New Roleplaying Platform Secures Major Investment from the U.S.

Gustav Sundin and Oscar Carlquist.

Sound Realms is the company founded by Oscar Carlquist and Gustav Sundin. Fueled by a shared passion for roleplaying, they set out to build a new kind of platform — one that breathes new life into the iconic gamebooks of the ’80s and legendary titles like Dungeons & Dragons.

With Sound Realms, they’ve created a completely new experience: a fusion of audiobook and roleplaying elements, offering interactive adventures where listeners follow a story brought to life with music, sound effects, and dramatic narration.

“The gamebooks from the ’80s — where you’d flip to page 73 if you made one choice, or page 87 if you chose something else — really inspired us. We want to bring them into the future. With Sound Realms, you can rediscover those childhood adventures in a whole new way,” says Gustav.

The platform is built around licensing well-known IPs (Intellectual Properties) and transforming them into playable experiences. Sound Realms already holds licenses for major titles like Lone Wolf, Call of Cthulhu, and FIST.

“Our format is powered by branching narratives, where players can explore multiple story paths. We blend that with core roleplaying mechanics — like resolving battles and events through dice rolls,” Gustav explains.

Fredrik Malmberg is a legendary figure in the roleplaying world, and was one of the people who introduced tabletop RPGs to Sweden in the 1980s. Thanks to an event hosted by Science Park Skövde, Susana Meza Graham — known for her work at Paradox Interactive — connected Sound Realms with Fredrik’s network.

Fredrik, along with Jon Gillard, Head of Licensing at none other than Warhammer, were among those who chose to invest in Sound Realms. Others included Susana Meza Graham and Olle and Eva Sundin.

The total investment? 3.8 million SEK.

“It’s incredible to have our heroes believe in what we’ve built and choose to invest. With this funding, we’re fully financed through 2025 and can really focus on taking Sound Realms to the next level,” says Gustav.

The duo is part of Sweden Game Startup, based at Science Park Skövde with a satellite in Gothenburg.

“Being part of the startup program has given us an invaluable network in the games industry, both in Skövde and Gothenburg. Since none of us come from a traditional game dev background, this has been an amazing opportunity to connect, learn, and grow alongside other studios.”

By the end of the year, we aim to have a platform packed with more content and more playable adventures. The goal is to boost sales and secure another round of investment, so we can continue expanding and bringing even more exciting projects to life.