Overworld and Rough House Games have teamed up to create Reach Labs, a decentralized publishing platform designed to address the challenges of community-driven game distribution. This collaboration combines the strengths of both companies, aiming to empower players, creators, and communities with real incentives and rewards.
Reach Labs marks a significant shift in how games are distributed, with a focus on decentralization and community engagement. The platform aims to democratize the distribution process, ensuring that players and creators are rewarded for their contributions. This initiative comes in response to the current lack of incentives for community contributions in traditional publishing models. Overworld and Rough House Games believe that fostering a community-driven ecosystem will help games achieve sustainable growth and success.
Jeremy Horn, co-founder of Xterio, emphasized the importance of this innovation, stating, “Reach is an actual application of both blockchain technology and community-first ethos. Reach will take both the web3 and web2 world by storm by finally solving post-IDFA distribution challenges.”
Rough House Games, originally the web3 arm of mobile game publisher Jam City, has undergone several transformations since 2023. After separating from Jam City and later from Plai Labs, the company continued to focus on its ambitious projects, including Champions Ascension, a combat RPG, and the Keystone Protocol, a decentralized social network technology designed to empower and reward players, creators, and communities.
Meanwhile, Overworld, part of the Xterio ecosystem, has been working on multiple game titles, including an action RPG called Conquest and a mobile strategy game named Kingdoms. Overworld’s collaboration with Rough House Games through Reach Labs will allow both companies to tap into new ways of distributing games and engaging with their audience.
Initially, Reach Labs will provide marketing support for games like Conquest and Champions Ascension. However, the platform plans to expand its ecosystem, inviting other developers to join and adopt its decentralized publishing model. By prioritizing community involvement and rewarding passionate players, Reach Labs hopes to set a new standard for the gaming industry, blending the best of web3 and web2 technologies.