Lightspeed and GamesBeat have announced the winners of the inaugural Game Changers 2024, a list of 25 gaming startups that are pushing the boundaries of technology and user experience in the gaming industry. The winners were selected by a panel of 15 industry judges from various sectors and backgrounds, based on criteria such as vision, execution, diversity, equity, inclusion, and sustainability. The winners span across five key categories: game studios, gaming platforms, interactive technology, extended reality, and blockchain and web3.
Game studios: Creating immersive and engaging games for diverse audiences
The game studios category showcases the startups that are developing original and innovative games for various platforms and genres. The winners are:
- Agora Games: A mobile game studio that leverages blockchain technology to create play-to-earn games that empower players to own their digital assets and monetize their gameplay.
- Bossa Studios: A BAFTA-winning indie game developer that creates quirky and humorous games such as Surgeon Simulator, I Am Bread, and Worlds Adrift.
- Frost Giant Studios: A real-time strategy game developer founded by former Blizzard veterans who worked on StarCraft II and Warcraft III.
- Giant Squid: An award-winning game studio that creates artistic and atmospheric games such as ABZÛ and The Pathless.
- Klang Games: A Berlin-based game studio that is developing Seed, a massively multiplayer online simulation where players create and manage their own societies in a persistent shared world.
Gaming platforms: Enabling user-generated content and social interactions
The gaming platforms category highlights the startups that are building platforms that allow users to create, share, and play their own games and content, as well as connect with other gamers. The winners are:
- Core Games: A platform that lets anyone create and publish high-quality multiplayer games in minutes, using Unreal Engine and a powerful scripting language.
- Manticore Games: A platform that enables anyone to create and play immersive multiplayer games using Core, a free game creation tool powered by Unreal Engine.
- Rec Room: A social VR platform that lets users create and play games with their friends, as well as explore thousands of user-generated rooms.
- Singularity 6: A platform that aims to create virtual worlds where players can build meaningful communities and live out their fantasies.
- SuperSocial: A platform that enables kids to create and play games with their friends, as well as learn coding and digital citizenship skills.
Interactive technology: Enhancing the gaming experience with AI and 3D
The interactive technology category showcases the startups that are using artificial intelligence and 3D technology to enhance the gaming experience, such as voice modulation, facial animation, character creation, and game design. The winners are:
- Artie: A platform that uses AI to create interactive avatars that can be embedded in any app or website, enabling users to chat with their favorite characters and celebrities.
- Genvid Technologies: A platform that enables developers to create interactive live streams for games, where viewers can influence the gameplay and narrative.
- Modulate AI: A platform that uses AI to modulate the voice of gamers in real time, allowing them to customize their voice identity and filter out toxic speech.
- Replica Studios: A platform that uses AI to generate realistic and expressive voices for games, animations, podcasts, and more.
- Wolf3D: A platform that uses AI to create realistic and personalized 3D avatars for games, social media, and VR/AR applications.
Extended reality: Expanding the gaming horizons with AR/VR/MR
The extended reality category features the startups that are developing augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality applications for gaming, entertainment, education, and more. The winners are:
- BigBox VR: A VR game studio that creates social and immersive games such as POPULATION: ONE, a battle royale game where players can fly, climb, build, and explore a massive VR world.
- Nreal: A company that develops lightweight and stylish mixed reality glasses that can project 3D holograms onto the real world, enabling users to enjoy immersive AR experiences.
- Resolution Games: A VR/AR game studio that creates accessible and fun games for all ages, such as Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs, Bait!, Blaston, and Demeo.
- Spatial: A platform that transforms any space into a shared augmented reality workspace, where users can collaborate with holographic avatars of their colleagues or friends.
- Within: A company that creates immersive storytelling experiences for VR/AR platforms, such as Supernatural, a fitness app that combines music, coaching, and scenic landscapes.
Blockchain and web3: Revolutionizing the gaming economy with decentralized technologies
The blockchain and web3 category highlights the startups that are using decentralized technologies such as blockchain, cryptocurrencies, NFTs (non-fungible tokens), and DAOs (decentralized autonomous organizations) to create new gaming economies and experiences. The winners are:
- Axie Infinity: A blockchain-based game that lets players collect, breed, and battle digital pets called Axies, as well as earn cryptocurrencies and NFTs through their gameplay.
- Dapper Labs: A company that creates blockchain-based games and platforms, such as CryptoKitties, NBA Top Shot, and Flow, a fast and scalable blockchain for digital assets and games.
- Immutable: A company that develops blockchain-based games and platforms, such as Gods Unchained, a trading card game where players own their cards as NFTs, and Immutable X, a layer-2 scaling solution for NFTs.
- Mythical Games: A company that creates blockchain-based games and platforms, such as Blankos Block Party, a multiplayer party game where players can create and customize their own characters and worlds, and Mythical Marketplace, a platform where players can buy, sell, and trade their digital assets.
- Yield Guild Games: A decentralized gaming organization that invests in NFTs and play-to-earn games, as well as supports its members to earn income through playing games.
Congratulations to all the winners of the Game Changers 2024! You can learn more about them and their products on their websites or social media channels.
