Mad Mushroom, the publishing arm of OTK Media, has announced its partnership with Lightfox Games to release the highly anticipated game, Rumble Club, on April 23. The cross-platform physics-based brawler will be available on PC and mobile platforms, and eager fans can sign up for early access on Steam starting from March 21 until March 28.
Rumble Club draws inspiration from various genres, including battle royales and platform fighters, creating a game that is accessible and addictive for both casual and competitive players. Players will engage in fistfights and use goofy gadgets to knock opponents into the goo below. CEO of Lightfox Games, Ryan Murphy, expressed his excitement about the partnership with Mad Mushroom, stating that they are a great partner who has helped bring the game to market and reach a wide audience of players.
As the first title published by Mad Mushroom, Rumble Club is setting the standard for creator-led publishing. The game’s launch on April 23 will be a major milestone in testing the thesis of creator-led publishing. Mike “Sibs” Silbowitz, CEO of Mad Mushroom, revealed that Rumble Club was a perfect fit for their portfolio and praised the game’s fun and social nature.
Lightfox Games aims to strike a balance between easy-to-learn gameplay and challenging mastery in Rumble Club. While the game is accessible, it offers plenty of depth and game modes for players to explore. Players can choose to play solo or team up with others in matches of up to 20 players. The game will launch with five rotating gameplay modes and 30 maps to keep the gameplay fresh and exciting.
Rumble Club will be free-to-play, with in-game cosmetic purchases and a seasonal battle pass. Most players will be able to complete the battle pass through casual play, ensuring an enjoyable gaming experience for all. The game will offer over 180 cosmetic items, including emotes, skins, and accessories, with the option for players to customize their character cosmetics by dyeing them.
Lightfox Games plans to release themed updates seasonally, with the launch season taking players into outer space with low gravity gameplay and out-of-this-world cosmetics. The game’s colorful setting, chaotic fights, and gameplay variety make it a must-play for fans of tongue-in-cheek semi-competitive games.
During the Game Developers Conference, Rumble Club was showcased, and it immediately captivated players with its unique blend of Super Smash Bros., Fall Guys, and Gang Beasts. The game’s chaotic fights and colorful setting make it perfect for players looking for a fun and competitive gaming experience, especially when playing with friends.
Both Lightfox Games and Mad Mushroom are known for their agility and ability to move quickly. Rumble Club will launch just 16 months after Lightfox began development in January 2023, showcasing the team’s efficiency. Mad Mushroom discovered the game in December 2023 and quickly recognized its potential, making it a part of their publishing portfolio.
The partnership between Mad Mushroom and Lightfox Games is driven by their shared goal of creating games that are not only fun to play but also enjoyable to watch. Rumble Club was designed to be highly watchable, with streaming and content creators playing a significant role in the game’s marketing strategy. Lightfox Games added features such as the stream queue mode, allowing creators to play with their audience seamlessly. This feature enables creators to engage with their community and play against up to 19 fans at a time or shoutcast viewer matches.
Rumble Club’s stream queue mode is designed to cater to creators of all sizes, offering flexibility in managing their audience. The game will also ship with additional quality of life tools for content creators, including a photo booth mode for creating thumbnails and automatically saving match replays with adjustable camera controls.
With Rumble Club’s launch on April 23, Mad Mushroom will leverage OTK Media’s resources to promote the game. Top creators within the OTK network will play Rumble Club with their audience, ensuring maximum exposure for the game. The collaboration between Mad Mushroom, Lightfox Games, and OTK Media exemplifies the potential value of including creators in game development and publishing.
The launch of Rumble Club serves as a case study for creator-led publishing, challenging the traditional game publishing model. With discoverability being a major challenge in the gaming industry, collaborations between industry stakeholders and creators are becoming essential. Investors like 1AM Gaming are collaborating directly with creators to address the discoverability challenge and align incentives for success.
Rumble Club is set to launch on April 23, 2024, on Steam, Epic Game Store, iOS App Store, and Google Play Store. Players can sign up for the game’s playtest to earn exclusive cosmetics commemorating the game’s launch. As the first major title published by Mad Mushroom, Rumble Club is poised to make a significant impact in the gaming industry, showcasing the power of creator-led publishing.