Random Games, a new studio reinventing the videogame business through a combination of community empowerment and blockchain, has raised a $7.6 million seed round of funding.
It is creating the Unioverse, a community-owned franchise that it says flips the script on the relationship between developer, gamer and fan.
The Unioverse will kick off with a series of videogames, but unlike any other franchises, the assets used to make those games will be made available to other developers and the community, royalty-free.
The company says its AAA-quality characters, artwork, models and music can be downloaded and used by anyone to make their own games, comic books, movies, lunchboxes, T-shirts – whatever they can imagine. Plus, creators can sell whatever they make and keep the money.
The round was co-led by Resolute Ventures and Asymmetric, with participation from IGNIA, 2 Punks Capital, ID345, Polygon and notable game developer David Jones.
“Imagine if Marvel released character art and 3D models and told fans to go make – and profit from – their fan films and comics,” said Tony Harman, co-founder of Random Games.
“That’s how big this idea is. We have a team of world-class writers, artists and developers building the Unioverse and we are basically giving it away.”
Random Games is co-founded by a pair of gaming industry veterans that bring a wealth of creativity and experience with global entertainment franchises. Harman previously ran development and acquisition for Nintendo of America, launching iconic hits such as Donkey Kong Country and Killer Instinct; and has run multiple independent game studios responsible for developing such genre-defining franchises such as Grand Theft Auto and Crackdown.
Wyeth Ridgway, was founder and CEO of Leviathan Games, which over the past two decades has worked with dozens of beloved franchises including Terminator, Star Trek, South Park and Pirates of the Caribbean.
The Unioverse will use NFTs as part of its path to reinventing the games business. Players will purchase an NFT character avatar, which is used to access and play Unioverse games. Because these avatars are NFTs, players can keep or sell them as they wish, and avatars will be interoperable across games in the Unioverse.
“We’re very excited to back such a strong team and are looking forward to watching them build a franchise that is literally changing the economics of gaming,” said investor Joe McCann, founder and CEO of Asymmetric.
“In the Unioverse, blockchain technology is organically and thoughtfully incorporated and will change the name of the game in the entertainment economy.”
In addition to fostering creativity in its community, Random Games is actively seeking independent studios of all sizes to develop games set in the Unioverse.