Oncade, a new community-driven platform built to increase studio revenue through strengthening player engagement, raised $4 million.
Oncade is revamping the game distribution model by shifting from the traditional one-sided platform struggle to a direct-to-consumer, off-platform game store powered by community engagement.
By bypassing the “crushing 30% platform fees” charged by platform owners, Oncade said it gives studios the power to reclaim control over their margins and transform their communities into powerful sales channels that drive pre-sales, wishlist growth, and revenue. The company is targeting PC and mobile platforms.
“In gaming, the value distribution is broken. The people driving value – studios, players, creators, and communities – aren’t earning their proper share of the financial rewards,” said Stavros Lee, founder of Oncade, in a statement. “We’re here to change that.”
A16z CSX led the round, with participation from visionary founders and a network of industry leaders.
Why Oncade Is different
The video game industry is broken. Studios leave vital revenue on the table by not activating the communities already advocating for their games. Traditional discovery methods are failing, such as paid ads, algorithmic feeds, and influencer marketing.
Acquisition costs have soared, platforms demand high fees, yet throttle your reach, and the endless demand for fresh content drains resources without growing player bases.
Oncade’s easy-to-use solution helps studios increase revenue and mobilize their communities through a more efficient, aligned, and scalable path to success. It simplifies the creation and sale of new items players want at significantly lower fees than traditional app stores through their unique off-platform game store approach.
Backed by a stablecoin protocol, the platform enables developers and players to create, sell, and earn as affiliates, fostering a thriving, participatory ecosystem.
Oncade offers developers:
• Advanced Payments: Say goodbye to delayed payments and 30% platform fees, as Oncade uses modern payment rails and stablecoins to deliver real-time revenue.• Direct-to-Consumer Game Stores: Launch your branded storefront, bypassing the high platform fees, and keep more of your earnings. Reach players directly through trusted community-driven channels.• Community-Powered Presales & Wishlists Growth: Turn your community into a sales engine. Drive early interest, boost wishlists, and generate revenue.• LiveOps Tools for Player Engagement: Keep your players engaged with real-time updates, events, and rewards, all easily managed through Oncade’s integrated LiveOps suite.• Instant Global Payments: Reward your players instantly with stablecoin-powered payouts, creating a seamless and engaging experience across borders.
Developers offer communities:
• Community-Led Distribution: Players can become affiliates, earning directly for every sale they drive—no middlemen, no gatekeepers.• Creator Economies for All: Players can create and sell in-game items, cosmetics, and more, unlocking new revenue streams and deeper engagement.
Why now?
Two seismic shifts make Oncade’s vision inevitable:• Global Payments Revolution: Stablecoins and instant payment infrastructure now allow players worldwide to be rewarded instantly, breaking down historic barriers.• Proven Power of Player Economies: Games like CS:GO, Roblox, and Fortnite have demonstrated unmistakably that when players create and earn, they stick around. This powerful model was previously reserved for industry giants, but Oncade makes it accessible to every studio.
Origins
Oncade’s founding team brings over 35 years of experience across triple-A studios, live service games, and creator platforms. With new backing, the company is poised to reshape how games grow, scale, and thrive.
Stavros Lee worked at Electronic Arts, Activision and Ouya (where he was head of engineering). He was mobile director at Razer and he shipped software to billions at Meta and Coinbase.
Greg Reisdorf has 13 years leading multiplayer on Call of Duty, stewarding $10 B+ in lifetime gaming revenue. They started the company in San Francisco this year and they have six employees.
“We’re not just building a platform—we’re building a movement,” said the founders, in a statement. “The next era of gaming belongs to empowered communities and collaborative studios.”
Oncade said it is shopify for games. It has a suite of tools that allows game studios and affiliates to sell games and game items directly to players. The affiliates can be anyone. They sign-in, copy the affiliate link to any item and get paid. Affiliates earn a percentage of the sale. Studios can offer a 20% affiliate rate and still make more money than the traditional 30% platform fees.
Affiliates are able to create their own storefronts highlighting their favorite games and items for their communities. Affiliate stores create a powerful ecosystem for sales and marketing while studios and the affiliates continue to earn.
The marketplace and community content tools allow studios to easily set up, run and earn with their community. These increase engagement for game communities without the need for constant content creation. Previously this was only possible for large studios who could afford dedicated finance departments. Oncade creates the foundation for player economies in every game, and it takes 2.5% plus the cost of the channel.
They compete with bigger payments companies with new tech where they offer easy affiliate payments bringing the community into distribution for games. By not having payout thresholds, the company can provide immediate rewards to the community that helps grow the games they love.
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