Echo Chunk, a startup founded by a lifelong strategy game enthusiast, has secured $1.4 million in pre-seed funding. The company’s flagship product, Echo Chess, aims to make chess more accessible to a wider audience by adopting a daily puzzle format inspired by the word game phenomenon, Wordle.
This investment, led by Andreessen Horowitz’s early-stage games accelerator a16z Speedrun, shows a growing interest in leveraging AI to create novel gaming experiences.
In a relative note, last month Berlin-based social gaming startup SLAY also secured $5M from Accel to build an immersive social gaming platform.
What is Echo Chess now?
Echo Chess departs from the traditional chess format where players compete head-to-head. Instead, it presents players with daily challenges where they must capture all the pieces on the board within a set number of moves.
This simplified approach reduces the learning curve associated with chess, potentially attracting casual gamers who may find the full game intimidating. Additionally, Echo Chess offers three distinct modes: daily classic, daily epic for longer puzzles, and a fast-paced blitz mode where players race against the clock.
How is the game different from other similar ones
A key differentiator for Echo Chess is its use of artificial intelligence. The company leverages AI for three purposes: creating new boards for the blitz mode, exploring the development of multiplayer modes and entirely new games, and assisting users in designing their own puzzles using the “Echo Maker” platform.
This focus on AI-powered content creation aligns with the vision of some investors, like Stef Corazza, head of Generative AI at Roblox. Corazza sees AI as a “co-pilot” for game designers, enabling the creation of “an endless variety of user-generated maps.”
Despite its recent funding, Echo Chunk remains a small team of four members. The company prioritises community engagement, with many streamers and content creators already building a buzz around Echo Chess.
While monetization is not an immediate concern, the company plans to keep the web-based version free-to-play. Echo Chunk acknowledges the need to find a monetization strategy that doesn’t negatively impact the game experience, a challenge faced by many free-to-play titles.
What we think about the gaming startup
Echo Chess represents an intriguing experiment in applying AI to create a more accessible chess experience. The success of this approach hinges on its ability to attract a new generation of casual players who might find traditional chess daunting.
While the game has garnered investor interest and early community engagement, its long-term viability in the crowded mobile gaming space remains to be seen. Whether Echo Chess can transform chess into a daily puzzle habit or simply become a passing fad is a question only time will answer.
