Orlando gaming startup HypGames brings virtual sports to the real world

There are groups of people who met each other on mobile game “Ultimate Golf!” in spring 2020, battled in multiple virtual competitions, later met up in real life and now play rounds of golf together in the real world. 

It’s an example of what Mike Taramykin, CEO of “Ultimate Golf!” creator HypGames Inc., views as the goal of HypGames and, ultimately, the metaverse: using technology to bring people together and create communities. 

Now, Orlando-based HypGames is taking that approach to the next level. It’s working with Niantic, the San Francisco-based developer of “Pokemon Go,” to build “NBA All-World.” While details on the game are limited since it’s under development, Taramykin told Orlando Inno players and their friends can use it to find virtual gear and competitions in their neighborhoods.   

HypGames, a 2022 Orlando Inno Fire Awards winner, recently found success with “Ultimate Golf!,” the 10th-most-popular sports game on the Apple App Store, and “8 Ball Smash!,” a competitive pool game launched earlier this year. 

Meanwhile, HypGames’ focus on creating virtual, competitive communities — as well as bringing virtual components to the real world — is an example of the type of tech Central Florida is championing through its MetaCenter initiative. The Orlando Economic Partnership is spearheading the efforts to promote the region as a national leader in gaming, virtual reality, augmented reality and other technologies key to the increasingly popular metaverse concept. 

Here’s more from Taramykin on the NBA game it’s building and how its virtual sports communities tie into the metaverse. 

How do the games built by HypGames factor into this growing concept of the metaverse? I think it's using tech to bring people together digitally. What's interesting about what we're doing at HypGames is we’re executing at scale on both sides of that. With something like "Ultimate Golf!," we go out and digitize the real world, scan golf courses down to the inches. No matter where you are in the world, you can meet people and play golf at real world locations. I view it as, whatever you're doing, you can teleport to the back nine of Bay Hill for a couple minutes.

How does NBA All-World fit into it? NBA All-World is the same concept but, in a way, flipped. It’s bringing digital engagement into the real world. It's about people being together in the same place at the same time, then we create competition and game play. We’re going to gamify Lake Eola; we’re going to gamify your neighborhood. “Pokemon Go” did this years ago to tremendous success.

When you build these digital communities in different games, what differences do you have to include so they appeal to golf fans versus basketball fans versus other sports fans? Some things are remarkably universal, and some things are subject specific. What we find is the competition is universal. You want to play in multi-day stages, in tournaments. You want to have the best gear. The cultures are different. The demographics are different. The music in "NBA All-World" and "Ultimate Golf!" are different. The products you outfit yourself with are different. You have to be true to the genre to make it authentic. 

What were your thoughts when you first heard about Central Florida’s efforts to become the metaverse hub? I've had a belief for a long time, with the availability of talent and resources, I don’t know why Orlando can't be the center of anything. To me, it felt very logical given the abundance — not just in Orlando but Florida in general — of universities, access to capital and tech savvy people. Orlando is centrally located in what I think is one of the best states for doing any innovation. 

Will HypGames hire this year? Definitely. We've gotten to the point where we can build games efficiently. The growth for us is coming in bolstering our live operations teams. You have to have live numbers and player base; You have to know what's happening this minute. People expect problems to be fixed in five minutes. 

What else is HypGames working on? Our goal this year is to be focused on "Ultimate Golf!," “8 Ball Smash!,” “NBA All-World” and a “surprise guest” game. Our plan is to build a portfolio of services that we can stand up and build a digital entertainment business where we have these live products and services out there, catering to different player bases and constituencies. Rather than serving players one game at a time, we have repeat customers. 

HypGames Inc.

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