Overwolf

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Overwolf
Original author(s)Uri Marchand, Alon Rabinowitz, Gil Or
Developer(s)Overwolf Ltd.
Platformcross-platform, PC, iOS, Android, Xbox, PlayStation
Available inEnglish, Russian, German, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian, Polish, Turkish, Korean
Websitewww.overwolf.com
www.curseforge.com
core.curseforge.com

Overwolf is an Israel-based technology platform that enables third-party developers to build, distribute, and monetize in-game apps and mods.

The platform was launched by Overwolf Ltd.

History[]

Overwolf Ltd. was founded in 2010 by Uri Marchand, Alon Rabinowitz, and Gil Or with a cash seed investment from Joseph (Yossi) Vardi. At the start of the Beta release, Overwolf had 50,000 users.[1]

In 2011, the company partnered with TeamSpeak to allow users social and voice communication.[2]

In September 2012, Overwolf opened its Software Development Kit[3] to allow users and developers to create applications for games. An improved version of their SDK was released in 2014. At the same time, the Overwolf App Store was launched allowing user-created programs to be distributed to all users of Overwolf. As of early 2013, Overwolf had reached 1 million users and 5.5 million installations by the end of 2013.[4]

In August 2017, Overwolf acquired the most popular Clash Royale fan site at the time,[5] Stats Royale, for an undisclosed sum. Stats Royale was originally founded by Steve Rabouin, who became vice president of mobile games apps at Overwolf. In 2018, the company created a $7 million fund for apps and mods together with Intel.[6]

In June 2020, Overwolf acquired the CurseForge mod repository, for an undisclosed sum, [7] from Twitch.[8][9][10][11][12] In March 2021, the company launched CurseForge Core, an SDK for game developers.[13]

Funding[]

Overwolf Ltd. was created with the previous seed investment of $940,000 in October 2009.

In September 2013, another $5.3 million was invested by Venture Capital Marker LLC.[4]

On November 6, 2018, Overwolf received $16 million from Intel Capital and Liberty Technology Venture Capital.[14][15]

In March 2021, Overwolf announced a $52.5 million Series C round and the launch of CurseForge Core, a User Generated Content (UGC) as a service platform. The round was led by Griffin Gaming Partners and Insight Partners.[16][17][18]

Technology[]

Overwolf’s software framework provides real-time telemetry, software patching, in-game overlays, analytics, and publishing tools. It is focused on decreasing creators' time to production with their off-the-shelf components, plugins, and checklists. The services provide optimal performance and compatibility with the games, and they are built to supplement with real-time telemetry and testing frameworks.[1][19]

Pay-outs[]

Overwolf provides monthly grants to mod authors to help fund the creators' initial monetization.[20] In 2020, Overwolf invested $10 million to in-game app creators and mod authors.[21][22] In 2021, the company paid out another $29 million to app and mod creators.[23] In August 2021, the Overwolf Creator Fund was launched with $50 million to invest in the projects of in-game app creators, mod authors and game studios.[24][25][26]

Structure[]

The head office is located in Tel Aviv, Israel. Uri Marchand is the CEO of the company. The company has 50-100 employees.

Awards[]

The company took first place at the 2012 StartTWS Tech Conference.[27][28]

In 2012, Overwolf was listed among Microsoft Israel’s Best & Brightest on the Thinknext Tel Aviv parade.[29]

In 2021, Overwolf was recognized as one of the top 50 companies in Europe.[30]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Takahashi, Dean (August 2, 2011). "Overwolf launches social overlay for online games". VentureBeat. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
  2. ^ Empson, Rip (December 14, 2014). "Overwolf Partners With TeamSpeak To Give Online Games A Social Boost (And In-Game Voice Chat)". Techcrunch. Retrieved December 14, 2014.
  3. ^ Takahashi, Dean (August 1, 2012). "Overwolf opens its in-game app store to publishers and code-savvy gamers". VentureBeat. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Overwolf Surpasses One Million Users, Launches In-Game Appstore". Gamasutra. August 1, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  5. ^ "Overwolf acquires Clash Royale fan site StatsRoyale.com". Venture Beat. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  6. ^ "Overwolf and Intel create $7 million fund to invest in apps and mods for hardcore gamers". VentureBeat. 2018-08-20. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  7. ^ "CurseForge Mods and Addons - FAQ". Overwolf. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  8. ^ Shieber, Jonathan. "In-game app-development platform Overwolf acquires CurseForge assets from Twitch to get into mods". TechCrunch. Verizon Media. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  9. ^ Tov-Ly, Gil. "A new home for CurseForge". Overwolf. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  10. ^ "In-game app-development platform Overwolf acquires CurseForge assets from Twitch to get into mods". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  11. ^ "Twitch sells CurseForge to Overwolf". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  12. ^ "Overwolf acquires Twitch's mod repository CurseForge". VentureBeat. 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  13. ^ Jarvey, Natalie (2021-03-16). "Griffin Gaming, Warner Music Group Invest in UGC Game Platform Overwolf". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  14. ^ Clayton, Natalie; Writer, Staff. "Overwolf raises $16 million in a funding round led by Intel Capital". pocketgamer.biz. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  15. ^ "Overwolf raises $16 million for game services in round led by Intel Capital". VentureBeat. 2018-11-07. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  16. ^ "Overwolf raises $52.5M for its platform to build, distribute and monetize in-game, user-generated content". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  17. ^ "Overwolf raises $52.5M to expand third-party modding platform". VentureBeat. 2021-03-16. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  18. ^ Orbach, Meir (2021-03-16). "Gaming giant Ubisoft takes part in Overwolf's $52 million series C". CTECH - www.calcalistech.com. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  19. ^ "Behind the Investment: Overwolf – The Backbone of the New Gaming Economy | Blog". Insight Partners. 2021-05-12. Retrieved 2021-09-21.
  20. ^ "Long-time players are making money building for 'Minecraft'". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  21. ^ Stubbs, Mike. "Esports App Development Platform Overwolf To Pay Out $10 Million To Developers This Year". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  22. ^ Stubbs, Mike. "Esports App Development Platform Overwolf To Pay Out $10 Million To Developers This Year". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
  23. ^ "Overwolf will pay out $29M to mod and app creators in 2021". VentureBeat. 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  24. ^ Gardner, Matt. "Modders For Minecraft, WoW, And More Offered $50 Million Creator Fund". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  25. ^ "Overwolf launches $50M fund for community-built gaming mods". VentureBeat. 2021-08-17. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  26. ^ Spiro, James (2021-08-17). "Overwolf launches $50 million creator fund for in-app game creators and studios". CTECH - www.calcalistech.com. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  27. ^ Abel, Shira (October 24, 2012). "Our pick of the startups that launched at StartTWS in Israel". TheNextWeb. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  28. ^ Abel, Shira (2012-10-24). "Our Pick of the Startups that Launched at StartTWS in Israel". TNW | Insider. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  29. ^ "Microsoft Israel's Best & Brightest on Parade at ThinkNext Tel-Aviv". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  30. ^ "European tech sector doubles in value during pandemic". www.gpbullhound.com. Retrieved 2021-09-21.

External links[]

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