Fandom Gone Viral (Building Community Partnered Games)

 It is rare to create a truly genre defining game. Founded in 2015, The Game Band is one of these studios. In 2020, inspired by a mission to increase connectivity during the pandemic, the viral sensation “Blaseball” came to be. Blaseball is a genre of its own – hard to describe – but best put as a game in which the developers set the stage / simulation and the players and community work arduously to influence the outcomes, create backstories and art for characters, vote to change the rules, and more. Your host, Alexandra Takei, sits down with Sam Rosenthal, the founder and CEO, to talk about an avant garde studio that is truly building alongside its community without the blockchain, the cloud, or any of the other tech buzzwords that are concomitant with the community partnered games hype. 

Reminder to RSVP for the Naavik & Leanplum Party on March 23rd at 8PM here. We have limited spots, so get your ticket soon! Second, check out The Game Band’s GDC talk and be on the lookout for the final Free-to-Play Panel: Do Video Games Need the Blockchain? 

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Sound design by Gavin Mc Gabe.