Overplay is merging the realms of video content and gaming like never before. Overplay is a gaming platform and game creation system that empowers users to transform their videos into captivating casual games with ease. The company’s mission is to democratize game development and make it accessible to everyone, blurring the lines between content creation and interactive entertainment.
At the heart of Overplay lies a simple yet groundbreaking concept: “Make your video into a game.” With this mantra, the platform encourages users to unleash their creativity and turn any video they record into a playable game. Whether it’s capturing sports, dancing, pets, or any other imaginable subject, Overplay’s AI technology serves as a creative assistant, instantly transforming these videos into extraordinary gaming experiences.
The process is remarkably straightforward. Users can utilize their smartphones to record videos and then upload them to the Overplay platform. From there, the AI turbocharges the creative process, allowing users to transform their videos into fully-fledged games without any coding skills required. This approach opens up a world of possibilities, enabling users to share their games with friends, challenge them, and even explore games created by other Overplayers.
Overplay’s unique value proposition lies in its ability to cater to a wide range of content creators, social media users, gamers, and brands. The platform’s potential extends far beyond casual gaming, intersecting with the $167 billion casual gaming, $176 billion video advertising, and $231 billion social media markets.
Leading the charge at Overplay are co-founders Dan Projansky and Caroline Strzalka, two seasoned industry veterans with impressive track records in the world of interactive media and finance.
Dan Projansky, the Emmy-nominated and BAFTA award-winning interactive creator, brings a wealth of experience to the table. He has created apps with over 25 million downloads and developed games for major gaming platforms like PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo. Prior to co-founding Overplay, Projansky served as the VP of Interactive Production at Sesame Workshop, showcasing his expertise in engaging and educational content.
Caroline Strzalka, Overplay’s co-founder and COO, brings a diverse background in entrepreneurship, finance, and business development. As a two-time founder and former Citigroup investment banker, Strzalka played pivotal roles in high-profile transactions, including the $8.7 billion Kraft deal and the $300 million GameStop IPO. Her experience extends to the media industry, having served as the VP at Scholastic and Director at Sesame Workshop, where she secured partnerships with industry giants like Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu.
Together, Projansky and Strzalka are a formidable team, combining creative vision and business acumen to bring Overplay to life.
The company’s approach has already garnered significant attention and investment from industry leaders. In a recent funding round led by Sound Media Ventures, Overplay secured $3 million in seed funding. Investors such as Gaingels, Red & Blue Ventures, Everyrealm, and Singularity Capital also participated, along with over 1,200 retail investors through a Regulation Crowdfunding campaign on Wefunder.
Shachar Oren, lead investor and CEO of Sound Media Ventures, expressed excitement about Overplay’s vision, stating, “All of us at Sound Media Ventures are excited about Overplay’s vision of transforming how people interact with videos. This is a real game changer. It is super-transformative for users, turning many of us from passive viewers to users that interact with short-form video in a more deliberate fashion. And we believe this will lead to exciting monetization opportunities as well.”
Overplay’s co-founders share this enthusiasm for the platform’s potential. “With Overplay, content creators and brands can seamlessly create games from their videos and connect with their followers in ways never seen before,” says Dan Projansky. Caroline Strzalka echoes this sentiment, adding, “This marks the beginning of a new era in digital content creation. The opportunities for the creative sector are endless.”
The platform has already gained traction within the creator community. Scott Bass, the founder of the Ampiosund YouTube channel with over 3 million subscribers, praised Overplay’s innovative approach, stating, “It’s one of those things that no one really thought about, and it seems so obvious once you are actually given a game to play. It’s definitely going to be the next big thing for content creators because you can give your fans such phenomenal experiences.”
With its patent for “playing a game into existence,” Overplay stands ready to dramatically reshape how we experience video content. Picture the NBA crafting highlight packages fans can actually play through, movie studios unveiling game-like trailers, and automakers designing commercials allowing virtual test drives. Overplay’s app and licensable tech empower billions – creators, social media mavens, brands – to supercharge viewer immersion by gamifying their videos into interactive adventures.
The process of making a captivating Overplay game is remarkably simple, requiring only a mobile phone. Creators and brands can leverage AI tools within the Overplay app to transform their videos into extraordinary games instantly. Additionally, Overplay’s direct integration with Adobe Express further streamlines the game creation process, allowing creators to seamlessly transform their existing video content into interactive experiences.
Overplay’s impact extends beyond the gaming realm, merging the personal connection of social media with the addictive fun of hyper-casual games. By giving everyone the ability to create and share short games from any video quickly and easily, Overplay is pioneering a new era of user-generated interactive content.
With over 1 million games played, 150,000 alpha app downloads, and a waitlist of over 7,000 creators eager to use its beta version game maker, Overplay’s momentum is undeniable. The platform has garnered support from prominent investors such as Village Global, Gaingels, Sound Media Ventures, Plus Eight Equity Partners, Red & Blue Ventures, Band of Angels, Stampede Ventures, Outlander Capital, Singularity Capital, Everyrealm, and the Adobe Fund for Design, as well as angels from Warner Brothers and Riot Games.
In a recent development, Overplay launched a Regulation CF community investment round on Wefunder, aimed at building the future of gaming and interactive content. The round instantly closed at $1 million from retail investors, in addition to the $1.8 million already raised from institutional investors.
Overplay’s unique proposition and industry recognition have caught the attention of prominent players in the startup ecosystem. The company was selected from a group of over 3,000 startups to be part of Mercury Bank’s Seed program, which puts them in front of the top venture capitalists in the world. Additionally, Overplay was featured in the Angels & Entrepreneurs Network, an award-winning publisher in the crowdfunding space, as well as KingsCrowd, an independent ratings and analytics platform for online private markets.
As Overplay continues to forge ahead, its impact on the digital media landscape is potentially transformative. By democratizing game development and making it accessible to everyone, Overplay is blurring the lines between content creation and interactive entertainment.
