PlaySafe ID has raised $1.12 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Early Game Ventures.

With participation from Hartmann Capital and Overwolf, the funding will expand PlaySafe ID’s digital identity platform as it prepares a “go-for-market” launch targeting 250,000 users.

PlaySafe ID issues players with a “verified, anonymous, and game-agnostic digital ID” to prove that a user “is real and hasn’t been caught cheating or being inappropriate to children”.

The firm is currently in talks “with several major gaming platforms” and is aiming to announce its first partnerships later this year.

“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 PlaySafe ID CEO Andrew Wailes.

“With cheating in games as a mass epidemic that ruins fun for players daily, and the Online Safety Act ushering in long overdue requirements for child protection in gaming, PlaySafe ID’s mission to safeguard gamers isn’t just relevant – it’s now essential for compliance and the future of global gaming.”

Early Game Ventures managing partner Cristian Munteanu added: “We believe PlaySafe ID is building the trust later for gaming – and beyond.

“In a world where AI and anonymity are eroding safety and fairness, PlaySafe ID restores balance with identity, transparency, and accountability. Once a gamer is verified through PlaySafe ID, that identity becomes portable across games, platforms, and genres.”

Munteanu concluded: “The more developers adopt it, the more valuable it becomes to players – and vice versa. Eventually, the verified identity becomes a default layer of the gaming stack, just like your Steam account or your Xbox Live profile. It’s a winner-takes-all kind of play.”