Gaming
Market Leader mod.io Announces $26m Series A to Fuel UGC Growth in More Games
mod.io, the leading platform connecting game studios with community driven user-generated content (UGC), has secured US$26m in its latest round of investment. The funds will be used to further build upon a vision to evolve collaborative digital play, a passion shared by new investors, led by Tencent, who join LEGO Ventures, OIF Ventures and existing investors Makers Fund, Play Ventures, Sequoia Capital India’s Surge and GameTech Ventures in the round.
Within an industry set to surpass $180b annually in 2021, popularity of UGC in video games continues to grow rapidly. mod.io predicts that by 2025, $1 in every $10 spent on video games will be spent on UGC, a 400 percent increase of estimated spend in 2021. UGC would then top $25b globally by 2025. Yet so much of the value modders create lives on the fringes – out of reach for most studios and players. By making mod support easy for studios to adopt and embed within their games and communities, mod.io enables and empowers the next generation of creator-driven economies.
“The metaverse will be built with UGC as foundational components. Player-made content, hand in hand with professional content, made by game studios. Our goal at mod.io is to enable games to launch their own creator economy, providing studios with the building blocks wanted and needed by players,” said mod.io CEO and Co-Founder Scott Reismanis.
As digital play transitions into increasingly social play experiences, game studios are recognising the value and the engagement mods provide. The shift is driven by a growing community demand for deeper personalization, delivering breadth of content and creativity. By actively embracing UGC, studios are choosing to focus on nurturing a stronger relationship with their players.
Bo Wang, Corporate Vice President of Tencent Games said,
“At Tencent, we believe that UGC drives innovation in gaming. Many of the largest video game genres today started out as UGC, or mods, built by enthusiasts on top of existing products. For over two decades, Scott and his team have been instrumental in supporting the growth of this community. As a stakeholder in the future of this industry, Tencent is proud to support mod.io on its path to unlock creativity across the gaming ecosystem.”
Rob Lowe, Managing Director of Digital Play, LEGO Ventures said,”The awesome team at mod.io have created a UGC platform that allows any game to be rebuilt and adapted by the player. We believe this is a great example of the core LEGO idea applied to digital play, and we are extremely excited to support mod.io as they further expand the platform, community and range of games utilising this highly promising technology.”
“Our shared vision with our investors is to help game studios harness the power of their communities’ creativity. Securing this milestone investment helps us develop our existing platform, expand our team, and continue to provide the best modding service for developers, creators and players alike,” adds Reismanis.
Since its launch in 2019, mod.io has been used by more than 80 games including Deep Rock Galactic, Humankind and SnowRunner to grow their creator communities, pioneering the adoption of mods in games spanning PC, console, mobile and VR platforms. Each month, more than 20 million pieces of unique user-generated content are distributed using mod.io to over 3 million players. Annually, that’s hundreds of millions of pieces of content, made by fans, shared with their community, and supported by the developer whose product continually evolves.
Game studios praise the role mod.io has played in helping to further a connection with their community. Over 500 mods have been downloaded 1.4 million times since Ghost Ship Games’ Deep Rock Galactic launched in-game mod support on Steam and Xbox in September 2021.
“Collaborating with mod.io has been a great experience, and we are very satisfied with the integration and player experience mod.io as a platform provides to the game. It also became clear to us that mod.io is working hard to constantly improve their platform, which shows significant promise for the future of the service,” said Søren Lundgaard, CEO Ghost Ship Studios, creators of Deep Rock Galactic.
Fast facts about mod.io and UGC
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20 million pieces of user-generated content are distributed monthly using mod.io, to over 3 million players.
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In 2021, mod.io experienced 300% YoY growth with 177 million mods downloaded year to date.
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mod.io was the first to launch cross-platform mod support in SnowRunner, Skater XL, Space Engineers and TABS on Xbox and PlayStation as well as PC.
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mod.io supports more than 80 different games, across 11 platforms and stores.
Gaming
ZITRO LAUNCHES MERGING FU POTS
Discover the world of Merging Fu Pots and unveil the hidden fortunes within each pot! At 75 credits, players can access 3 combinable features: the Green Pot (Multiplier), the Orange Pot (Double), and the Blue Pot (Extra Spin) to unlock up to 7 different Bonus Links!
But at the boost level bet of 100 credits, players will unlock 1 Merged Pot, which combines the Double, Multiplier, and Extra Spin features for a new gameplay experience! Land 15 link symbols and claim the GRAND MEGA or MEGA jackpot with a spin of a wheel.
The thrill of Fu Pots, now with an extra boost!
Asia
Mythpat, GamerFleet, Piyush Joshi Gaming: India’s popular Minecraft Players Gear Up for the Ultimate Battle in Creators Rumble
Get ready to dive into an electrifying, one-of-a-kind gaming spectacle as India’s most talented gamers face off in the much-anticipated Minecraft tournament titled Creators Rumble, an initiative by OP Gaming, a subsidiary of OpraahFx. This event is set to bring together India’s top Minecraft creators, who will challenge each other and display their mastery over the game in a thrilling competition spanning three rounds which includes Parkour, MLG and PvP.
This event marks the first time that India’s top Minecraft influencers and gaming creators unite in an official tournament format, bringing fans and players alike a whole new level of excitement.
Divided into six teams of four members, they will face off across action-packed Minecraft rounds designed to test every skill—from strategy and creativity to adaptability and teamwork.
Mythpat aka Mithilesh Patankar, one of India’s leading Youtuber and gaming influencers, shared his excitement saying, “Creators Rumble will be a chance to bring the Minecraft gaming community closer, strengthening bonds among creators and igniting excitement for both fans and gamers. India has a huge Minecraft fanbase, and this tournament will introduce even more gamers to the fun of Minecraft.”
The inaugural edition of Creators Rumble will tap into Minecraft’s worldwide popularity, which has grown steadily since its release. In October 2023, Mojang Studios, the game’s developer, revealed it has sold over 300 million copies, making Minecraft the best-selling video game in history. Players of all ages continue to be captivated by its open-ended gameplay and limitless creative potential, where they can build worlds and structures limited only by their imagination.
Anticipating the prospects Mansi Gupta, Chief Business Officer at OpraahFx, emphasized on the industry impact saying, “India’s gaming landscape is thriving, and we believe that the nation has the potential to emerge as one of the world’s biggest pools of gaming talent. The Creators Rumble is a platform for growth, not only for seasoned players but for the entire creator economy. We’re here to support these creators as they captivate audiences with their talents in Minecraft.”
The Creator’s Rumble will see iconic players Mythpat (Mithilesh Patankar) and Gamerfleet (Anshu Bisht) showcasing some exhilarating gaming experience joined by popular gaming creators, Piyush Joshi Gaming (younger brother of popular Indian YouTuber, Sourav Joshi), AndreoBee (Naveen Yadav), MC Addon (Dipanshu Prajapati), PSD1 (Prathamesh), Harshita (Harshita Shukla), ShadowShooter (Pankaj Kumar Sahoo), I.M.Kopi (Bibek Jung Kunwar), Proboiz (Paresh Solanki), Mr Lapis (Jitender Kumar), GameBeat (Nitin Tyagi), Risible Twins (Kartik and Kunal), Yug Playz (Yug Thakkar), Agnit Plays (Vinit Aggarwal), GamerJatin (Jatin Makhija), Spunky Insaan (Harshit Nema), Pahadi Gaming (Lokesh Karakoti), DevXD (Pankaj Dev), Ro9nie (Rohan Chhabra), Sidh4rth (Siddharth), CassalFx (Shrey Patel) and Dattrax Gaming (Harvest Dewangan).
With this monumental event, OP Gaming aims to further solidify India’s role in the global gaming landscape and showcase the extraordinary creativity and camaraderie of the Minecraft community.
The tournament is scheduled to take place on November 22 (Friday) and will be streamed live on the OP Gaming YouTube channel. Six teams – Team Redstone, Team Gold, Team Emeralds, Team Shulker, Team Amethyst, and Team Diamonds, will compete in a series of thrilling challenges, vying for the prestigious title and showcasing the finest Minecraft talent in India.
Gaming
THE BATTLE OF POLYTOPIA RELEASES NEW AQUARION SPECIAL SKIN IN LATEST UPDATE
Midjiwan, the award-winning independent studio behind The Battle of Polytopia has today released a new Aquarion Special Skin, additional language options and balance updates to the recently reworked Aquarion tribe. Players will dive deep into the Ritiki Marshlands encountering a lost Aquarion outpost with the new skin known as “The Forgotten”.
Long ago, when the Aquarion Empire vanished beneath the waves. One remote outpost in the swampy atolls lost all contact, leading its inhabitants to believe they were the last of their kind. This forgotten tribe evolved in isolation, adapting to the marshy landscapes with squid-like appendages and unique abilities to command the swamp and its creatures.
Using the unique abilities of “The Forgotten”, players can build on water, summon giant squids, create speed enhancing bubbles, ride crocodiles, tame toads, and traverse their marshy terrains with ease.
In addition, the latest update to the game now offers expanded language options: Hindi, Indonesian, Malay, Polish, Thai, Turkish & Vietnamese.
Christian Lövstedt, CEO of The Battle of Polytopia, commented: “I feel that this skin is one of the best we’ve created and has quickly become my personal favourite. Additionally, we have added Bubble Tech to the Aquarion Waterways, making that tribe even greater. With expanded language options and new gameplay mechanics, we’re inviting players to dive into the rich lore and strategy that make the Battle of Polytopia truly special.”
To celebrate the launch of the new update, Midjiwan hosted an exclusive livestream event, offering fans a unique look behind the scenes, live gameplay, and discussions with the development team – the livestream is available to watch now: The Forgotten livestrea m by Midjiwan.
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