Oncade raises $4M seed round from a16z CSX to help game studios skip app stores and share revenue with players

San Francisco-based startup Oncade just pulled in $4 million in seed funding to help game developers break free from the grip of app stores—and bring players in as partners.

The round was led by a16z CSX, with backing from a group of high-profile founders and gaming insiders.

Instead of handing over 30% of revenue to mobile or PC platforms, Oncade gives studios a way to sell games directly to their audiences through community-driven storefronts. Think of it as flipping the script: the players don’t just play—they help promote and even profit from the games they love.

Behind the startup are two heavyweights in the industry: Stavros Lee, formerly of EA, Activision, OUYA, Meta, and Coinbase; and Greg Reisdorf, who spent more than a decade shaping multiplayer experiences at Call of Duty. Together, they’re aiming to rebuild how games are sold and who benefits from the success.

“In gaming, the value distribution is broken,” said Lee. “The people driving value—studios, players, creators, and communities—aren’t earning their proper share of the financial rewards. We’re here to change that.”

Reisdorf doubled down on that mission, adding:

“We’re not just building a platform—we’re building a movement. The next era of gaming belongs to empowered communities and collaborative studios.”

How Oncade Works

Oncade turns loyal fanbases into distribution networks. Players can earn money as affiliates by promoting, creating, or selling in-game items—something that’s worked well for giants like Roblox, Fortnite, and CS:GO. But Oncade wants to make that kind of system available to any developer, no matter the size.

With its platform backed by stablecoin infrastructure, Oncade lets studios tap into:

• Direct-to-consumer game stores

• Presales powered by communities

• Instant, global revenue distribution

• LiveOps tools

• No more 30% platform cut

The idea is simple: studios activate their communities, drive more sales, and keep more of the profits. Players, in return, become part of the business, earning through sales and helping grow games they already care about.

The Bigger Picture

User acquisition costs have ballooned. Discovery is broken. And most studios aren’t tapping into their biggest asset: their fans. Oncade wants to change that by turning passive audiences into active revenue engines—and making the economics of gaming fairer for everyone involved.

With $4 million in the bank, a strong founding team, and a clear mission, Oncade is betting that the future of game distribution isn’t in app stores—it’s in the communities that built them.