We love fall at BetterPlay Studios! We get to wear hoodies (like the BetterPlay hoodie Michael is sporting around town). There's less chance of a sunburn on a given outing. The air is crisp and we get to eat soup more often. More than that, it's a busy season for our company and we want to keep you in the know!
What’s been happening?
This summer, we finished a working prototype of our premium game offering, “The Outdwellers.” This is a prototype and as such features early artwork, gameplay, and creative. Mostly this is for certain supporters, investors, and industry partners to play through as we discuss future possibilities. However, if you are interested in playing and giving feedback, just let us know. (Check out screen grabs below!)
In June, a feature on BetterPlay Studios aired on Scripps Media news around the USA. Check it out
In July we attended the Games For Change conference in NYC. In addition to finding an amazing Chinese ice cream parlor, we made dozens of new friends, connections, and supporters. We walked away truly inspired by the good that is possible when game devs get intentional about doing good.
In August, we completed the Innovation Corps program with the National Science Foundation. This summerlong program helped us gain clarity around target audiences for a living game/SaaS product currently under development. We conducted dozens of market interviews with some brilliant mental health professionals, digital therapeutics experts, and industry pros in order to refine and refocus our strategies.
As of two weeks ago, we have also joined the Michigan Founders Fund. This is a community of startups, investors, and business leaders in the Northern Midwest that seeks to grow the startup ecosystem.
What’s ahead?
In just a few weeks we will be exhibiting our game at the Kubly Foundation “Beyond the Blues” event. This event raises awareness and funds that go towards helping those with depression.
We have been selected to pitch at the Health Care Innovation Pitch event in Milwaukee, WI for a chance at $20,000! Come support us on October 4th.
As part of Michigan Tech Week, Vanessa Lane (COO) will be speaking as part of a very special panel on the video game industry.
Don’t miss a special event we organized with our friends at Godfrey and Khan called “Project Innovate: The Gaming Industry in WI.” We asked a few of our friends including, Ben Kvalo (Midwest Games), Tim Gerritsen (Lost Boys Interactive), Jennifer Javornik (Filament Games) and Brandon Tschacher (MKE Esports Alliance) to get together and talk about the potential for the video game industry in Wisconsin. It’s all happening on October 19th at 4:00.
Right now we are focused on raising funds, finding supporters, and scouting wonderful game devs and producers who could join our team. Interested in any of the above (or something completely different)? Connect with us!
We thank you all for your support!
Wishing you a cozy fall full of cozy video games and good mental health.
Love,
The folks at BetterPlay