Stealth startup Oomba Inc., the virtual goods exchange platform co-founded by game legend Nolan Bushnell, has acquired Xeko, the defunct collectibles game about endangered animals.
The deal follows Oomba’s quiet acquisition of game startup Play140 about a week ago. As part of that deal, Play140 co-founder Shawn Broderick became president and chief operating officer of Oomba.
Oomba said it will be “re-tooling” Xeko (pictured) into the flagship game for its digital object trading platform. It is seeking co-development and publishing partners, with the caveat that 1 percent of all Xeko revenues will be donated to biodiversity conservation.
Another feature of Oomba’s platform will be a Gaming for Good category that enables players to make donations to online causes. Few details are available, but Bushnell said, “Imagine your game time in the digital realm making a difference in the real world. How cool is that?”
Xeko was created by Amy Tucker with co-founder Sönny Spearman (Matter Group), lead game designer Tyler Bielman (Wizards of the Coast), and lead artist Michel Gagne (Zed, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet).
Tucker said the offer to relaunch Xeko came as a surprise. “I was flabbergasted,” she said. “The chance to bring Xeko back, working with none other than Nolan Bushnell, the founder of the video game industry and one of my heroes, was mind-blowingly awesome.”
Related links:
Oomba – official site
Xeko – official site
Play140 – blog post
Shawn Broderick – blog post
