Gamefam has created a $5 million fund for user-generated content material (UGC) creators engaged on Roblox, Fortnite and different UGC gaming platforms.
Gamefam calls itself a metaverse media firm for GenZ and Gen Alpha. It has greater than 30 live-service video games throughout Roblox and Fortnite, with greater than 30 billion lifetime visits and 12 million common each day visits, mentioned Joe Ferencz, CEO of Gamefam, in an interview with GamesBeat.
One-quarter of the funds are reserved solely for investments in creators from underrepresented backgrounds. The dedication follows Gamefam’s emphasis on supporting all gamers and builders as they make their mark on the colourful gaming trade.
The 25% of the fund going to underrepresented creators is “part of our commitment to being a great community member in the creative community and to the values of diversity, which is a strong value at Gamefam,” Ferencz mentioned.
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How the fund works
The Gamefam Creator Fund is a pool of capital as much as $5 million obtainable to fund essentially the most bold recreation concepts throughout Roblox, Fortnite and different UGC gaming platforms. Gamefam goals to help and provides again to the rapidly-growing creator neighborhood in UGC gaming with seed funding, professional recommendation and proprietary assets for essentially the most progressive creator visions, Ferencz mentioned.
Chosen creators will probably be awarded funding between $10,000 and $100,000. The creators will profit from recreation design recommendation and roadmap planning. Gamefam’s professional workforce will present invaluable steerage in recreation design and roadmap planning, guaranteeing creator initiatives attain their full potential and stay on observe.
It can additionally provide monetization steerage. Gamefam will share proprietary instruments and confirmed finest practices to assist builders maximize alternatives for monetization.
Gamefam focuses on bringing manufacturers and IPs to UGC gaming with scale and impression, and with established companion relationships, Gamefam will present model alternatives for video games within the fund.
The corporate may also give creators entry to Gamefam belongings. With entry to Gamefam’s repository of customized pre-made belongings and mental property, creators chosen for the fund will be capable of streamline the event course of, saving each time and power.
Gamefam may also assist with advertising and marketing and influencers. The agency will guarantee creator experiences resonate deeply inside Gen Z and Alpha communities throughout social media platforms the place they dwell once they’re not within the metaverse.
And it’ll present entry to analytics. Gamefam’s multi-faceted measurement options provide builders complete insights into participant habits, in-game engagements and monetization methods, permitting creators to optimize video games in actual time to satisfy viewers preferences.
Ferencz mentioned, “We are extremely proud to unveil the Gamefam Creator Fund, designed to give the next generation of creator heroes the resources they need to build amazing experiences for amazing communities. Since day one, Gamefam has set out to amplify the voices and visions of developers on platforms like Roblox and Fortnite. After 5 years as the leader in this space, we are delighted to share financial resources and best practices as part of our long-term commitment to championing creators and creative innovation and excellence. – the Gamefam Creator Fund is another tangible example of our dedication to the community.”
Every deal will take the type of an funding, the place creators retain possession of their content material and Gamefam will get a significant a part of the enterprise.
The funding quantities will probably be doled out on a rolling foundation till the fund is absolutely deployed. Over time, Ferencz mentioned he hopes the fund will develop larger, as third events and creators have requested an opportunity to place cash into it.
The considering behind the fund
“Since we started the company five years ago, our goal has been to partner with Roblox creators and support them in creating the next generation of mega hit franchises from UGC gaming,” Ferencz mentioned.
He mentioned the corporate has been doing funding on a one-off foundation, strategically choosing video games and pouring assets into them.
“We realized that what makes Roblox go is really the zeitgeist and serendipity of innovation. And so this is an initiative to move even faster,” he mentioned. “We already moved very fast. And we want to move at the speed of Roblox because there are new releases all the time.”
He added, “And the way to do that is to partner with the creative community, knowing that whatever they were going to do on their own, with a combination of financial and best practice, and tangible asset resources from game plan, we’ll be able to do it even faster.”
Different funds like Epic Mega Grants have been centered on pushing technical boundaries or a specific agenda. Ferencz mentioned this fund will spotlight creativity.
“We’re really looking for the most exciting, creative ideas. It could be something that exists in the blocky-looking graphics. Something that exists in the highest resolution graphics that platforms can offer — that’s not part of our selection criteria. Our selection criteria is will it delight players.”
Eligibility
Eligible creators and initiatives should meet the next tips:
- The fund will largely be centered on Roblox and Fortnite however all UGC video games are eligible for consideration.
- International: There are not any applicant restrictions primarily based on location. Gamefam needs to listen to about the very best recreation concepts from wherever creators are.
- Recreation Standing: Entrants should have a working prototype of the sport in consideration. If not, entrants ought to have launched video games prior to now.
- Employment: Entrants should not be a full-time worker of a online game firm. Choice for the fund should not battle with any agreements with present employers.
Entries will probably be reviewed by a roundtable of judges together with Gamefam staff – throughout recreation improvement, advertising and marketing, finance and operations – and trade leaders from Gamefam’s advisory board and investor companions. Effectively-known UGC recreation creators may also be collaborating within the initiative.
The Gamefam Creator Fund is presently open for purposes. The Gamefam workforce will attain out in the event that they wish to study extra. Entries will probably be reviewed on a rolling foundation.
Gamefam’s progress
Established in 2019 as an early skilled Roblox developer, Gamefam now has an enormous viewers and a steady of name companions. The mental property companions embody Paramount, Warner Music Group, the NFL, Netflix, Mattel, Sony, Sega, Samsung and Crunchyroll.
Some manufacturers like Barbie, Sonic, Scorching Wheels and SpongeBob Squarepants have performed fantastically, Ferencz mentioned. Titles constructed by creator s similar to Tremendous League Soccer and Warfare Tycoon and Automobile Dealership Tycoon are additionally fairly huge, he mentioned.
“Roblox is a mix of the creator and brands and anything and everything can happen on a given day,” he mentioned.
Gamefam’s prime branded and authentic franchises embody Sonic Pace Simulator, Twilight Daycare, Barbie DreamHouse Tycoon, SpongeBob Simulator, Deadpines: Zombie Survival, Obby However on a Bike HD, Tremendous League Soccer and Automobile Dealership Tycoon.
As for Roblox, Ferencz mentioned it’s thought-about by manufacturers to be crucial gaming platform from a consumer and viewers engagement standpoint. However he added that it isn’t but on the scale of income that may be achieved with cellular free to play video games or console.
“That’s nonetheless coming on-line and rising on a regular basis. So we’re taking a look at tips on how to construct long-term methods for world manufacturers, the place Roblox is a important engagement platform the identical approach Instagram, YouTube and TikTok.
Case research in success
I additionally interviewed Michael Galstyan, creator and writer of Warfare Tycoon at Gamefam, (recognized within the Roblox neighborhood as KizmoTek), and Matt Zanazzo, head of Fortnite at Gamefam (recognized within the Fortnite neighborhood as “Immature Gamer“).
“The resources provided by the Gamefam Creator Fund are very similar to the model that catapulted my game War Tycoon in just two years to become the No. 1 game in its genre and a top 25 overall game on the platform,” Galstyan mentioned. “Gamefam has the amplification solutions, data analytics and overall best practices for live operations in the segment, and they work even better with a passionate creator-owner at the forefront. We can’t wait to meet some new creator-partners through the fund.”
Zanazzo is an influencer within the Fortnite neighborhood and he created Infinite Zonewars.
Concerning the Gamefam fund, Zanazzo mentioned, “I’m proud to work for a company that is so focused on helping the creator community. It’s not just about funding projects; it’s about helping the next generation of game industry professionals find their voice and footing so they can delight audiences around the world and be a force for fun and joy. As a creator and developer whose Fortnite studio found a home with Gamefam a few years ago, I’m excited to further support creators in whatever corner of the metaverse gaming world they’re building in.”
Zanazzo mentioned, “What really attracted me to Gamefam was just their wealth of knowledge. For years, they’ve proven they can make hit after hit. We’ve seen larger studios coming into Fortnite and they’re trying to set their foothold here. It’s hard. And that’s what Gamefam really brings. They’ve been around. They know the UGC space better than anyone and understand what players are looking for.”
Ferencz mentioned the choice committee continues to be being fashioned, with creators like Galstyan and Zanazzo probably becoming a member of it in addition to seasoned builders from conventional video games. Gamefam will take a look at the highest genres on the UGC platforms and search for product-market match in addition to innovation.
Galstyan’s recreation grew to become a small hit when it launched, however Gamefam helped take it to a different degree. Galstyan was in a position to work on deeper mechanics to maintain gamers centered on coming again to a “live service” recreation. Gamefam helped with issues like renaming the sport as Warfare Tycoon, which a extra broadly interesting title than the unique Oil Warfare. It helped with search engine optimization, revised the brand, and employed individuals who understood tips on how to make weapons and automobiles for such video games. The KPIs grew and the sport has had greater than 400 million performs thus far. It’s the No. 1 army recreation on Roblox.
Ferencz mentioned that Zanazzo created a recreation years in the past referred to as Infinite Zone for Fortnite. It had nice KPIs on the time, nevertheless it fell out of prominence with the Fortnite algorithm. Gamefam will relaunch that recreation together with one of many greatest Fortnite influencers on the planet.
“That’s the kind of thing that Gamefam can do,” Ferencz mentioned. “I always say we can’t guarantee we’ll get a deal with anybody we target, but we can guarantee we can get in touch with almost anybody in the world. And that is valuable to indie creators who don’t necessarily have that network.”
