Volcano Diver launches VersusNow skill-based platform with real-world money rewards

Volcano Diver has launched VersusNow a game-streaming platform with skill-based video games the place you compete for real-world money rewards.

Volcano Diver, based mostly in Las Vegas, has launched a software program improvement equipment (SDK) for builders in a beta stage till the complete launch comes on January 26.

VersusNow gives avid gamers a option to showcase their expertise in aggressive play, competing for real-world money rewards. With a lineup of 12 video games, together with new titles like 21 Solitaire, Bingo, Bubble Shooter, and extra, gamers can have interaction in skill-based gameplay whereas vying for money prizes based mostly on their efficiency.

The platform goals to attraction to avid gamers of all talent ranges, offering an avenue for even informal gamers to show their experience into money rewards. VersusNow guarantees quick and seamless gameplay, truthful matchmaking, and clear match outcomes.

The corporate siad the platform has a hack-proof surroundings, constructed on patented streaming expertise, which ensures safety throughout numerous platforms, together with consoles, PC, dwelling set-top and streaming bins, and cellular units.

Sean Lee, co-CEO of Volcano Diver, stated, “VersusNow has been meticulously crafted to align with these profound values. We warmly welcome gamers to exhibit their expertise, earn well-deserved rewards, and encourage builders to discover thrilling avenues to make sure their titles flourish for years to come back.”

VersusNow goes past conventional gaming platforms by introducing a novel ticketing system the place gamers buy tickets to take part in matches, creating an interesting and aggressive surroundings. The platform additionally eliminates the necessity for sport installations, permitting gamers to entry and play video games conveniently anytime, anyplace.

For builders, VersusNow gives an SDK that seamlessly integrates into multiplayer and single-player video games throughout consoles, PC, cellular, and TV platforms by means of supported browsers. The SDK gives help for tournaments and leagues, participant rating-driven matchmaking, attractive rewards, incentive applications, and environment friendly fund withdrawals in numerous foreign money sorts.

With an overarching purpose of empowering builders and making a sustainable mannequin for monetization, VersusNow goals to contribute to the expansion and success of the gaming trade.

Established in January 2023, Volcano Diver is a platform improvement firm that brings collectively builders, artists, and entrepreneurs from main corporations to create a brand new type of leisure platform. The corporate has 12 folks, and it expects to boost a brand new spherical of funding, Lee stated.

Huge Choi Beom is the cofounder and co-CEO who has labored at Nimble Neuron, Fincon, Wemade, Blizzard, and NHN. Lee has labored at Fincon, NeoWiz, Philips, MGM Studio Metropolis and he was head of Apple’s App Retailer in South Korea.

In that function, Lee managed the nation’s multi-billion greenback App Retailer enterprise, strategically specializing in maximizing each app and sport enterprise efficiency on the platform. Underneath his management, the App Retailer for Korea noticed a 2.3 occasions income improve over the 4.5 years.

Lee labored with Beom since 2012 on 3D turn-based role-playing video games on cellular. They labored on that for perhaps 5 years after which went their separate methods. Lee joined Apple to run the App Retailer in South Korea. Then, he teamed up with Beom once more A few years in the past, they got down to construct a platform to stream video games from the cloud, like Google Stadia. They noticed why different platforms struggled and labored to create extra environment friendly servers that would stream to many customers at decrease prices. They virtualized the graphics processing unit (GPU) to serve scores of customers with one server to decrease the prices of streaming.

Alongside the best way, they noticed that it was tougher for cellular sport builders to outlive, because of tough consumer acquisition as Apple targeted extra on consumer privateness over focused adverts.

Relatively than concentrate on hardcore video games, Volcano Diver targeted on utilizing the tech platform for streaming informal video games. And the targeted on skill-based video games due to the sturdy monetization mannequin, and so they figured the cloud tech would allow them to confirm who gained every match extra simply with out dishonest.

“The factor that basically us about it was it was very easy for customers to immediately play their video games and never have to attend for installs,” Lee stated. “We leverage the streaming and make it so avid gamers don’t waste their time ready for video games to put in.”

They opened the service in December and the beta tech is now working. They’re working with PayPal and others to implement fee choices. The corporate has 50 skill-based video games, however it’s opening with simply 12 on the outset. The video games like Bingo or solitaire might be performed in three to 4 minutes. The service is offered worldwide, however within the U.S. they’re targeted on 29 states the place the skill-based gaming is clearly authorized. In some states, it’s topic to regulation as it’s categorised as playing. However most states don’t contemplate it playing if there may be talent concerned in successful.

The corporate invitations customers in to play video games and so they purchase tickets. They use a ticket to enter a sport with the purpose of successful prize cash.

Along with the cloud tech, the corporate additionally has a advertising and marketing benefit. Relatively than promote only a single sport, they’ll promote the platform and get folks to come back play a number of video games, moderately than only a single sport.

“This drastically reduces the advertising and marketing prices,” Lee stated.