Oncade, a new game distribution platform based in San Francisco, has raised $4 million in seed funding to support its mission of reshaping how games are sold and promoted. The company aims to give game studios more control over their revenue and community engagement by moving away from traditional platform-based models. The funding round was led by A16z CSX, with participation from several prominent founders and industry leaders.

Oncade Raises $4 Million in Funding

$4 Million in Funding

Oncade is building an off-platform, direct-to-consumer game store that allows studios to sell their games and digital items directly to players. This model removes the need for traditional platform distribution channels that typically charge up to 30% in fees. Instead, Oncade enables studios to retain a larger share of revenue while also creating a stronger connection with their player base. The platform supports both PC and mobile game distribution.

According to Oncade, the current game distribution ecosystem often limits studios' financial potential and throttles their reach. Rising acquisition costs, reliance on paid advertising, and dependence on algorithm-driven discovery methods have made it difficult for studios to grow sustainably. Oncade offers an alternative by giving developers tools to build their own branded storefronts and drive traffic through community-powered channels.

Empowering Communities and Players

A core feature of Oncade’s model is the ability for players and community members to participate directly in game distribution. Players can become affiliates, earning a percentage of each sale they help generate by sharing referral links or promoting their favorite games. These affiliates can also create their own storefronts, showcasing selected games and items to their own communities. This approach allows communities to contribute to a game's success while being rewarded for their efforts.

Oncade integrates community-led distribution with creator economies, enabling players to create and sell in-game items, such as cosmetics, without the need for large-scale infrastructure or dedicated finance teams. This creates additional revenue opportunities for both players and developers while strengthening long-term engagement.

Oncade Raises $4 Million in Funding

Stablecoin-Powered Payments and Revenue

The platform uses stablecoins and modern payment rails to provide real-time payments to developers and affiliates. This system eliminates payout thresholds and reduces delays, allowing for instant and global transactions. Developers can also use Oncade’s built-in LiveOps tools to manage real-time updates, events, and rewards, helping to keep players engaged without the need for ongoing external marketing efforts.

By handling payments and storefront creation in one integrated solution, Oncade simplifies revenue operations for studios. The company charges a fee of 2.5% plus the cost of the distribution channel, which it says is significantly lower than existing platform fees.

Backed by Industry Experience

Oncade’s founding team brings over three decades of experience in the gaming industry. Stavros Lee, cofounder and CEO, previously held roles at Electronic Arts, Activision, Ouya, Razer, Meta, and Coinbase. His experience spans software engineering, mobile gaming, and large-scale consumer platforms. Greg Reisdorf, cofounder and product lead, spent 13 years working on Call of Duty, overseeing multiplayer development and contributing to over $10 billion in lifetime revenue.

The team believes that the future of game distribution lies in community-driven models that align the interests of developers and players. Drawing on insights from live service games and creator platforms, Oncade aims to make these models accessible to studios of all sizes.

Oncade Raises $4 Million in Funding

Unlocking the Potential of Player Economies

Oncade’s model is inspired by the success of existing player-driven ecosystems in games like CS:GO, Roblox, and Fortnite. These games have demonstrated the long-term value of empowering players to create, share, and earn within the game environment. Oncade’s goal is to bring similar capabilities to smaller studios that may not have the resources to build such systems independently.

Two major trends are converging to support this shift: the increasing availability of stablecoin infrastructure for global payments and the proven sustainability of player economies. Oncade integrates both into its platform to offer a scalable, efficient, and community-centric solution.

Building the Future of Game Distribution

Oncade describes itself as the “Shopify for games,” offering a comprehensive suite of tools that studios can use to launch and manage their own sales channels. The company’s platform supports affiliate marketing, creator monetization, real-time payments, and community storefronts, all aimed at reducing reliance on traditional discovery and monetization methods.

By focusing on empowering developers and their communities, Oncade is positioning itself as a viable alternative to existing game distribution platforms. As the company continues to grow, its approach to direct-to-consumer sales and community engagement may signal a broader shift in how games are marketed and sold in the web3 era.