Esports start-up Ember Entertainment recently launched its first collectable card game, Realm of Alters. The game, which is also Hong Kong’s first locally produced online trading card game, racked up more than 150,000 downloads in just three weeks. Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store both featured the game in the Game Category, and gamers responded enthusiastically to the game’s immersive gameplay, engaging content, and stunning artwork, including the appealing design of more than 200 characters.
 
Realm of Alters came to life upon two years of intensive game and business development for Ember Entertainment, which is a Cyberport incubatee and a Smart-Space company that has been developing competitive games and platforms since 2017. According to the founder, Joseph Ku, Ember Entertainment’s goal is to excel in the industry and to accelerate Hong Kong’s esports development by creating well-designed and highly enjoyable entertainment experiences.
 
Thanks to the local esports boom, the start-up has received more than a few helping hands in its endeavour. For example, the start-up was selected to join the inaugural Hong Kong Game Enhancement and Promotion Scheme, a training and mentorship programme for nurturing Hong Kong’s game start-ups and helping them to monetise their creations. Ember Entertainment had the chance to exhibit at the Tokyo Game Show and received a HK$400,000 marketing sponsorship to promote its game in both local and international markets.
 
Additionally, Ember Entertainment is leveraging Cyberport’s Esports Internship Scheme to bring in new talent from the game industry. It is hiring 3 interns to speed up the production time of new characters and game story development.
 
The start-up is now looking at staging a Pre-A round to raise US$1 million, expanding the team, and developing new gaming and marketing technology and new markets.