Video game play mechanics encompass core gameplay loops, challenge scaling, feedback systems, player agency, progression mechanics, resource management, risk-reward balance, pacing, novel gameplay, and multiplayer interactions to create compelling and immersive player experiences. These mechanics often aim to release dopamine, contributing to the captivating and potentially addictive nature of games while also raising ethical game design questions. Mother Game An independent game studio that emerged from stealth, they focus on creating titles that build immersive experiences without constantly demanding attention. Their debut game, Le Zoo, is a multiplayer 3D open world that takes players on a metaphorical zoo tour, expanding the player’s perception by emphasizing serotonin-driven emotional responses and social bonds. Adopting an iterative development model, MOTHER Games avoids the disconnect associated with static, finished games by allowing early players to directly influence the game’s evolution. The game uses a freemium model with options for paid functional and hedonic benefits.
AlleyWatch caught up with MOTHER Games CEO and Co-Founder. Kelsey Falter Learn more about the business, the company’s strategic plans, recent funding rounds, and much more…
Who were your investors and how much money did you raise?
Box Group, Shineand Lehrer Hippo. We don’t know what to call a “round” because the naming conventions for rounds are fluid these days. That’s why we call it pre-seed. We’ve raised $5 million so far. But it’s not just about money. The investors believe in our mission to make a quantum leap in changing reality as we know it. This money will go toward building our debut, Le Zoo, and everything that comes after.
Please tell us about a product or service provided by MOTHER Games.
MOTHER creates transformative experiences through play. In Le Zoo, the first free multiplayer game, players embark on a psychedelic journey through a metaphorical zoo, exploring surreal landscapes and a library of minigames. The game is designed to expand the inner world of every player who enters the zoo, and will make you laugh with its witty and dry humor within the game’s interactive and novel storyline. While playing Le Zoo, your reality is reflected back to you, showing players that they are the authors of their own reality and that the only escape is inside.
What prompted you to start MOTHER Games?
MOTHER was born out of disillusionment, motherhood, hallucinogens, and our own mind-body practice. We have a message, and games are an incredible message delivery system.
What makes MOTHER Games different?
At MOTHER Games, we focus on creating open and expanding experiences for players. We don’t try to get anyone addicted or grab their attention. While traditional games captivate players with dopamine-driven casino antics, we focus on the serotonin system to expand players’ perception and inspire them. We recognize that humans are constantly expanding beings who can evolve and grow through play.
We are inventing a new delivery model. Many games of our size take years to launch. Traditional game and media companies operate on a waterfall release cycle, giving players access to years of creation on a long-awaited release date. In contrast, we invite players to participate in our creative process. We set up Le Zoo similar to how many other consumer apps deliver their products. We are allowing players to enter the Le Zoo theme park while construction is underway. We are happy to share how we are inventing ourselves, and we believe players are ready for this level of transparency.
What market is Mother Games targeting and what is the market size?
MOTHER Games is aimed at smartphone users aged 17 to 30, with equal access to all genders. Our target audience craves fun, escape, mastery, and social interaction. The mobile gaming sector is vast and growing, with billions of potential players worldwide seeking meaningful and transformative experiences, particularly gameplay experiences that age well with other live service games or offer multiple session types within a single title.
What is your business model?
At MOTHER Games, our business model reflects the value system that exists in life on Earth. For example, features like transparent character skins cost more because they require more resources to support them. Le Zoo is free to play, but in-game paid products have prices that reflect the complexity and resources required to support digital goods and power-ups.
How are you preparing for a potential recession?
Having an outlet for expansion and creativity in a recession and seeing reality from a new perspective is something that humans crave. Throughout history, we have seen that when recessions occur, fun entertainment and an injection of joy are popular. Our approach to games and media is uniquely positioned to fit the wild and crazy reality that exists on our planet. We are not just preparing for a recession… we are preparing for the current state of the world. In fact, Le Zoo’s tagline is “The Only Escape Is Inside”. We invite players to go inside through play and find an escape from everything that life throws at them.
How was the funding process?
MOTHER Games’ fundraising journey was a validation of our mission and the foundation of the relationships we built. We secured $5 million in pre-seed funding for a bootstrap prototype from BoxGroup, Shine, and Lerer Hippeau Ventures, who not only supported us financially, but were genuinely excited about our vision. I worked closely with: David Tisch And the Box Group, which nurtured MOTHER and considered who we should partner with. I knew. Mo Coifman Working at (Shine) for nearly a decade has given him a big vision for the consumer space and an understanding of where it can go. Ken Lehrer, Eric Hippoand Ben Lehrer These are all people I’ve known since the first company I backed 10 years ago at LHV. During our fundraising process, we were very honest that the timing of games was not the only reason we were making games, because of the AI boom. All three investors understood that MOTHER’s timing was as much about the state of our world and the story it was telling about its future as it was about market timing. All three investors believe that the media landscape is changing dramatically and that there is room for newcomers with unique approaches and mission-driven focus.
What was the biggest challenge you faced while raising capital?
VCs don’t always know the ins and outs of the gaming industry. Certainly, as games become more balanced in terms of technology and art, this expertise is coming online. But in some cases, talking to investors was about explaining player trends and such, and not really talking to industry experts. This isn’t a disrespect to the VC community. It’s just a desire to work with capital that is smart and has a history in games, media, or consumer performance.
What factors in your business prompted investors to write checks?
Tech Boom: Two key trends that could accelerate the creation of a new generation of storytelling companies are advances in hardware (mobile ray tracing GPUs, VR, etc.) and advances in generative or AI-based tools.
Market Growth: There is a growing trend of consumers moving towards interactive media (versus linear/passive media i.e. TV/Movies). We are in a post-play-pass environment where players are accustomed to a variety of sessions and media types, and for Gen Z and younger, games have now surpassed TV/Movies as the number one way to spend their free time.
Ability to attract teams and talent: We have a full roster. Matthias KoreaBehance’s co-founder joins us to lead design. We have an award-winning artist. Christoph Stanitz People who worked on GTA and many other Nordic titles. Rockstar’s Brian “1st” Alcazar has over 20 titles under his belt. Former Ubisoft engineering director Yvgen Kopa… the list goes on.
prototype: We built a prototype using bootstrap. We tested different approaches and did early playtests with the prototype. This helped us define the remote data configuration model we use to distribute many experiences in the game, and helped us understand the core mechanics of the world we were building. It also gave us a sexy game art and a vision of the world we wanted to build, Le Zoo.
What milestones do you plan to achieve in the next six months?
We want to grow the Le Zoo player base significantly, starting with casual gamers, and growing with RPG enthusiasts as more features are added online for Le Zoo. As Le Zoo is built on timeless game mechanics, we will release Le Zoo Alpha with new mini-games, attractions and macro play loops to deepen the gameplay and replay value. On the tech side, we are investing in our own LLM, ML-based asset tooling, new storyline models and our own 3D modeling method that combines meshless assets and AI.
We want to grow the Le Zoo player base significantly, starting with casual gamers, and growing with RPG enthusiasts as more features are added online for Le Zoo. As Le Zoo is built on timeless game mechanics, we will release Le Zoo Alpha with new mini-games, attractions and macro play loops to deepen the gameplay and replay value. On the tech side, we are investing in our own LLM, ML-based asset tooling, new storyline models and our own 3D modeling method that combines meshless assets and AI.
What advice would you give to New York businesses that haven’t invested new capital in banks?
Follow your heart. When you have a deep conviction about what you are building, it will show. Your conviction will inspire your customers and team members. This chain reaction will grow. You will know if you are on the right path based on how concretely you make the reality you are building. Momentum through capital investment is only one way to measure success, and probably not the most effective measure. It is not easy to make your vision a reality and go from zero to something, but the more realistic you make your vision, the more credible and attractive it will be to the right people.
What do you see happening to the company in the near future?
In the short term, it’s important to release a more advanced version of Le Zoo’s new storyline mechanic. We want to use the interactive storyline within Le Zoo to show cause and effect in a dramatic way, and to reflect that you are the author of your own reality (not just within Le Zoo, but within the game as well). We also want to strengthen our relationship with our playtest community and Discord community, because without players, there’s no chance. (I love you!!!)
What are your favorite fall travel destinations in the city and surrounding areas?
Wow, this is so hard to answer. The best travel destination in the fall is not a destination at all. It’s just getting out and walking around the city. It’s been fun to see places down in Union Square come back online after the lockdown. It’s been fun to see new restaurants opening in Greenpoint and Gowanus. Brooklyn was already stronger after the Covid lockdown, but it’s fun to see that growth fueling more experiences in the BK area.
