Business

6 gaming startups to watch

From haptic clothing that lets you “feel” your games to technology that adds smell to your virtual reality experiences, here are the top gaming startups to watch this year.

By HP Tech Ventures — June 15, 2023

Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on the HP Tech Ventures blog.

 

Game developers are usually at the leading-edge of what’s new in tech — with innovations that delight (and sometimes baffle) players and creators alike. While the Garage has kept a pulse on mainstream developments — such as tackling “tilt,” gear to level up your gaming space, and championing groups that are making games and game design more inclusive — there’s much more waiting in the wings. 

Industry-watchers, too, are keeping a collective eye on gaming trends that will shape the future of this projected $107 billion business. Innovations in peripherals and accessories, cloud and mobile gaming, immersive and interactive gaming enabled by XR and AI tech, and the continued popularity of esports all make the top of the list. 

HP, for its part, sees startups at the forefront of innovation for the world’s 3 billion gamers. From haptic clothing that lets you feel your games to technology that adds smell to your virtual reality experiences, here are the top gaming startups to watch this year: 

Getty Images

Mobalytics

How they’re changing the game

Mobalytics, OK, so we’re biased and it is an HP Tech Ventures portfolio company, is an AI-powered personal gaming assistant that helps gamers conquer their favorite games. As the first personal performance analytics for competitive gamers, the platform analyzes players’ performance over many sessions and helps them define their weaknesses and strengths and provides personalized advice on improving their aim, strategy, and teamwork.

Why we’re watching

We admire Mobalytics’ bold vision to help all gamers reach their full potential, and their founder and CEO, Bogdan Suchyk, embodies that spirit by leading as though nothing is impossible.

 

RELATED: Esports insights for gamers and beyond

 

Avalon

How they’re changing the game 

Avalon is revolutionizing how games and virtual experiences are built. Founded by pioneers and leaders from games including “EverQuest,” “Call of Duty,” “Diablo,” “God of War,” “Assassin’s Creed,” and “Elden Ring”, Avalon is building a new interoperable universe.

Why we’re watching

With a comprehensive and extensive background in games, Avalon solves problems that will face creators and designers in the near future and is building the tools and framework that will allow them to do so.

Parsec

How they’re changing the game

Parsec, an HP Tech Ventures portfolio company that exited to Unity, has a proprietary desktop capturing application perfect for any graphically intense applications in game development, broadcast, media and entertainment, architecture, engineering, and construction.

Why we’re watching

Optimized for low latency, high frame rate, and security, Parsec enables gamers to stream video game footage through an internet connection. It allows users to run a game on one computer but play it remotely through another device, which has proven a winning formula for professionals and gamers with high-end compute needs.

Tangle

How they’re changing the game

Tangle is a virtual space for teams to connect and collaborate. A central hub for remote communications, Tangle enables customers to grow a thriving remote work culture that teams love.

Why we’re watching

Where gaming and hybrid work meet, Tangle offers avatars and other fun features to make remote work a unique and enjoyable experience. Users can project their personality yet still protect their privacy while also communicating to colleagues their openness to collaborate vs. the need to focus. Sort of like closing or opening that office when people had private offices with a lot more useful features and gradations.

Runway

How they’re changing the game

Runway’s mission is to make content creation accessible to all. They’re taking recent advancements in computer graphics and machine learning to push the boundaries of creativity and lower the barriers to content creation.

Why we’re watching

Runway offers a broad toolset for art generation and supplements another long-time favorite of ours, user-generated content. The platform is forming the next generation of generative AI tools as it embodies a spectrum of tools. It not only includes text input, but also easy-to-use editing and personalized data set training.

Scenario

How they’re changing the game

Scenario enables artists and game developers to create their own image generators trained on the specific style of their games. Starting with specific training data should enable creators to rapidly iterate and go much faster than trying to develop everything from scratch themselves.

Why we’re watching

Regardless of the level of technical expertise, game developers can create custom generators capable of producing entirely new game assets consistent with a given style.

 

Read 7 more emerging areas of technology to watch this year.