André Thomas, CEO of Triseum and former Head of Graphics for EA Sports Madden Football, is elevating game-based learning on university campuses by combining rigorous academic standards with advanced graphic design.
New investment in Triseum supports continued growth for a company that already stands out for diversity, with more than 40 percent of its staff being female.
Triseum announces a new funding round of $1.43 million following its official market launch and the initial release of its first game on June 1, 2016. This latest round brings total investment in the company to nearly $2 million.
Founded in 2014 by André Thomas and Rahul Khanorkar out of the LIVE Lab at Texas A&M University, Triseum focuses on developing game-based learning solutions that blend expertise in game development, visual design, market strategy, and educational management. The company has grown rapidly and now employs more than thirty people, including former students and faculty from Texas A&M as well as leading game development professionals from across the country.
Triseum was intentionally built as an interdisciplinary team to address every facet of curriculum interaction. The company’s structure supports student learning while meeting and often exceeding expectations for Game-Based Learning (GBL) from both students and educators.
Randy Rehmann, Chairman and CEO of Dynamic Systems and a Triseum investor, emphasized the urgency of investing in education innovations: “Tuition is at an all-time high and rising. Student graduation and throughput are dropping, and our educational delivery methods for a mobile, digitally driven next generation are failing. Triseum is at the cutting edge of changing that paradigm. Why wouldn’t you invest in the future?”
Through an ongoing partnership with the LIVE Lab at Texas A&M, Triseum develops and tests game designs and prototypes before moving into full production. Experts across the university collaborate with the company to ensure that each game meets rigorous scientific and pedagogical standards and reflects up-to-date research. Students and instructors are tightly integrated into design, development, and testing, so the final products are vetted by the users they are intended to serve.
“We are very proud to have laid a foundation and company culture built on rigorous curriculum and innovative, bleeding-edge digital technology,” said André Thomas. “This combination is enabling us to expand course subjects and grade levels throughout educational systems around the world.”
When Education Game Development Is Done Right, It Works
Triseum is changing the landscape of the Game-Based Learning industry by producing meticulously crafted educational games. The company’s team of gaming and instructional design experts creates immersive digital experiences geared toward measurable learning outcomes. These games are developed to be engaging and effective, aligning curriculum objectives with the expectations and habits of today’s students.
“Game-based learning can serve as the missing link between curriculum objectives and student expectations,” Thomas explains. “Education is better served when academic rigor is presented through experiences and technologies students naturally gravitate to.”
Triseum’s first title from the ARTé suite, ARTé: Mecenas, is designed to support traditional college-level Art History survey courses. The ARTé suite consists of games with targeted learning outcomes that supplement course instruction and deepen student understanding of historical context, economics, and cultural influence.
ARTé: Mecenas immerses players in the Italian Renaissance of the 15th and 16th centuries, offering a perspective on how local and international economies influenced art and patronage. Players assume the role of a member of a wealthy merchant and banking family, navigating relationships with city-states, merchant factions, and the Church to build a financial and cultural legacy. Through decision-making and historical scenarios, students experience the political, social, and economic forces that shaped famous artworks, monuments, and institutions. As players progress, they advance to the role of “Mecenas,” an influential patron of the arts, gaining insight into how commerce and culture intersected during the Renaissance.
CEO Profile
André Thomas brings more than two decades of experience in computer-generated imagery (CGI) and interactive graphics to Triseum. Before co-founding the company, he led graphics efforts for EA Sports football franchises, including NCAA, Madden, Head Coach, and NFL Tour. His career began in film graphics in 1994, contributing to major features and later working on full 3D animated films. In 2007 he joined Electronic Arts, contributing to over 15 shipped football games.
In January 2014 Thomas joined the faculty of the Visualization department at Texas A&M University, where he teaches game design, game development, and interactive graphics techniques. He also founded the Learning Interactive Visualization Experience (LIVE) Lab to support research-driven game development and hands-on collaboration between students, faculty, and industry partners.
About Triseum
Triseum develops high-quality educational video games that empower players to learn through engaging, immersive experiences. Each title is handcrafted, thoroughly tested, and evaluated to ensure strong educational impact. The company is committed to disrupting traditional learning models by harnessing the natural learning power of video games to create authentic, curiosity-driven experiences for students and educators.
Triseum’s mission is to create meaningful learning opportunities that engage students through games—supporting bold curiosity, lifelong learning, and measurable academic outcomes.