YAHAHA offers creators the chance to build their own virtual worlds

Founded in 2020 by a team of Unity veterans, YAHAHA is a new kind of social entertainment platform, which offers users the opportunity to create and play in their own virtual worlds. The company is headquartered in Finland and already has a team of nearly 100 people. In January 2022, the company announced it has secured investment of $50 million to ‘democratise 3D content creation’.

YAHAHA is now inviting ‘people with a creative mind’ - developers and players alike - to be a part of its early exclusive insiders group, ahead of its alpha launch in March in Europe and North America.

These digital pioneers will help the ongoing development of YAHAHA, by testing the platform and creating their own virtual community. Join the platform’s Discord channel to secure a unique YAHAHA username and join the early exclusive insiders group.

YAHAHA is adopting a ‘no-code’ approach to its 3D content creation and aims to create an inclusive community for professional developers and players alike. Pocket Gamer took a look at the new platform and the company’s plans to build the future of our own virtual worlds.

What is YAHAHA

YAHAHA is a new user-generated content (UGC) social platform, in which creators and players will come together to combine virtual and real-world experiences - a world that will be created by you, for you.

Ushering in the next generation of social entertainment, YAHAHA aims to unify the creator and player experiences. By joining the early exclusive insiders' group, users can secure their own custom username and be the first to test YAHAHA. Anyone with a creative mind can become a digital pioneer, building this new virtual frontier.

Once in YAHAHA, everyone, no matter their level of knowledge, will be able to test the platform, creating a universe of fun social experiences and paving the way for others in the future.

Users can hang out, explore social environments, play games or dive into the simple, fun and free to use tools themselves to design something of their own. Whether they are a gamer who wants to create content or a hobbyist that loves creating, YAHAHA has a place for everyone, and they can help to build it.

YAHAHA’s vision is to enable the creation of 3D virtual landscapes where friends can come together to create, share, collaborate and play.

What users can expect from YAHAHA

Like TikTok did for video creation, YAHAHA is on a mission to democratise 3D content creation - making it accessible to anyone creative. With an interactive studio tool, free templates, models and examples available to use, tutorials, and peer-to-peer feedback, it’s easy to unleash creativity. From giving creators the freedom to distribute their content to offering users the chance to spend time with friends in new and exciting worlds created by fellow players, YAHAHA will have it all. If you build it, they can play it. The only limit is imagination.

The initial focus will be in Europe, but later in the year, the product will be available worldwide through an official release.

The platform is made up of the following components:

YAHAHA Studio

This is the 3D creator tool where users can build content, games and worlds using existing assets from the YAHAHA asset library with little or no coding experience. Several gameplay components will be provided to help new creators to create.

The goal is to make it as easy as drag and drop or leveraging templates to make something new. YAHAHA is there to support and guide users through the learning curve. Creators are supported with clear tutorials, prompt feedback and constant iteration, helping complete beginners to create games, content and environments.

YAHAHA will have a place for those with an interest in coding too. Lua scripts will be provided at a later stage to allow creators to better customise the gameplay experience.

After creating content, users will be able to save and publish it. This will send their creation to the YAHAHA cross-platform application that will be available for mobile and PC platforms.

The YAHAHA app

YAHAHA is available to use for free on mobile and PC. Within the mobile and PC app, users can come together across platforms to experience and enjoy YAHAHA’s virtual social experiences. This will include digital worlds and games made by users as well as existing YAHAHA content, alongside relaxing social areas, with a variety of control schemes available.

Within the PC app, as well as socialising, creators are also able to use the studio tool to build content, manage their creations and publish any games or environments they have made. Once the content is published, YAHAHA users around the world can play and enjoy it. In the future, a monetisation model will be added, making it easy for creators to be rewarded for their hard work.

YAHAHA will also introduce further elements this year, including personalised avatars. Users will be able to create their own digital avatar to start a new digital lifestyle.

Pioneer new virtual worlds

YAHAHA’s early access programme opens in March, for interested developers and creators to become virtual pioneers. They will be able to test the platform, give feedback and play a vital part in creating this new virtual world. Staggered content releases will also take place throughout 2022, unlocking more features.

Creators can visit https://discord.gg/cVx8rSYZmm to secure a unique YAHAHA username and join the early exclusive insiders group now.