Gamer-focused social app Tilted raises $1.3M to save TikTok creator economy

TikTok may soon disappear in the US, but Slanted is hoping to launch a gamer-focused social app on iOS to help save the creative economy. Tilted aims to launch its app on January 31st.

TikTok could be declared illegal in the US as early as January 19 due to concerns about Chinese ownership as it has not received adjournment by the Supreme Court. The Trump administration is likely to decide its fate, or Beijing-based parent company ByteDance could choose to comply with a federal law forcing it to sell its stake in the app. TikTokers are scrambling for another platform, migrating to platforms like RedNote, but the Chinese government wants Americans to be separated from the Chinese audience and American TikTokers might just get banned there.

So Tilted, a Web3 social platform, will throw its hat into the ring as a replacement. Lean into a social media app that uses blockchain technology to allow users to earn passive income.

Lingfeng Innovation Fund led the round and the company was incubated by Binance Labs.

Designed to prioritize monetization, Tilted integrates e-commerce and social selling tools, allowing creators to earn passive income through affiliate marketing, ad revenue, and direct sales. The platform’s user-friendly interface and analytics dashboard reflect TikTok’s expertise, making it an attractive option for both creators and advertisers, the company said.

Tilted says it’s pretty much the love of Twitch and TikTok if they had a baby. But what makes Tilted different? There are Web3 e-commerce features that allow players to monetize their digital collectibles so they don’t sit idle collecting digital dust. It allows users to buy, sell and trade their game skins for fun and profit. Here a demo of the application.

The company was founded by leaders who built social media platforms. Apollo Green co-founded WorldStar.com and Sarah Austin was Twitch’s first beta tester and content creator. John Brackens, Activision’s network operations manager and CEO of Esports Entertainment Network, which went public on NASDAQ, is also a founder.

“Tilted’s analytics tools are an advertiser’s dream,” Austin said in a statement. “Being able to directly tie creators’ campaigns to sales is a game changer. There’s a reason Amazon invested $300 million in its live sales, and Twitch’s valuation is now $46 billion.

The Game Merchandise Marketplace has skins from triple-rated game publishers, including Web2 and Web3 games, endorsements from NBA champion Ron Artest, formerly legally named Metta World Peace, and musician Akon.

The company has partnerships with Side Quest, game assets from Web3 games such as Engine of Fury, BR1, PlayZap, Binance Fan Token, Binance Labs, BNB chain and CoinMarketCap Labs.

Tilted builds with Sui blockchain to develop the world’s first web2 digital asset liquidity pool, as L2 RWA infrastructure layer for Sui (and soon BNB Chain) with AI and DePIN technology infrastructure network for decentralization across 100 blockchain networks.

Tilted’s investors include Lingfeng Innovation Fund (LIF) with participation from prominent tech and gaming veterans including venture capital firm AZA Ventures, Wise3 Ventures, Stakes Capital and 336 key industry opinion leaders, including mainstream TikTok-ers of over 55 million and X KOLs like Ash Crypto.

Nicole Zhang of Lingfeng Innovation Fund (LIF) participated alongside angel investor Brian D Evans of BDE Ventures, seasoned technology investor Jet Tang and Sudarshan Kadam, former head of gaming at the Walt Disney Company.

Tilted wants to save TikTok refugees from the US TikTok ban. It was built specifically for the gaming community to connect players of all levels with other players to buy, sell and trade their favorite game assets, collectibles and skins.

“Tilted is a solution for America’s TikTok refugees. Tilted reduces the tension to a more engaging relationship between players and their game assets by leveraging RWA technologies,” said Nicole Zhang, former CEO of Binance Labs and an investor in Tilted through its new fund LIF, in a statement. “Through the use of Blockchain, meaningful experiences – previously not easy to deliver – can be unlocked on Tilted to give gamers rewards and incentives.”

Tilted is reimagining the RWA buying and collecting experience for all players, not just local Web3 players. Players will be able to transact with credit or debit cards in over 135 fiat currencies, in addition to top cryptocurrencies and stablecoins. Details and timing of the new games will be revealed in the coming weeks. Pre-register and learn more at Tilted.xyz.

“Tilted is a place where gamers go to watch and buy. It’s cool I get it,” Metta World Peace, the NBA All-Star turned tech investor, said in a statement.

Built on the Sui blockchain protocol, an energy-efficient gaming blockchain, Tilted’s mission is to be a sustainable and low-cost Proof of Stake L2 solution with a permissionless system for the SUI chain and BNB coming soon. Tilted’s platform will be based on Sui for high throughput and low transaction costs to provide an industry first scale solution.

Tilted’s Gaming Loyalty Alliance program will also protect influential new game developers through continuous airdrops, financial rewards and incentives. The original game developers in this program already include an active user base of over 1 million daily active users.

“Blockchain can democratize game asset ownership and bring economic empowerment to players and streamers,” said Apollo Green, CEO and co-founder of Tilted, in a statement. “We’re building a TikTok competitor that adds a marketplace for game items with a unique TikTok Shop UI. We aim to provide 80,000 jobs for game content creators and TikTok refugees if the US bans TikTok.”

Tilted has completed the Binance Labs MVB, Most Valuable Builder Incubator Program in collaboration with BNB Chain and CMC.

Tilted is named after Fortnite’s most valuable game asset. The founders met playing Fortnite and love the original map, which Epic Games recently brought back from the dead. When they did, the founders named their company Tilted.

Tilted already has a popular Fortnite map and an active Discord community, where the company gives away $8,000 a month in Fortnite scrims. In the beginning, the company launched Tilted Cup and teamed up with top game developer Fortnite. The map is now a top 10 map in Fornite by traffic with 1.58 million daily active players.

The app will be free to download and will have $8,000 a week in prize money for the winners of its eSports tournaments and will give away tickets to shows by popular music artists like Akon and others. If users participate in transactions for game skins or game items, Tilted only takes a 2.5% cut.

Tilted said that limited-edition eSports digital collectibles can be forged in Tilted’s Fortnite map or purchased exclusively from Tilted. The app is available in the Apple iPhone store, and Tilted will launch for Android soon.

Tilted said it is different from RedNote in that Tilted gives players a marketplace to buy, sell and trade skins and items for profit, similar to the TikTok Shop UI.

TikTok leaves a big hole in the market as its impact on the US economy is profound. According to a report by Oxford Economics, the platform contributed $24.2 billion to US GDP in 2023, supporting over 224,000 jobs through its vibrant ecosystem of content creators, small businesses and advertisers. The ban threatens to disrupt that ecosystem, disrupting the livelihoods of creators who depend on TikTok for revenue and leaving advertisers without a crucial avenue to reach an engaged audience.

For creators like Mika Daime, the transition to Tilted was transformative. Lynch, who runs a cosplay clothing business, reported earning roughly $12,000 a month through live auctions on the TikTok platform. But now that she’s forced to make the change, she’s not worried about her business, “Tilted’s live selling tools are a game-changer,” she said. “It’s not just about engagement; it’s about income. And Tilted delivers both.”

Tilted’s emphasis on monetization has attracted a growing community of creators who value financial independence, the company said. This focus is in line with broader trends in the creator economy, where platforms like TikTok and Instagram have long faced criticism for failing to provide adequate revenue-sharing opportunities.

The stakes are high. With inflation squeezing household budgets, passive income opportunities are more critical than ever. A recent survey revealed that nearly 9% of Americans now earn income through social media platforms, using affiliate marketing, ad revenue, and product sales to make ends meet. This trend is particularly pronounced in regions such as Los Angeles, where artists have been hit hard by a combination of economic pressures and natural disasters such as wildfires.

To ease the transition from TikTok, Tilted is rolling out a series of initiatives, including support for creators and targeted ad campaigns to drive awareness among users and brands. The platform also uses its partnerships with prominent influencers to amplify its message.

“The creative economy is at a crossroads,” Austin said. “Platforms like Tilted are not just alternatives; they are the future.”