Élisa Interactive Targets Roblox Creators With AI Design Tool

Montréal-based Élisa Interactive has secured $875,000 in pre-seed funding to simplify the creation of virtual worlds within Roblox, BetaKit reports. Founded by Julien Bélanger and his father, François Bélanger, the company is developing an AI-powered level design tool called Me-Z-Scene.

Rather than generating new assets, Me-Z-Scene functions by arranging existing pieces to build environments like villages or castles based on user prompts. François Bélanger likened the experience to a Playmobil toy set, noting that while users can follow instructions, the goal is to allow them to create their own custom worlds. While the technology was initially intended to reduce "drudge work" for professional game studios, the founders pivoted toward a non-professional audience after realizing that studio-specific versions of the tool were too specialized, according to BetaKit.

Roblox, which sees over 151 million daily active users and hosts seven million user-generated "experiences," requires significant developer skills for world-building. Me-Z-Scene aims to plug into this open ecosystem to help amateurs build their own environments. François Bélanger indicated the company may eventually expand into other user-generated content games, including Fortnite and Minecraft.

The pre-seed round included investments from Anges Québec, AQC Capital, a group of angel investors, and Investissement Québec’s Eurêka Fund. Me-Z-Scene is currently in a testing phase with just under 100 users. A full launch is scheduled for this fall, utilizing a credit-based pricing model that is still being finalized. François Bélanger stated the company is betting on users wanting to have fun with friends in custom environments rather than promising financial gain.