Rovio spin-out Hatch lines up 90 mobile games for social hub

Hatch has signed up more than 90 games from 50 studios to debut this year on its social hub that can stream mobile games instantly to gamers.

The latest titles include Dungeon Rushers, Mini Metro, Evoland, and Alto’s Adventure. Other confirmed games include Monument Valley, Leo’s Fortune, Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and Rayman.

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Rovio spun out Hatch in November as a new kind of social hub for mobile titles. Not only does it enable mobile gamers to share their passion, it also creates new kinds of shared experiences where players can join and play single-player games together, the company said.

Hatch will debut its first external beta during the first quarter. That service will allow consumers to play and share full-featured games over the cloud, and it will offer developers a new way to reach mass audiences on mobile for premium titles.

Hatch streams the game to you from the cloud. That means there are no downloads, no updates, and no in-app purchases. It has a native multiplayer experience. You can, for instance, play a single-player version of Monument Valley on Hatch. A friend could watch you play — or even take over the game and play while you become a spectator.

Hatch is taking part in Casual Connect Europe in Berlin this week. It is participating in the event’s Indie Prize Showcase mentorship program, and I am moderating a fireside chat with the company’s CEO, Juhani Honkala, on Tuesday at 11:30 am at the conference, which runs from February 7 to February 9.

Hatch is participating in Casual Connect’s mentorship program for select up-and-coming developers, with a view to possibly bringing their best work to the Hatch service. Event judges drawn from the industry have hand-picked the best developers from more than a thousand applicants to take part in the conference’s Indie Prize Showcase.

Hatch offers an instant game collection, carefully curated to provide the highest quality gaming experiences. Players can easily play together with their friends and family, as well as share gameplay moments as they happen. Games on Hatch live in the cloud, so playing is instant — with no downloads, updates, or in-app purchases.

“From our partner developers, above all we are looking for full-featured games that are fun to play,” said Honkala in a statement. “Games made with passion that are beautifully designed and full of intrigue and personality — games that may come in all shapes, sizes, and art styles but that people want to talk about, play together, and share.”

Hatch is rolling out this year on Android with other platforms to follow. Among the partners are Taito, Bandai Namco, Ubisoft, Ustwo Games, Frogmind, and Double Fine.

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The most recent additions to the launch collection include acclaimed titles like Dungeon Rushers (Gobelinz/Mi-Clos Studio), Mini Metro (Dinosaur Polo Club/Playdigious), Evoland (Shiro Games/Playdigious), and Alto’s Adventure (Snowman/Noodlecake). GameHouse’s popular franchises Delicious, Fabulous, and Heart’s Medicine are also coming to Hatch at launch.

The games themselves are hosted in the cloud. That makes them easier to discover since you are going to a hub and logging into it. Among the features, you can pause a game. You can send the controls over to a friend and have them take over. They can send the controls back to you.

“As we continue to build our collection of top-tier gaming experiences for a range of audiences, our open invitation and challenge to developers is straightforward,” Honkala said. “Does your best work belong in the company of modern masterpieces like Monument Valley, Leo’s Fortune, or Badland? Or some of the all-time great IPs like Pac-Man, Space Invaders, or Rayman? Then come and join us, and let’s change the game together.”

Hatch Entertainment started in 2016 in Espoo, Finland, inside Rovio. Now it has spun out, and it has a vision to change the way people play games. The service requires a subscription, or you can enjoy it for free with ads.

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