Starform
Seattle, US · Founded 2018 · Delaware corporation · 7 known investors
Seattle game studio behind Metalstorm, a free-to-play 5v5 air-combat arena shooter for PC and mobile.
Also known as Starform, Inc.
Founders & leadership
Starform was founded in 2018 by Lou Fasulo.
Investors · 7
Reported raises · per SEC filings
Form D private placements$9.1M disclosed across 2 of 5 rounds · 2019–2024
▶$5MraisedJun 2024 · 2 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Taylor DaynesDirector
- Shanis WindlandDirector
- Ed FriesDirector
- Louis FasuloExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $6M
- Amount sold
- $5M
- First sale
- Jun 2024
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$4.1MraisedAug 2020 · 18 investors · Other TechnologyRule 506(b)
- Taylor DaynesDirector
- Joshua RosenDirector
- Louis FasuloExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $6.3M
- Amount sold
- $4.1M
- First sale
- Aug 2020
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2018
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Starform is an independent video game studio based in Seattle, Washington, founded in 2018 by Lou Fasulo, Taylor Daynes, Josh Rosen and Jason English, all of whom previously worked at the Seattle mobile studio Z2 before its acquisition by King in 2015. The studio's stated mission is to build gaming experiences that connect friends and support player communities, and its team draws on backgrounds at Sierra Online, Z2, King, Riot Games, 343 Industries, The Pokémon Company, Big Fish Games, Evil Geniuses and EA.
The studio's debut title is Metalstorm, a free-to-play, 5v5 aerial combat arena shooter for PC and mobile in which players fly fighter aircraft in fast-paced online matches. Starform positions the game away from the flight-simulation category, describing it as authentic but not fully realistic, with aircraft carrying distinct abilities loosely inspired by their historical roles to encourage role-based team synergies. Players group into "Squadrons" (guilds), and Starform describes the title as a "coffee break esport" designed around short play sessions. Metalstorm entered open beta in 2023 in Canada, Sweden, Norway, Mexico and the Philippines before launching in November 2023, and is distributed through the Epic Games Store, the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Founding story
Starform was founded in 2018 by Lou Fasulo, Taylor Daynes, Josh Rosen and Jason English, who had worked together at the Seattle mobile game studio Z2 prior to its acquisition by King in 2015.
Business model
Starform develops and operates its own free-to-play, live-service multiplayer games, distributed directly to players through PC and mobile storefronts including the Epic Games Store, the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Metalstorm is distributed free-to-play across PC and mobile storefronts; investor commentary characterizes the studio as having a scalable business model.
Traction
Metalstorm was downloaded close to 1 million times during its 2023 open beta, primarily through word of mouth, and surpassed 3 million players across the Epic Games Store, Apple App Store and Google Play by November 2024.
Latest developments
In November 2024 Starform announced a $6 million funding round led by BITKRAFT Ventures with participation from Dune Ventures, to be used to expand the team and bring Metalstorm to additional platforms in early 2025. The studio also added senior hires including Chief Operating Officer Stefan Ramirez, Director of Production Chris Hager, Principal Engineer Jeremy Friesen and social media marketing lead Jesse Roberts.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
An independent, venture-backed Seattle studio operating a single live cross-platform title that reported more than 3 million players roughly a year after launch.
Metalstorm targets a broader audience than flight simulators by emphasizing fast, action-oriented, role-based team play in short sessions, with aircraft abilities drawn from their historical roles and parity between PC and mobile versions.
Technology
Metalstorm is built as a cross-platform title designed so that the PC and mobile editions play equivalently, with work on device compatibility testing across mobile hardware and planned localization beyond English.
Go-to-market
Starform released Metalstorm into open beta in selected markets (Canada, Sweden, Norway, Mexico and the Philippines) to sample different market conditions, grew early downloads largely by word of mouth, and works with a rotating group of roughly 150 community testers called "Starform Insiders" who evaluate weekly updates. Distribution runs through the Epic Games Store, Apple App Store and Google Play, with expansion to additional platforms planned for early 2025.
Players of accessible, short-session competitive multiplayer games on PC and mobile, including but not limited to air-combat enthusiasts, rather than hardcore flight-simulation audiences.
Geography
Headquartered in downtown Seattle, Washington, with a hybrid workforce; as of mid-2023 the company had 13 employees in Seattle and one in Idaho. Metalstorm's open beta covered Canada, Sweden, Norway, Mexico and the Philippines ahead of wider distribution.
History
Founded in 2018 by four former Z2 employees, Starform spent its early years selecting its debut project, raising a $1.5 million round announced in September 2019 and a further round in 2021 led by BITKRAFT Ventures that partially funded production of Metalstorm. The game was revealed publicly in June 2023 and entered open beta in a set of test markets, then launched in November 2023. By November 2024 the studio reported more than 3 million players and raised $6 million to expand the team and bring the game to additional platforms in early 2025.
Compiled by commissioned research from 3 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Competitors · 6
by search overlap
Companies competing with Starform for the same Google search keywords, organic and paid, via search-intersection analysis.
Timeline · 4
launches, deals, and filingsStarform announced a $6 million funding round led by BITKRAFT Ventures with additional participation from Dune Ventures, to expand the team and bring Metalstorm to more platforms in 2025.
$6M source ↗
Starform announced the addition of Stefan Ramirez as Chief Operating Officer, Chris Hager as Director of Production, Jeremy Friesen as Principal Engineer and Jesse Roberts in social media marketing.
Metalstorm launched in November 2023, subsequently reaching more than 3 million players across the Epic Games Store, Apple App Store and Google Play.
Starform publicly revealed Metalstorm, a free-to-play 5v5 aerial combat game for PC and mobile, then in open beta in Canada, Sweden, Norway, Mexico and the Philippines.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
Legal entities · 1
corporate structureIn the news
▸Research sources · 3
primary sources listed
- "Starform Raises $6 Million to Accelerate Global Expansion of Metalstorm" - Games Pressgamespress.com · web
3 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Starform do?
- Seattle game studio behind Metalstorm, a free-to-play 5v5 air-combat arena shooter for PC and mobile.
- Who founded Starform?
- Starform was founded by Lou Fasulo in 2018.
- Who are Starform's investors?
- Starform's investors include Bitkraft Esports Ventures, Insiders Ventures, Play Ventures, vgames, BITKRAFT Ventures, Dune Ventures, Global Founders Capital.
- How much funding has Starform raised?
- Starform has disclosed $9.1M raised across 2 of its 5 known rounds.
- Where is Starform headquartered?
- Starform is headquartered in Seattle, US.