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Soba has raised $13.5 million for its platform where anyone can create games for any device using no-code tools. The Web3 platform aims to empower creators and influencers to build their own games.
Soba is alpha-testing its open-world multiplayer platform to democratize game creation, Soba CEO Juha Paananen said in an interview with GamesBeat.
Lightspeed Venture Partners led the round with participation from FTX Ventures. Other investors included Cherry Ventures, Point Nine Capital and TQ Ventures. Other investors included creators like Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag, Jack “CouRage” Dunlop, Tim “ClashwithAsh” Evans and Alvaro “Alvaro845” González de Buitrago.
Soba’s vision is to build the most inclusive virtual world, where everyone can express their ultimate creativity through game creation. Its mission is to inspire and empower more gamers to become creators themselves.
“The most important thing we’re building is this open world,” Paananen said. “It’s about building tools that allow anyone to build games. And with this we are going to create their own sustainable economy.”
Paananen wants a future in which more people participate in creation, rather than just consumption. He believes that such a world will be much more inspiring.
In the past, creators needed to know how to code to build multiplayer games to play with your friends. Game creation software is limited to PCs that not everyone has access to, the game development tools are often complex and require an extensive investment of time. Soba is changing this.
And it comes from co-founders Juha Paananen, brother of Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen; and Florian Odronitz.
Paananen previously co-founded Nonstop Games, an HTML5 game company acquired by King. He also spent time as an investor at Cherry Ventures in Berlin, then decided to rebuild. I partnered with Odronitz and they started the company in 2019. They have 16 employees.
In Soba, creators can create their own game by adding and configuring elements created by others or by creating visually modified logic without having to know a programming language. It allows creators to build a variety of games, from platformers to shooters, in many different styles.
Soba is free and runs on mobile, PC and Mac, with other platforms coming in the future. As accessibility is paramount to Soba, players will also be able to access the full suite of game creation tools on mobile.
“We are incredibly excited to launch Soba for the first group of creators and players,” said Paananen. “As we spend more time in digital environments, we believe that everyone should be able to create games and define the rules of the game. At the same time, we want to empower digital asset owners, such as NFTs, to build new interactive experiences. We use Web3 to build the most creative gaming platform and are proud to be backed by an amazing group of creators and other investors.”
Paananen is aware that Roblox is the 800-pound gorilla in space, and maybe Minecraft is the 600-pound gorilla. But I’ve noticed that the creators aren’t getting much of the revenue from the current games.
“We see this more as user-generated games,” he said. “It’s about a playing experience. I don’t see us as a tool company. We are a games company. We will build a platform experience. Part of that could be to show experiences. But I’m 100% sure that the best games will come from the users.”
Moving to Web3
With Web3, Paananen believes there has been too much focus on figuring out economics and too little on making fun games.
“The fun of games is where it starts,” he said. “For us, Web3 enables a global payment system. We don’t build play-to-earn games. We want to build something sustainable. We believe there should be stronger monetization models for creators.”
To create the best environment for creators, Soba is incorporating blockchain elements and steadily shifting it to Web3. Creator platform owners have accumulated huge amounts of money, but many creators struggle to recoup the time and energy they put into it.
In addition, creators on Web2 platforms are in danger of losing their content and audience because they don’t actually own their profiles. Through Web3, Soba will enable creators and players alike to own their digital assets such as NFTs, and they will also be able to move those assets to and from other projects. In addition, creators receive a high revenue share for their work, as Soba believes platforms should not be allowed to take the majority of the profits.
“We are proud to support Juha Paananen and the Soba team and believe their experience will help them build a fun open-world gaming platform where web3 can bring value to both players and creators,” said Amy Wu, investor at FTX Ventures. , in a statement.
While the game will be built on Web3, Soba prioritizes its product and allows people to experience the game without having to own tokens, Paananen said. The game is available to anyone who wants to play or create games.
“The barrier to entry for creators of new games is huge right now, Soba is changing this by building a simple yet very powerful no-code game builder and empowering creators to own what they produce,” said Paul Murphy, partner at Lightspeed Ventures. “Soba’s team is exceptional and I am proud to be part of their success.”
Paananen thinks there are a few shifts taking place. Gaming has gone global with projected revenue of over $200 billion this year. The creative economy has also become global and the trend to offer tools without code has accelerated.
“I studied computer science myself and I am a mathematician,” he said. “But these creators come from different backgrounds and they don’t write syntax in code. And I think the no-cod movement is very interesting. We want to empower people to bring their inspiration to life.”
The company is targeting PC and Mac first, then plans to add iOS and Android.
“It’s still small, but people are super excited about what they can build,” Paananen said. “We are enabling a lot more people who couldn’t build with the previous tools. People who may have tried Roblox and Unity, and now they’re off to something new.”
I asked if Paananen hopes to disrupt companies like Supercell. But he shook his head.
“The market is big,” he says.
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