Mushroom Madness: What's The Deal?

what is mad mushroom

Mad Mushroom is a creator-led publishing initiative by streamer organization One True King (OTK). Mad Mushroom aims to help indie developers bring their games and vision to the world by cutting out the middleman and promoting the games organically. With over 50 years of combined experience in content creation, Mad Mushroom helps craft gaming experiences that are engaging, fun to watch, and have the capacity to go viral. Mad Mushroom's first major launch was Lightfox Games' Rumble Club, a cross-platform physics brawler that launched on PC and mobile in April 2023.

Characteristics Values
Type Game-publishing initiative
Creator One True King (OTK)
Team Creators with a "commitment to innovation"
Goal Help independent game studios get their work "out to the world"
Strategy Cut out the "middleman"
Marketing Organic promotion by popular streamers
Content Fun to watch and play
Experience Over 50 years of combined experience in content creation
Community Access to a community that cares
Feedback Direct feedback from streamers
Connection Collaboration between developers and players
Opportunities Elevating indie developers and entering the games industry

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Mad Mushroom is a game-publishing initiative by streamer organisation One True King (OTK)

The initiative was announced during OTK's annual gaming expo in June 2023. In a video titled "Introducing Mad Mushroom," OTK co-owner Chance "Sodapoppin" emphasised their commitment to innovation and their desire to work with independent game studios. With over 50 years of combined experience in content creation, Mad Mushroom aims to help developers craft gaming experiences that are engaging, fun to watch, and have the potential to go viral.

Mad Mushroom's first published game was "Rumble Club," a cross-platform physics brawler developed in collaboration with Lightfox Games. The game launched on PC and mobile in April 2023 and served as a major case study for Mad Mushroom's creator-led publishing strategy. Mad Mushroom has also signed on to publish "Atomic Picnic" by BitCake Studio, which was showcased at the 2023 OTK Games Expo.

Mad Mushroom provides an opportunity for OTK to enter the game development industry while elevating and amplifying the work of indie developers. The initiative has gained significant traction on Twitter, with the streaming community expressing their thoughts and support. Mad Mushroom offers a collaborative development experience by gathering direct feedback from streamers who play the games, allowing developers to forge stronger bonds with their players.

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Mad Mushroom aims to cut out the middleman and elevate indie developers

Mad Mushroom is a publishing initiative by streamer organization One True King (OTK) that aims to cut out the middleman and elevate indie developers. Announced at OTK's annual gaming expo in June 2023, Mad Mushroom is a publishing company with a difference.

The initiative is driven by a team of creators with a "commitment to innovation" and a dislike of "corporate speak". Their goal is to help independent game studios get their work out into the world and elevate the message of indie developers. By cutting out the middleman, Mad Mushroom offers better opportunities for developers, providing a platform for their games to be discovered and promoted organically.

Mad Mushroom leverages the influence and reach of its team of popular streamers to promote games. With over 50 years of combined experience in content creation, they offer a unique insight into what makes a game not only engaging but also watchable. This approach helps indie developers gain exposure and build a community of players invested in their games.

Mad Mushroom also provides an opportunity for direct feedback from streamers who play the games, creating a collaborative development experience. Developers can forge stronger bonds with their players by involving them in the journey and incorporating their feedback. This process not only enhances the gaming experience but also increases the chances of a game's success and virality.

By partnering with indie developers, Mad Mushroom offers a fresh alternative to traditional publishing models, empowering developers to retain creative control while accessing valuable marketing tools and insights. This innovative approach has gained traction within the streaming community, with many welcoming the initiative's potential to disrupt the industry and elevate indie games.

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Mad Mushroom provides direct feedback from streamers

Mad Mushroom is a publishing initiative by streamer organization One True King (OTK). It was announced at OTK's annual gaming expo on June 10, 2023. Mad Mushroom aims to be different from other publishing companies by cutting out the middleman and providing better offers to independent game developers.

The initiative is led by a team of creators with a commitment to innovation and a dislike of corporate speak. They want to help independent game studios get their games and vision out to the world. As part of this effort, Mad Mushroom provides an opportunity for developers to gather direct feedback on their games from streamers who will stream them. This creates an engaging and collaborative development experience and helps to forge a stronger bond with players by bringing them along for the journey.

The co-owners of One True King, including Chance "Sodapoppin," released a video detailing various aspects of Mad Mushroom. In the video, Sodapoppin emphasized his 15 years of experience in the industry and his ability to find exciting indie games to play on his channel. He plans to use these skills to showcase indie games that deserve more attention: "I've been doing it for 15 years, taking lists of games and I go through and I find what's good and what's not good... My role, I would say, is to find those games and say, 'Hey, this is a gem! This game is amazing, we should get this on a pedestal and let everyone see it.'"

MMORPG personality Zack "Asmongold" also elaborated on how Mad Mushroom's team of popular streamers can assist independent game studios by providing unique insights as content creators: "Development process for games and publishing them, I mean, this is a multi-year process. So, being able to be there the entire way through and understanding, kind of how an audience is going to adapt and react to a game whenever it comes out, and see how people will enjoy it. And be able to predict that, I think that's a unique insight that we can provide as content creators."

Mad Mushroom's approach to working directly with streamers for feedback and promotion allows them to market games organically to engaged communities. This strategy helps to ensure that games are not only fun to play but also entertaining to watch, increasing their viral potential.

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Mad Mushroom's first GDC game was Atomic Picnic

Mad Mushroom is the game-publishing initiative of the streamer organization One True King (OTK). Mad Mushroom aims to disrupt the traditional games publishing model by cutting out the middleman and providing better offers to independent game studios. The company comprises a team of creators with a "commitment to innovation" and a dislike for "corporate speak". They seek to get the work of indie studios "out to the world".

Mad Mushroom's first GDC game is Atomic Picnic, developed by Brazilian studio BitCake. Atomic Picnic is a co-op third-person shooter roguelike that blends a variety of genres in its fast-paced gameplay. Up to four players can team up on scavenger hunts called Picnics, taking down hordes of monsters and upgrading their gear through the game's collect-a-thon progression system. No two Picnics are alike, and each run offers different upgrade paths and special events to challenge players.

The game has been in development for two and a half years, with BitCake Studio gathering feedback from the community to improve the game. Mad Mushroom also provided funding support to get the game over the finish line. The publisher valued BitCake’s existing grassroots community for Atomic Picnic, and their shared community focus helped the two teams align.

The game was announced during the OTK VGAs, with its early access launch planned for Spring 2024. Players can apply to join its open playtest, which ran from December 11-18. The full version of the game is expected to include more characters, enemies, maps, and new gameplay features.

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Mad Mushroom's highest-profile launch to date is Rumble Club

Mad Mushroom is a publishing arm of content creator collective One True King (OTK) Media. It was announced on June 10, 2023, during OTK Media's annual gaming expo. Mad Mushroom is a publishing company that aims to be different from other publishing companies by cutting out the middleman and giving better offers to developers. It comprises a team of creators with a "commitment to innovation" and a dislike for "corporate speak." Their goal is to get the work of independent game studios "out to the world."

Mad Mushroom's first published game, Rumble Club, was released on April 23, 2024. The game is a cross-platform physics-based brawler that launched on PC and mobile. Players fight with their fists and gadgets to knock opponents into the goo below. Rumble Club takes inspiration from various sources, including Super Smash Bros., Fall Guys, and Gang Beasts, to create something entirely new. The game features chaotic fights, a colorful setting, and varied gameplay. It is designed to be accessible and addictive, appealing to both casual and competitive players.

Rumble Club is the highest-profile example of Mad Mushroom's creator-led publishing thesis. It serves as a case study demonstrating the potential value of including creators in game development and publishing. Mad Mushroom leveraged OTK Media's resources to promote the title, including its top creators playing the game with their audience. This launch is a significant data point testing the viability of creator-led publishing, challenging the traditional game publishing model.

The game's development and release process was relatively quick, with Rumble Club launching just 16 months after Lightfox Games began development in January 2023. Mad Mushroom first saw the game in December 2023 and immediately knew they wanted to bring it into their portfolio. The game was well-received by OTK content creators, and the leadership at both Mad Mushroom and Lightfox Games was comfortable with the rapid pace of development and publishing.

Frequently asked questions

Mad Mushroom is a creator-led publishing company that is a part of streamer organization One True King (OTK).

Mad Mushroom aims to cut out the middleman and elevate the message of independent game studios to get their work out to the world.

Mad Mushroom uses its team of popular streamers to promote games organically. It also helps craft a gaming experience that is engaging and has the capacity to go viral.

You can sign up for the latest news, industry updates, and more on their website. You can also join their creators-only mailing list to stay in the loop about game keys, early access, and potential partnerships.

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