November 5, 2015 – Evolve Labs, makers of collaboration software that makes it easy for gamers to connect, coordinate and play computer games with friends online, has officially kicked off its Evolve 2.0 Beta program today. The company has also launched a Partner Program with developers to bring more gamers and engagement opportunities into their shared communities.
The new Evolve 2.0 is a completely redesigned product that brings together communication, collaboration, and sharing tools for a streamlined, social PC gaming experience. Features like individual- and group text/voice chat; a party system for gathering friends for ad hoc or scheduled games; a matchmaking system for when friends aren’t available; plus screen/video capture and live streaming widgets for sharing the fun out to social media outlets like Imgur, YouTube, and Twitch; all work in concert with each other to take complexity and confusion out of gaming.
“PC gaming typically requires a lot of juggling of the who, what, when and how you want to play games. Evolve makes it a breeze,” said Adam Sellke, founder of Evolve. “By removing technical, logistical, and social barriers, Evolve opens up opportunities for more people to get into PC gaming.”
Beta program kicks off
With over 1.8 million registered members, sixty percent of Evolve’s daily active users are playing games more than 2 hours per day on the platform; thirty percent of those are spending more than 5 hours per day.
“We are excited to share Evolve 2.0 with our community,” said Blair Reyburn, Chief Product Officer at Evolve. “Many have been with us from the beginning, and their feedback has been instrumental in shaping this next version of the product. We think our easy-to-use tools and improved UX design will appeal to both old and new members, as well as those new to PC gaming in general. Regardless if you’re a hardcore gamer or getting into PC gaming for the first time, Evolve 2.0 is the best way to play games online with friends.”
Partner Program Offers Indies a New Kind of Social Hub
Evolve’s Partner Program is a showcase of hand picked titles that give developers an official presence in the form of a collaboration hub on Evolve where fans can connect, coordinate, and play around their titles. Evolve is currently adding about 100,000 new users each month. The Partner Program, now underway, is aimed at accelerating that growth and creating further engagement for the community on the platform.
The Evolve Partner Program offers a number of features for game developers and their devotees, including:
●A social graph with built-in connections to friends and others around partners’ titles.●Direct, instant communications with and amongst community members for AMAs, group chats and promos.
●Party creation tools to organize and launch gaming experiences with others.
●Voice and text chat for in-game collaboration.
●Screen and video capture, as well as instant video streaming to share gamer exploits via Imgur, YouTube, Twitch and other social media outlets.
●Access to exclusive game-themed skins and other content.
The first partner in this program is BetaDwarf, developers of the Forced franchise. Their latest game, Forced: Eternal Arenas, combines online 3D action gaming with playing cards and deckbuilding.
“As an indie developer, partners like Evolve help us to reach a larger audience of PC gamers who appreciate the community aspect of gaming,” said Frederik Elkær Denning, Producer of Forced: Eternal Arenas. “We are excited to be a part of the new Evolve 2.0 beta rollout with all of the great new features that gamers really want in a collaborative toolset.”
Other partners that will be rolled out in the coming months include Big Robot’s “Sir, You Are Being Hunted”, “Speed Runners” from DoubleDutch/tinyBuild and “Lethal Tactics” from Skybox Labs.
About Evolve
Launched in 2010 and based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Evolve is a game-agnostic collaboration and productivity platform that makes it easy for gamers to connect, coordinate and play online games with friends. The Evolve community currently boasts more than 1.8 million members who use Evolve to make gaming more simple, more social, and more fun.
