Soba: How Can No-Code Game Development Tools Drive Web3 Gaming Forward?
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Soba: How Can No-Code Game Development Tools Drive Web3 Gaming Forward?
Soba is an online multiplayer open world and gaming platform that integrates no-code game development tools, enabling everyone to easily create their own games.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insights
Author: @Ayanami2003, TechFlow
The Soba protocol empowers players to express their individuality and share their stories, bringing each gamer's unique and authentic self-expression into the virtual world. They have designed a safe and engaging destination for every player to explore self-expression. Below, we’ll provide a brief introduction to the Soba protocol.
Introduction
Soba is an online multiplayer open-world and game platform that integrates no-code game creation tools, enabling anyone to easily build their own games.
As a no-code solution, Soba does not require users to master engine technologies or programming languages like Lua. Creators only need to conceptualize their game idea and then use Soba’s development tools to connect functional nodes, visually constructing game logic. Ultimately, we can build our own games as easily as assembling LEGO bricks.
Compared with predecessors in the same space such as Sandbox, Soba places particular emphasis on the mobile market. Currently, creators can use Soba not only on PC and Mac but also on iOS and Android systems—meaning you can create your own games on your phone, as well as play games built by others directly from your mobile device. In the future, Soba plans to expand support to consoles and web browsers, allowing creators to unleash their creativity wherever it suits them best.
Additionally, Soba enables creators and players to truly own their in-game digital assets, mint them as NFTs, and transfer them freely within and beyond the platform, unlike traditional online games where “everything belongs to the game company.”
Funding and Team
CEO Juha Paananen is the younger brother of Ilkka Paananen, CEO of the renowned mobile gaming company Supercell. Juha was previously co-founder of Nonstop Games, which was later acquired by King. He also served as an investor at Cherry Ventures in Berlin. Afterward, he returned to the gaming industry and ultimately co-founded Soba alongside Florian Odronitz.
Soba has raised $13.6 million in seed funding led by Lightspeed, Cherry Ventures, and FTX, with participation from Point Nine Capital, TQ Ventures, Matthew "Nadeshot" Haag, Jack "CouRage" Dunlop, Tim "ClashwithAsh" Evans, and Alvaro "Alvaro845" González de Buitrago.
How Web3 Addresses Challenges in Traditional Gaming
Today, over 3 billion people play video games worldwide, yet only a small fraction actively create or develop games. Owners of traditional game creator platforms have profited immensely, while most game creators find their efforts poorly compensated—many even struggle to make ends meet.
Moreover, creators on Web2 platforms face the risk of losing access to their content and audience due to lack of true ownership over their data. Players face similar issues—each year, numerous lawsuits arise between players and game companies over ownership rights to in-game items.
With Web3, both creators and players gain true ownership of their digital assets—such as through NFTs—and can transfer these assets across different projects. Furthermore, creators can earn significant revenue shares via NFT distributions and tokens.
Amy Wu, investor at FTX Ventures, stated in the investment announcement: "We’re excited to support Juha Paananen and the Soba team. We believe their experience will enable them to build an engaging open-world gaming platform, and Web3 can bring additional value to both players and creators."
Vision
To create the best environment for creators, Soba is gradually integrating blockchain elements and moving steadily toward Web3. Their goal is to “make game creation super simple, fun, and accessible.” The team remains skeptical about models like P2E (Play-to-Earn) and does not plan to launch any token or NFT in the near term—or possibly ever. Currently, Soba has no cost barriers; you don’t need to purchase anything to start creating your own game.
At the same time, Soba is building what they believe to be the best creator ecosystem, leveraging Web3 technology to offer creators better economic opportunities and true digital asset ownership. They aim to serve passionate game creators and players—those who are deeply enthusiastic about what they’re building and open to support.
Regarding Web3, Juha believes too much focus has been placed on finance and tokens, while insufficient attention is given to making genuinely fun games. He said: “Fun is the starting point of gaming. For us, Web3 is enabling a global payment system. We’re not building games that distract people from life—we want to build something sustainable, and we believe creators should have stronger monetization models.” He also emphasized that even if the game is built on Web3, Soba will prioritize product experience, allowing people to enjoy the game without needing to own tokens. The game will be available to anyone who wants to play or create.
The Future of Soba
Video games have become an unstoppable mainstream force, with global revenues expected to exceed $200 billion this year. The creator economy, exemplified by platforms like TikTok and YouTube, has profoundly reshaped the world. For aspiring creators lacking technical skills or knowledge, the emergence of no-code platforms and tools is nothing short of a blessing.
For Soba, this is the perfect moment—those who may have already experimented with Roblox or Unity can begin fresh on a new platform, while complete newcomers can make their first game here and discover the joy of creation.
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