PlaySafe ID Raises $1.12M to Tackle Gaming’s Cheater Crisis

In a move set to reshape the future of online gaming security, PlaySafe ID has raised $1.12 million (€1 million) in pre-seed funding to expand its privacy-first digital identity platform for gamers. The round was led by Early Game Ventures, with participation from Hartmann Capital and Overwolf.

Designed to root out cheaters, hackers, bots, and online predators without sacrificing player privacy, PlaySafe ID delivers a game-agnostic, anonymized digital ID that verifies real players and flags bad actors — from cheaters to those behaving inappropriately toward minors in games.

“This round gives us the firepower to move fast, expand our world-class team, and partner with games that want the most fair and safe environment for players to enjoy,” said Andrew Wailes, CEO of PlaySafe ID. “Cheating in games is a mass epidemic that ruins the fun for players daily. With regulatory shifts like the Online Safety Act setting new standards for child protection in gaming, safeguarding players isn’t just good practice — it’s fast becoming essential.”

A New Layer of Trust for Online Games

As online gaming surges past 3 billion active players globally, ensuring fairness and accountability has become an urgent challenge. Traditional moderation tools and account bans are easily bypassed by creating new accounts. PlaySafe ID’s approach introduces a portable, verified identity layer that travels with a player across games and platforms — a kind of “passport” for the online gaming world.

“PlaySafe ID is building the trust layer for gaming — and beyond,” said Cristian Munteanu, Managing Partner at Early Game Ventures. “As AI, bots, and anonymity erode safety and fairness in digital spaces, this platform restores balance with transparency and accountability. It’s a winner-takes-all kind of play.”

The investment will fuel rapid team expansion, platform integrations, and a major go-to-market push, with a target of 250,000+ users in the coming months. Early talks are already underway with several major gaming platforms, with the first partnerships expected to roll out later this year.

The Race to Clean Up Toxic Gaming Communities

Felix Hartmann, Managing Partner at Hartmann Capital, called PlaySafe ID “a judicial system for the digital world.” As multiplayer communities grow more competitive — and at times, toxic — PlaySafe’s technology offers a path to restore accountability in ungoverned virtual spaces, ensuring that bad actors can no longer evade consequences by simply switching accounts or migrating between games.

In an industry where even high-profile esports tournaments struggle with cheating scandals, PlaySafe ID’s timing couldn’t be better.

Editor’s Note:
PlaySafe ID’s vision echoes wider industry movements toward unified digital identities. Microsoft’s Xbox Enforcement Strike system, launched last year, introduced a tiered punishment model for disruptive behavior — but without a portable identity layer across games. PlaySafe’s platform could fill that gap and, if broadly adopted, might even rival Steam, Xbox Live, or PSN profiles as a core component of a player’s digital presence.