Moon Beast Productions, an impartial recreation studio based by trade veterans Phil Shenk, Peter Hu, and Erich Schaefer, has secured $4.5 million in seed funding.
Led by 1AM Gaming, the spherical is joined by 1UP Ventures, The Mini Fund, Overwolf, Versus Ventures, and a community of notable angel buyers that features Gaingels, Cohh Carnage, and Mark Pincus.
This funding, which arrived again in June, marks a important second for the studio, offering sources to develop the staff whereas sustaining the lean, centered strategy that has outlined Moon Beast Productions since its inception. The funding will speed up the studio’s improvement of an progressive motion role-playing recreation (ARPG) that challenges standard design paradigms.
“In at the moment’s difficult funding atmosphere, we’re extremely lucky to have buyers who perceive our imaginative and prescient,” mentioned Peter Hu, president and cofounder, in a press release. “Our strategy has at all times been about working smarter, not simply more durable. We’re constructing reusable, data-driven methods that permit us to iterate quickly and create extra with much less.”
The studio is conscious about the challenges dealing with impartial recreation builders. Whereas big-budget triple-A titles dominate the market, gamers are more and more hungry for contemporary, progressive experiences that break free from formulaic design. Moon Beast sees this as a chance to supply one thing genuinely totally different. The corporate’s recreation is at its first playable stage the place the corporate can get suggestions.
“We’ve by no means been content material to observe the group,” mentioned Phil Shenk, CEO of Moon Beast Productions, in a press release. “All through our careers, we’ve at all times pushed to redefine genres. We have been there firstly, serving to to invent ARPGs with Diablo and Diablo II. Within the years following, from Hellgate: London to Torchlight, and Marvel Heroes On-line, we’ve constantly sought to develop what gamers anticipate from the style.”
An ARPG for all
Shenk isn’t but revealing the title or particulars of the sport. However the upcoming undertaking is a testomony to this philosophy. Wanting again to the pivotal second after Diablo II, the staff is exploring an alternate trajectory for motion RPGs—one which was not possible with the know-how of over twenty years in the past. Their new recreation goals to reimagine what the style may have turn into if ARPG designs had taken a distinct path.
“Quite a lot of of us which are having bother getting their A spherical or B spherical, and C rounds are robust too. And so we have been lucky that we discovered 1am Gaming and others that believed in us, they usually need to assist us make it occur,” Shenk mentioned in an interview with GamesBeat.
He added, “We need to get our title on the market and let individuals know that we’re nonetheless alive and we’re cranking away and we’re enthusiastic about what we’re constructing. After which that’ll lead into subsequent yr, once we’re actually wanting ahead to have the ability to inform individuals what we’re engaged on.”
The pitch was interesting to some buyers partly as a result of it wasn’t centered on essentially the most hardcore gamers, although it’s an motion RPG, Shenk mentioned.
“It’s an ARPG that everybody can play,” he mentioned.
Leveraging superior procedural era and dynamic world applied sciences, Moon Beast is making a recreation world that gives actually distinctive experiences with every playthrough. The purpose is an expansive, open-ended design that gives gamers with unprecedented freedom and replayability.
“For the previous 20 years, we’ve dreamed of ARPG gameplay in additional open, dynamic worlds,” mentioned Erich Schaefer, chief inventive officer, in a press release. “We lastly have the technological capabilities and a long time of design expertise to deliver these visions to life. We’re going again to what made these early Diablo video games really feel so superior however taking them in some cool, contemporary instructions.”
A key innovation is the studio’s dedication to user-generated content material (UGC). “Our world know-how is inherently dynamic, which makes it extremely straightforward for gamers to create and combine their very own content material,” Husaid. “We’re constructing in-game instruments that permit gamers to not simply mod, however doubtlessly create fully new recreation modes utilizing our strong, client-server ARPG methods.”
Avner Florenthal, vp of enterprise improvement at Overwolf, in a press release. “We’re thrilled by Moon Beast’s imaginative and prescient for participant creativity. Their strategy to UGC has the potential to increase the sport’s life and even spark fully new gameplay experiences.”
Shenk elaborated, “Take into consideration how MOBAs emerged from Warcraft III mods. Our UGC instruments may equally unlock fully new genres constructed on ARPG gameplay and methods.”
Overwolf is concentrated on user-generated content material and modding. Shenk believes the sport will profit from embracing UGC and the need for self expression.
Lead investor Gregory Milken from 1AM Gaming shared his perspective in a press release.
“What units Moon Beast aside is their considerate strategy,” Milken mentioned. “They’re not chasing traits however expertly crafting a novel expertise that would genuinely develop the ARPG style and shake up the present method. We’re massive believers within the staff and nice followers of their genre-defining previous works.”
The studio plans to disclose extra particulars about their new undertaking early in 2025.
“I feel followers of our unique Diablo video games will discover quite a bit to like,” Schaefer mentioned, “however I’m additionally tremendous excited in regards to the new methods we’re shaking it up. It’s thrilling to have the ability to take a contemporary strategy to the style.”
A protracted journey
It’s been a journey.
“We have been very small for a very long time, and construct lots of the core tech. We experimented with a pair recreation design concepts, you understand, all associated to ARPGs. And we’ve at all times had this concept of together with creators in our plans. However when Erich got here on board, we we turned very centered on the core gameplay, the core ARPG, and making an attempt to do as a lot as we are able to with a small staff, and wanting to remain impartial and preserve our inventive management,” Shenk mentioned. “This will get again to our roots like Diablo.”
Nevertheless it’s not going to be a clone of Diablo, which staff members spearheaded whereas at Blizzard. However Moon Beast Productions is a startup and it’s far smaller than Blizzard.
Shenk mentioned the staff operates with a concentrate on high quality as a lot as it will possibly. Group members discover the enjoyable, they usually have lots of expertise constructing video games. However they continue to be sensible and don’t attempt to chunk off greater than they will chew.
“We are saying ,’Not at the moment.’ Let’s maintain issues in scope in order that we are able to have an excellent probability of delivering one thing that gamers will like,” he mentioned.
