Wildcard

Wildcard is a competitive, team-based arena video game that its developers describe as a fusion of player-versus-player MOBA combat and collectible card gameplay. Matches take place in an arena where players field "Champions" — hero characters each paired with a sidekick and with "Summons" creatures — that bring distinct abilities to the battlefield. The game is presented as a spectator sport within its own fiction, with an "Exhibition Series" framing, crowd/fan mechanics such as rallies and referees, and an episodic narrative universe ("The Lore," set in locations including Frostburn) delivered as serialized story "Beats," comics, and in-world broadcast segments.

The title is developed under the Playful Studios brand, with press materials issued by The Wildcard Alliance, Inc. The company is led by co-CEOs Paul and Katy Drake Bettner, industry veterans whose prior credits include Words With Friends, Lucky's Tale, and Age of Empires. The Wildcard Alliance operates alongside a sister company, Thousands, which builds a web3 attribution protocol and the Thousands.tv streaming platform used to broadcast Wildcard playtests.

The product includes web3 and collectible components: a "Wildpass" that was migrated from the Polygon blockchain to Ethereum, plus "Wildfile" and "Flair" collectible/cosmetic systems, in-game purchases, and a community rewards program offering exclusive, non-reissued cosmetics. The game moved from closed alpha playtesting on Steam through an Organized Play program ("The Road to DreamHack") into Early Access, and participated in Steam Next Fest.

Founding story

The Wildcard Alliance and its sister company Thousands were founded by co-CEOs Paul and Katy Drake Bettner, whose prior work includes Words With Friends, Lucky's Tale, and Age of Empires.

Business model

Free-to-play-style game distribution via Steam with in-game purchases and collectible digital items (Wildpass, Wildfile, Flair cosmetics); the site's store rating disclosures list "In-Game Purchases." The company also operates a sister platform, Thousands/Thousands.tv, intended to provide creator-driven user acquisition and on-chain attribution for the game.

In-game purchases and collectible/cosmetic content associated with the game; sister company Thousands generates streaming-linked revenue (over $800,000 in the Thousands network in May 2025 per company statements).

Traction

As of June 2025, the game had been approved for release on Steam with a community of more than 100,000 playtesting weekly alpha builds ahead of Early Access. Playtests broadcast on Thousands.tv reportedly produced an average revenue per viewer of $141, and the Thousands network reported over $800,000 of revenue in May 2025, average revenue per stream of $50,000, viewer-to-payer conversion of 77%, and a peak stream revenue of $134,000. By late 2025 the game had entered Early Access on Steam.

Latest developments

The game is in Early Access on Steam and participated in Steam Next Fest (October 2025 newsletter). Earlier 2025 milestones include the Alpha 5 patch, the Community Rewards Program, the launch of Organized Play ("The Road to DreamHack"), the Alpha 4.3 update introducing the "Drops" creatures, appearances at DreamHack Dallas 2025 and LVL UP EXPO 2025, and the migration of the Wildpass from Polygon to Ethereum. In June 2025 the company and sister company Thousands announced a $9 million raise co-led by Arbitrum Gaming Ventures and Paradigm, of which $6.5 million had been secured.