Meet the Starter Studios Co-Creating the #FutureOfPlay and backed by Moonrise Fund
The Moonrise Fund and GLITCH are ecstatic to announce its first three investments, into studios who are are creating worlds for players who want more from their video games.
Together with them, we’re asking the question: what if we had the power to develop, control, co-create and ship the games, playables and experiences we want to see in the world… without asking for permission?
The New Games Industry
We believe that there is a bigger, better, more inclusive and completely revitalized games industry possible – one that is sustainable, co-creative, and shaped by new types of players and experiences.
Here’s what we know:
- The games industry is a $159bn dollar media giant. To put that into perspective, that’s bigger than both the film and music industries– combined.
- Of people who play games, 49% are women, 50% are people of color
- The majority of adults who play don’t identify as “gamers”.
- Women are more likely to own a console than men.
- Men of color are among the most likely, of all demographics, to play video games — specifically 82% of young black men under the age of 18.
Based on these facts and more, we begin to understand that there is a bigger-than-we-realize audience that is hungry for games, but unlikely to self-describe as a community of “gamers”. “From a value perspective, this means that there are dollars left on the proverbial table, and money to be made and moved through new channels. This emerging industry is the #FutureofPlay.
What are we doing about it?
We’re creating a collective to chart our course into the #FutureofPlay– to top the charts, to gas each other up, to share our experiences, and to create a stronger and more inclusive creative economy. Together.
Fundamentally, we believe that equity starts at the leadership level. That’s why GLITCH is focused on solutions that directly give power, influence, and freedom to game developers — especially those seeking to create new modes of play for emerging audiences. We’re backing prototypes from early stage game studios with $120k-250k equity checks via Moonrise Fund and $10k Galaxy Grants for projects from emerging artists.
Who are the teams working together?
Here are the teams we’ve partnered with so far – teams who are thinking bigger and differently about play:
Killer Auto by Virtuoso Neomedia
Virtuoso Neomedia is a fun-forward studio founded on aesthetic commitment, learning from the best of what was and breathing new life into classic energy – creating work that affirms the best of our world.
“I believe in the power of media to positively affect real change in peoples’ lives,” says Virtuoso Neomedia founder Ethan Redd. “Through mechanical, fun-forward design I work to create expressive structures that are as soulful as they are fun and push the arcade school of thought to the next level, while tapping into the larger zeitgeist of the now to create accessible experiences that resonate with new players and hardcore fans alike.”
“When I was a boy, the games I played and the stories I watched got me through some extremely tough times, and gave me a glance at better days, and better worlds. As a man, I want to give that back to people who need it now – Virtuoso Neomedia is an extension of this conviction. We aim for the incredible to inspire it in others; we make games that move us, to move you; we take challenges head-on to show that the improbable is possible. That’s what “Forward Forever” means to me – pushing further, going harder, and daring to keep the dream alive.”About Virtuoso Neomedia’s partnership with GLITCH, Redd continues: “We talked through the prospect of working together at length for some time and the degree of openness, transparency, and genuine commitment to their mission won me over. The fact that my “crazier” ideas were not only received but received with excitement and support gave me everything I needed to know – GLITCH is walking the talk by providing both funding and tool kits to creators and teams that truly think differently, without any attempt at homogenization. It’s rare these days to see an organization embrace the new and unknown with such fervor, and as both an artist and studio lead it’s honestly refreshing to see.“
Raddminton by Virtuoso Neomedia
Future Club is a cooperatively owned and run games company, where everyone on the team has equal ownership and voting power.
“We formed Future Club to make games driven by retro-inspired innovation that push the boundaries of 2D animation, in an environment where all of us share ownership of our creative future,” says creative director Mariel Kinuko Cartwright.”
One of our top priorities was to preserve our worker-owned, cooperative business structure,” says Francesca Esquenazi, CEO of Future Club. “We quickly discovered that this was also something that GLITCH agreed with and wanted to help us promote, so crafting a partnership agreement where we could preserve one of our core values while also benefiting from their experience and network has been really exciting and we hope will be an example of how investors can back worker-owned teams.”
“While we plan to continue developing content for Skullgirls with our partners Hidden Variable and Autumn Games, we’re looking forward to the new experiences we can create with the backing from GLITCH,” says Esquenazi.
Skullgirls by Future Club, Hidden Variable, and Autumn Games
Perfect Garbage is a narrative-driven studio working to intentionally mash-up video game genres while centering new perspectives in existing tropes.
“Our philosophy is to incorporate unique, enthralling narrative into beloved game genres to create new ways to play”, says narrative director Emmett Nahil “If we can show some flair and showcase something wild and fresh, we’re going to reach for it!”
“When talking about the potential partnership with Moonrise and Perfect Garbage,” continues studio director Son M, “we knew we wanted to work with a partner that would let our creative and innovative dev style soar, while also providing grounded business and player insights that would allow us to achieve success. Moonrise and all the folks at GLITCH easily offered us both!”
Love Shore by Perfect Garbage
What next?
If you, like us, believe in the #FutureOfPlay, here’s what you can do:
- Players – Buy our games, join our discord server, and follow along at @VirtuosoComms, @FutureClubDev and @PerfectGarbo. You’re in for something fresh and new like you’ve never seen before.
- Game developers – Apply to the Moonrise Fund (www.heyglitch.com/moonrise) and Galaxy Grants if you’d like to co-create the future with us. And if your project is creating new experiences, submit it to our Toonami inspired #FutureofPlay Direct to broadcast your work to our growing community during E3 and beyond.
- Investors – Make money and make history with us by backing the Moonrise Fund today. Get in touch with Evva Karr, Founder and CEO of GLITCH on Twitter.
We’re ready to go. We’d like you to come with us.
And to those who exist in the industry as it was, who cling to its old and traditional forms, we can only quote our friend and collaborator, Virtuoso Neomedia’s Ethan Redd: “Try to keep up.”