Peer Global Inc. Raises $10.5M for Metaverse Game Engine and Launches 3D Personal Planets

Peer Global Inc. Raises $10.5M to Transform Gaming and Social Media with World's First True Metaverse Game Engine and Launch of 3D Personal Planets

Enter your email to get Benzinga's ultimate morning update: The PreMarket Activity Newsletter NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., March 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Peer Global Inc., redefining gaming and social media with the world's first true metaverse game engine, announced today that it has raised a $10.5M round of funding, bringing its total funding to date to $65.5M - all from angel investors. The Family Office of Tommy Mai was the sole investor of this round. Previous investors include the LA area Family Offices of Dr. Hannah Vu, Dr. Paul Duong, Dr. Quan Nguyen, Dr. Trina Nguyen, Khanh Van Nguyen and Jan Nguyen. Peer will use the funds to fuel hiring and accelerate AI product development as it publicly launches personal planets today with a dynamic, AI-powered world where exploration, creativity, and social connection come together -- all built on Peer's platform, the first true metaverse game engine that enables developers to create multiple games that can be connected to one another. While legacy social media sites are built around linear timelines and feeds -- designed to create FOMO and addiction -- Peer is a persistent 3D world that combines the exploration of Pokémon GO with the creativity and user-generated experiences of Roblox. Tony Tran, founder of Peer, started the company after seeing firsthand how social media addiction was affecting kids, as they chased the next high from apps engineered to maximize engagement. In a traditional social media feed, content appears as a flat, linear stream of posts or updates. Users scroll through images, videos, and text organized chronologically or algorithmically, and interactions are mostly limited to likes, comments and shares with just a glimpse or keyhole peek at information. It's a passive experience: content is presented to users, and they consume it one piece at a time. Peer offers a dynamic space where social interaction is immersive, not addictive, with the belief that social connection is moving beyond text, photos and videos. In Peer's spatial social network, instead of scrolling through disconnected posts, users are greeted by a living, dynamic 3D simulation of the world, giving them the ability to post recent experiences and connections in its natural, relatable context. For example, a photo you took during a hike is displayed on a virtual trail in a mountain environment resembling the actual location. The trail isn't static; Peer aims to use various AI models to apply layers of immersion, to recreate what was captured such as the sound of rustling leaves, expands on the beauty of the surroundings, and even highlights trivia or history about the area. No other social network can do this. Peer based its inspiration on 3D metaverse films like "Ready, Player, One" but users can now do all of this from their phones on the Peer app with AI driving the creation of content. According to Tran, "This is the holy grail of gaming - metaverse games that are connected and players can traverse games and bring other people, AIs and assets with them. This is the first step toward a gamified immersive internet that Ready, Player, One portrayed but we're starting with phones so that everyone can be part of it." "Websites, social networks, and digital brand experiences today are flat. People have short attention spans," said Peer investor Tommy Mai. "AI will push everything into spatial experiences, and Peer is leading the way. We're really excited about the potential for this technology and think Tony and team are the ones to get this right." With today's personal planet launch, Peer introduces the 3D version of a social home page, in the form of a 3D planet. If your friends are on your planet and moving about, you actually see them doing just that -- just like you would in a video game. Your mini planet has longitude and latitude coordinates that mirror that of Earth. This means if you post a picture on your planet, it will be placed on your planet according to wherever it was taken geospatially. So if you posted an image taken at the North Pole, it will be placed at the corresponding position on your planet. Users are given a library to build out their own planet -- flora, fauna, rocks, houses etc. -- just like how you used to build out your profile page. Influencers and brands can also create their own worlds with AI prompts. Brands can advertise directly on the world map - building games, sponsoring digital assets such as clothing for avatars - and in users' experiences. "People are sick of scrolling endlessly. It's time for a better way to get online and experience a unified digital and physical world," said Tran. "Peer is pioneering a new kind of digital frontier where AI and 3D technology come together to deliver vast, immersive and interactive spaces. This isn't just a platform -- it's a reinvention of how we connect, explore, and create, offering a transformative alternative to the status quo." Download the Peer app today at the App Store, Google Play or peer.inc. Peer will launch its game developer tool later this year. About Peer Peer Global Inc. is redefining gaming and social media with the world's first social game engine. Peer is a persistent 3D world that combines the exploration of Pokémon GO with the creativity and user-generated experiences of Roblox, where people can create their own personal online planets populated by the people, experiences, places and brands they love. With its proprietary online game engine and native 3D map, Peer replaces the addictive news feed with a real-time global environment where users explore instead of scroll, bringing AI and 3D together in an entirely new way for people to connect. More than 1M users are already building their new social network in 3D using Peer. Visit peer.inc. Media contact: Kerry Metzdorf Big Swing [email protected] 978-609-0766 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9aa8c838-6103-4cbf-8587-4a79d0636bf1 Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Peer raises $10.5M for metaverse engine, launches 3D personal planets

Peer Global Inc announced today that it has raised $10.5 million in its latest round of funding for its metaverse game engine, which it plans to use to build out its team and to accelerate AI product development. In addition to the funding, the company also launched its personal planets feature -- an in-engine feature that allows users to create their own 3D social hubs. According to founder Tony Tran, this new form of social engagement is intended to be a tonic to more addictive, static forms of social media. Peer's total investment numbers sit at $65.5 million, all from angel investors. The Family Office of Tommy Mai is the sole investor in this round of funding. The company will build out its AI features, which make up the backbone of its persistent world. AI is also one of the tools that the company offers for developers who wish to build their experiences on Peer. Within the game's engine, all games and experiences would be connected to each other. Mai said in a statement, "Websites, social networks, and digital brand experiences today are flat. People have short attention spans. AI will push everything into spatial experiences, and Peer is leading the way. We're really excited about the potential for this technology and think Tony and team are the ones to get this right." Peer wants to redefine the social experience Speaking with GamesBeat, Tran said that Peer reshapes those same social engagement forces into something that gets users going outside and engaging with the world around them. "We use location sharing dynamically within the platform, to create a living map where people can see each other moving in real-time, sparking spontaneous interactions and collaboration rather than passive consumption. This transforms the energy of traditional FOMO into something constructive towards exploration, discovery, and shared experiences. Instead of feeling left out, users are invited into the action, whether it's meeting up with friends, joining an event, or co-creating within the AI-driven world." Tran also notes the advantages of using AI for developers: "What we have is a social interface where AI can create to its maximum potential -- generating games, characters, and entire experiences on demand -- for mass consumption. Peer leverages AI to bring the visual side of the metaverse to life in a way that other experiences can't. All other metaverses exist in isolation, where in Peer, AI acts as the connective tissue. It links people, places, and experiences in real time, forming an instant information layer that keeps everything fluid, responsive, and intelligent." According to Tran, Peer plans to launch its location-based mechanics in the near-future, as well as nascent monetization mechanics, such as digital property sales and premium experiences. For the long-term, the company plans to make the Peer experience accessible on any device. To build it at scale, they plan to offer subscription tiers, AI-based advertising and a full digital economy. Tran told GamesBeat, "Peer's AI integration allows for dynamic, procedurally generated environments, meaning developers can create living worlds that adapt to player actions... Peer gives developers a platform to build games that are not just played but lived in -- unlocking new possibilities for immersive, connected gameplay."