacgames.com | 86% | – | #4,393,006 | β |
esrb.org | esrb.org | 82% | – | #85,078 | β |
| β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’ | β’β’β’β’β’β’.com | β’β’% | β’.β’M | #β’β’β’β’β’ | β |
| β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’ | β’β’β’β’β’β’.com | β’β’% | β’.β’M | #β’β’β’β’β’ | β |
| β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’β’ | β’β’β’β’β’β’.com | β’β’% | β’.β’M | #β’β’β’β’β’ | β |
All 9 similar websites and full traffic analytics for Red 5 Studios
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- 9 similar websites
- Audience overlap
- Engagement analytics
- Traffic by brand
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Top companies in MMORPG & Online Gaming
10 companies that operate in the same segment as Red 5 Studios (MMORPG & Online Gaming), ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Casual games developer and publisher for mobile and web platforms | 2007 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 525.6 M | USD 49.68 M | 2,916 | |
Developer of mobile-based casual video games | 2017 | London, England, United Kingdom | USD 202 M | USD 364.91 M | 609 | |
Operator of a platform providing skill-based games and interactive entertainment | 2018 | Delhi, Delhi, India | USD 92 M | USD 83.05 M | 1 | |
Provider of cross-platform game engine technology | 1991 | Cary, North Carolina, United States | USD 8.13 B | – | 11,961 | |
Mobile games are developed and published by Jam City. | 2007 | Culver City, California, United States | USD 499.49 M | – | – | |
Operator of a multifaceted platform for sports content and experiences | 2008 | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India | USD 942.17 M | USD 509.95 K | 1,310 | |
Mobile social games and services are developed and operated globally. | 1999 | Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan | – | USD 926.03 M | 2,570 | |
Skill-based online games are provided through a technology-driven platform. | 2006 | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India | USD 98.07 M | USD 264.51 M | 777 | |
Diversified gaming and sports media platforms are operated and developed. | 1999 | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India | USD 127.93 M | USD 194.94 M | 63 | |
Casino games are developed for mobile and web platforms. | 2011 | Burlingame, California, United States | USD 36.17 M | USD 235.1 M | 568 |
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Related news about Red 5 Studios
Complete news archive for Red 5 Studios
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Frequently Asked Questions about Red 5 Studios
Red 5 Studios was founded in 2005 and raised its 1st funding round 1 year after it was founded.
Red 5 Studios is headquartered in Laguna Hills, United States. It is registered at Laguna Hills, California, United States.
Mark Kern is the current CEO of Red 5 Studios. They have also founded this company.
Red 5 Studios is a funded company, having raised a total of $56.5M across 6 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Series A of $18.5M, raised on Dec 2006.
Red 5 Studios has 4 employees.
Red 5 Studios was founded in 2005 in Laguna Hills, United States, focusing on video game development within the massively multiplayer online (MMO) sector. Multiple titles have been created, including the sci-fi MMORPG Firefall, which is distributed on Steam under a freemium model for PC and console platforms. Operations center on crafting immersive online experiences for global players.
Red 5 Studios's top competitors include Krafton, Riot Games and Ubisoft.
Red 5 Studios offers Firefall and Cosplay Sponsorship Program.
Red 5 Studios has 4 investors. Key investors include the9gamezone, Benchmark, Sierra Ventures, and L & A International Holdings.
Red 5 Studios operates through Red 5 Studios, Inc..
Yes. Red 5 Studios was acquired by L & A International Holdings in June 2016.

