Published on: 30/06/2022
Soba raises $13.5 million to develop no-code game development platform
Web3 platform Soba has recently announced that it has raised $13.5 million from a funding round led by several industry backers, such as Lightspeed Venture Partners, FTX Ventures, Cherry Ventures, Point Nine Capital, and TQ Ventures.
Aside from the funding round success, Soba also announced that the platform is launching its first out of four development phases. The first phase is Soba’s Alpha launch, where the platform is now made available on mobile. The team confirmed that access would be given based on a waitlist.
$13.5 million for no-code game development platform
Soba was founded to provide both developers and video game enthusiasts with an easy-to-use development platform. The project, backed by engineers, artists, and designers, aimed to diversify the development of video games without the need “to know how to code”.
Soba CEO Juha Paananen explained in an interview with GamesBeat that the platform is keen to “democratize game creation” prior to launching the Alpha phase of the project. The team prepared a multiplayer open-world platform ahead of the Alpha phase.
“The key thing we’re building is this open world,” Paananen said. “It’s about building tools where everybody can build games. And with this, we’re going to create their own sustainable economy.”
With a significant emphasis on building an inclusive virtual world, Soba encourages gamers to develop their own games. Such an idea is something that Paananen was aware of before Soba’s inception.
The CEO firmly believes that gaming enthusiasts should participate in creating instead of simply consuming games. Therefore, Soba positions itself as a tool provider of game development, breaking the idea that creating a game will always be time-consuming, complex, and expensive.
“The key thing we’re building is this open world,” he added. “It’s about building tools where everybody can build games. And with this, we’re going to create their own sustainable economy.”
Soba’s Alpha launch and future plans
Following its Alpha launch, Soba can be used to develop various video game genres, such as platformers, shooters, and more. While the conventional gaming development is only limited to high-end PCs, Soba can run on mobile, PC, and Mac and is free of charge.
The platform might still be far from reaching its fourth phase or the full launch. However, among many other features set to be released in the coming future, Soba’s Alpha launch will expose developers to community libraries, custom 3D asset integration, and even game monetization
“We’re incredibly excited to launch Soba to the first group of creators and players. As we spend more time in digital environments, we believe that everyone should be able to make games and define the rules of play,” Paananen continued.
“At the same time, we want to enable owners of digital assets, like NFTs, to build new interactive experiences. We’re using Web3 to build the most creator-friendly gaming platform and we’re proud to be backed by an amazing group of creators and other investors.”
When it comes to Web3 monetization, the CEO assured everyone that the team is not planning to create yet another play-to-earn project.
“The games being fun is where it starts,” he said. “For us, Web3 is enabling a global payment system. We are not building play-to-earn games. We want to build something sustainable. We think there should be stronger monetization models for the creators.”
As the digital industry grows, blockchain elements will be incorporated into the platform in a bid to slowly yet steadily shift to Web3. In other words, “stronger monetization models” will be created where creators will receive what is due for the time and energy spent developing a project.
