Medford, Oregon – September 13, 2023 – Wicked Saints, the Black female-led video game studio that utilizes behavioral technology to create interactive games empowering Gen Z, today announces $3.5M in seed funding co-led by Riot Games and Oregon Venture Fund, with participation from a collective of angels and funds who bring creativity, diversity of thought, deep gaming expertise and more. With pre-seed funding, a total of $4.6 million in funding puts CEO and cofounder Jess Murrey into a rarefied group of Black women who’ve raised more than $1 million. The money will go to bringing Wicked Saints’ first title to market, launching a new genre of mobile games that bridges in-game mastery to real-world self-efficacy, so Gen Z players can change themselves and their world. The new game modality and connection to Gen Z has sparked interest from both global nonprofits and top brands.

“Wicked Saints empowers players to believe in and hone their own abilities through immersive storytelling, gameplay, and community. In a world where so much technology is driving us apart or away from authentic human connection, we’re mission-driven to get value-driven Gen Z players reconnected with themselves, each other, and out changing the issues they care about,” said Murrey. “My background is in training young movement leaders around the world, and we have an INCREDIBLE team, with top creds in behavioral science and the game industry, who also happen to be beautiful souls who care.”

Both Wicked Saints founders are women, and its C-suite is 75% female, 50% Black, and 75% Queer. Murrey, an Emmy Award-winning storyteller and international peacebuilder turned game designer, and COO Alicia Clifton, a behavior change researcher from UPenn whose work includes programs with Search for Common Ground, co-founded Wicked Saints in 2019. Their mission to combat hate and hopelessness, leveraging the popularity of mobile games for good, attracted CTO Daphne Larose-Molapo, a Forbes Top 50 women in tech and former technical lead manager at Niantic; and CPO Mitchell Smallman, who has worked on some of the era’s top titles. The team's gaming and design experience spans industry legacies like Angry Birds, Entergalactic, Love Death + Robots, Pokémon Go, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and The Walking Dead.

Wicked Saints is currently building its flagship game, World Reborn, an interactive story game with real-life quests facilitated by augmented reality. The ‌mixed reality narrative game builds the players’ personal skills as they play, practicing how to enact change in a fun and engaging way. ‌Wicked Saints is on a mission to empower a generation that’s immersed daily in conflict, ranging from political divide to the loneliness epidemic. By blending the metaverse with reality, World Reborn will help players master skills and utilize the knowledge gained in the game to create tangible, real-world impact. World Reborn was made available for limited testing in Canada and will release a teaser next year in the United States as they build toward a full launch in 2025.

“We are very encouraged by our small group of super fans from our Canadian pilot. They love the game and feel like we designed it for them…and we did,” says Clifton. “We are giving young people in a generation that’s deficient in hope, but craving change, a platform to gain skills and self-organize to solve humanity’s most difficult challenges.”

Wicked Saints is building a tech stack to support high-volume scaling. Their business model offers brands and influencers ways to partner with generally ad-averse Gen Z that tap into their values-orientation and ultimately aims to create a large community in and outside the game. ‌They will also partner with organizations and nonprofits that strive to inspire and activate young people in the real world.

"Wicked Saints' vision for World Reborn is not just a new way to play, it's a new way to learn and grow. By combining real-life quests with immersive storytelling, Wicked Saints is helping players to develop their problem-solving skills, creativity, and self-efficacy. It's more than just a game; it's a movement to empower players to make a difference in the world," said Jake Perlman-Garr, Head of Corporate Development at Riot Games.

“Wicked Saints is not only revolutionary for players, but also the partners they collaborate with,” said Alline Akintore, Partner at Oregon Venture Fund. “Business and social change do not have to be mutually exclusive and Wicked Saints is lighting the way toward authentic connection with younger generations.”

In addition to lead investors, the round included indie game developers, global athletes with large social influence, social impact funds, deep gaming experience, and syndicates that bring women, people of color, and the LGBTQIA+ community into the round. Funds include Bronze, 1Up, Precursor, Authentic, Origins, Mini Fund, Cap Table Coalition, Gaingels, and Rogue Women.

Additional Quotes from World Reborn Beta Users

“I love that the default main character isn’t white and that I can choose a nonbinary love interest. This is the first time that’s happened. While it might not seem like a big deal, it is to me,” said 17-year-old user, @Ravencloud. “I like that it brings real-life experiences into the gameplay. This game is great!”

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About Wicked Saints

Wicked Saints is the Black female-led video game studio that employs behavioral technology to empower Gen Z to build real-life skills. First to emerge from Niantic’s (makers of Pokémon GO) BDI incubator, Wicked Saints’ flagship game, World Reborn, blends the “real” and “digital” worlds, so players’ mastery of in-game skills can be used to create real change in their lives and communities. With experience inside and outside of gaming, the Wicked Saints team is world-class in their fields; grassroots campaign building and behavioral science expertise complement Emmy award-winning writing with gaming design and artistry from legacies like Angry Birds, Entergalactic, Love Death + Robots, Pokémon Go, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Marvel, The Walking Dead and more. Wicked Saints has already captured the attention of high-profile investors such as Reid Hoffman, Riot Games, 1Up and Precursor.

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