Eyeball Games’ debut title Pool Masters is launching later this year, and will try to give category leader 8 Ball Pool a run for its money.
And it has a decent chance of doing so – the studio is cofounded by Karsten Niemeier and Thomas Elgaard, who claim to be the minds behind the original 8 Ball Pool, the game that has gone on to dominate the mobile pool category under Miniclip’s ownership. Appmagic estimates suggest 8 Ball Pool earns Miniclip around $6m per month in IAPs alone.
Pre-orders for Eyeball Games’ debut title Pool Masters are live today. The studio has raised $3.3m to date including backing from Ubisoft-backed White Star Capital and angels including King cofounder Sebastian Knutsson and Ludia cofounder Alex Thabet.
Eyeball had previously raised $1.5m back in 2023 to make a blockchain-enabled mobile pool game. For the launch of Pool Masters, those web3 elements appear to have been dialled back, though there is mention of “an industry-first marketplace where players can buy or sell cues in exchange for digital assets” in the press materials.
Instead, for launch at least, the firm is focused on big-brand collaborations. It has lined up a tie-in with DreamWorks’ forthcoming How to Train Your Dragon movie for launch, a deal pushed through with the help of Eyeball’s trio of ex-Ludia backers, investor Alex Thabet, creative director Raphael Monin and CMO Francois Daoud.
“The world of online pool playing is desperately in need of new energy which we’re bringing with the launch of Pool Masters,” says Eyeball Games CEO and co-founder Jonathan Ivarsson.
“Players will love how we’ve enhanced the traditional gaming experience to include a focus on collectibles, a competitive league system – and we have cool brand collaborations starting with How to Train Your Dragon, too.”
