Gamer-focused social app Tilted is raising $1.3 million to save TikTok’s creator economy

TikTok may soon disappear in the US, but Tilted hopes to launch a gamer-focused social app on iOS to help save the creator economy. Tilted plans to release its app on January 31st.

TikTok could be banned in the US as early as January 19 amid concerns about its Chinese ownership as it has not yet received approval Supreme Court reprieve. The Trump administration will likely decide its fate, or Beijing-based parent company ByteDance could choose to comply with a federal law forcing it to sell its shares in the app. TikTokers have been looking for another platform and have migrated to platforms like RedNote, but the Chinese government wants Americans separated from Chinese audiences US TikTokers could simply be banned there.

And so Tilted, a Web3 social platform, will throw its hat into the ring as a replacement. Tipped in a social media app that leverages blockchain technology to provide users with passive income.

Lingfeng Innovation Fund led the round and the company was founded by Binance Labs.

Designed to prioritize monetization, Tilted integrates e-commerce and social selling tools so creators can earn passive income through affiliate marketing, advertising revenue, and direct sales. The platform’s user-friendly interface and analytics dashboard reflect TikTok’s familiarity, making it an attractive option for creators and advertisers alike, the company said.

Tilted says it’s pretty much Twitch and TikTok’s love child if they had a baby. But what makes Tilted different? It has Web3 e-commerce features that allow gamers to monetize their digital collectibles so they don’t sit idle and collect digital dust. It allows users to buy, sell and trade their game skins for fun and profit. Here is one demo the app.

The company was founded by executives who built social media platforms. Apollo Green co-founded WorldStar.com and Sarah Austin was the first beta tester and content creator at Twitch. John Brackens, Activision’s network operations manager and CEO of the Esports Entertainment Network, which went public on the NASDAQ, is also one of the founders.

“Tilted’s analytics tools are an advertiser’s dream,” Austin said in a statement. “The ability to link creator campaigns directly to sales is groundbreaking. There’s a reason why Amazon invested $300 million in its live sales and Twitch is now valued at $46 billion.”

The gaming item marketplace features skins from top gaming publishers including Web2 and Web3 games, endorsements from NBA champion Ron Artest, previously officially called Metta World Peace, and musician Akon.

The company has partnerships with Side Quest, gaming assets of Web3 games such as Engine of Fury, BR1, PlayZap, Binance Fan Token, Binance Labs, BNB Chain and CoinMarketCap Labs.

Tilted is building with the Sui blockchain to create the world’s first liquidity pool for Web2 digital assets as an L2 RWA infrastructure layer for Sui (and soon the BNB chain) with an AI and DePIN technology infrastructure network for decentralization to develop over 100 blockchain networks.

Tilted’s investors include Lingfeng Innovation Fund (LIF), with participation from prominent technology and gaming veterans including VC firm AZA Ventures, Wise3 Ventures, Stakes Capital and 336 key industry opinion leaders, including TikTok users with a total reach of over 55 million and X KOLs like Ash Crypto.

Nicole Zhang of Lingfeng Innovation Fund (LIF) attended along with angel investor Brian D. Evans of BDE Ventures, veteran technology investor Jett Tang and Sudarshan Kadam, former head of product at The Walt Disney Company Gaming.

Tilted wants to save TikTok refugees from the US TikTok ban. It is designed specifically for the gaming community to connect gamers of all skill levels with other gamers to buy, sell and trade their favorite game assets, collectibles and skins.

“Tilted is a solution for the US TikTok refugees. By using RWA technologies, Tilted reduces friction towards a deeper relationship between players and their gaming assets,” said Nicole Zhang, former managing director of Binance Labs and investor in Tilted through her new fund LIF, in a statement. “Using blockchain, Tilted can unlock meaningful experiences that were previously not easily delivered to provide rewards and incentives to players.”

Tilted reimagines the RWA buying and collecting experience for all players, not just Web3 natives. Players can also transact with credit or debit cards in over 135 fiat currencies, in addition to top cryptocurrencies and stablecoins. Details and schedules of new games will be announced in the coming weeks. Pre-register and learn more at Tilted.xyz.

“Tilted is a place where gamers go to watch and buy. It’s cool. I think it’s great,” NBA All-Star turned tech investor Metta World Peace said in a statement.

Based on the Sui blockchain protocol, an energy-efficient blockchain for gaming, Tilted’s mission is to provide a sustainable and low-cost proof-of-stake L2 solution with a permissionless system for the SUI chain and soon BNB. Tilted’s platform will be built on Sui to ensure high throughput and low transaction costs, providing an industry-first solution.

Tilted’s Gaming Loyalty Alliance program will also support influential new game developers through ongoing airdrops, financial rewards and incentives. The first game developers in this program include an already active user base of over 1 million daily active users.

“Blockchain can democratize ownership of gaming assets and provide economic power to gamers and streamers,” Tilted CEO and co-founder Apollo Green said in a statement. “We are building a TikTok competitor that adds a marketplace for gaming items with a unique TikTok Shop interface. Our goal is to create 80,000 jobs for gaming content creators and TikTok refugees if the US bans TikTok.”

Tilted is a graduate of the Binance Labs MVB, Most Valuable Builder incubator program, in collaboration with BNB Chain and CMC.

Tilted was named after Fortnite’s most valuable gaming asset. The founders met while playing Fortnite and love the original map that Epic Games recently brought back and has risen from the dead. When they did, the founders named their company Tilted.

Tilted already has a popular Fortnite map and an active Discord community where the company is giving away $8,000 a month in Fortnite scrims. Early on, the company launched Tilted Cup and partnered with the leading Fortnite game developer. With 1.58 million daily active players, the map is now a top 10 map in Fornite by traffic.

The app is free to download, offers $8,000 in weekly cash prizes to winners of esports tournaments, and raffles off tickets to shows by popular music artists. When users make transactions for game skins or game items, Tilted only takes a 2.5% cut.

Tilted said limited-edition digital collectible esports game items on Tilted’s Fortnite map can be forged or purchased exclusively from Tilted. The app is available in the Apple iPhone Store and Tilted is set to launch on Android soon.

Tilted said it differs from RedNote in that Tilted provides players with a marketplace where they can buy, sell and trade game skins and items for profit, similar to the TikTok Shop interface.

TikTok leaves a huge gap in the market as its impact on the US economy is profound. According to a report from Oxford Economics, the platform contributed $24.2 billion to US GDP in 2023 and supported over 224,000 jobs through its vibrant ecosystem of content creators, small businesses and advertisers. The ban threatens to destroy that ecosystem, destroying the livelihoods of creators who rely on TikTok for revenue and denying advertisers the ability to reach engaged audiences.

For creators like Mika Daime, the transition to Tilted was transformative. Daime, who runs a cosplay clothing store, said he earns about $12,000 a month through live auctions on the TikTok platform. But now that she’s forced to make the switch, she’s not worried about her business: “Tilted’s live selling tools are game-changing,” she said. “It’s not just about commitment; it’s about income. And Tilted offers both.”

Tilted’s focus on monetization has attracted a growing community of creators who value financial independence, the company said. This focus is in line with broader trends in the creator economy, where platforms like TikTok and Instagram have long been criticized for not offering adequate revenue sharing opportunities.

There is a lot at stake. As inflation squeezes household budgets, passive income opportunities are more important than ever. Recent surveys show that nearly 9% of Americans now earn their income through social media platforms, using affiliate marketing, advertising revenue and product sales to make ends meet. This trend is particularly pronounced in regions like Los Angeles, where creatives have been hit hard by a combination of economic pressures and natural disasters like the fires.

To ease the transition from TikTok, Tilted is rolling out a number of initiatives, including onboarding support for creators and targeted advertising campaigns to raise awareness among users and brands. The platform also leverages its partnerships with celebrity influencers to amplify its message.

“The creator economy is at a crossroads,” Austin said. “Platforms like Tilted are not just alternatives; They are the future.”