Founded in Rennes in 2021, RIVRS has established itself in just a few years as one of the European pioneers of video games User Generated Content (UGC)this rapidly changing segment where players become creators. After consolidating its position on Minecraft And Robloxthe company is reaching a new milestone: its deployment in Asia, with studio in Da Nang (Vietnam)A regional headquarters in Hong KongAnd a million-dollar investment fund dedicated to Roblox creators.
An Asian anchor dictated by the players
The Asian expansion of RIVRS is not a premeditated expansion plan, but the consequence of an empirical observation: the majority of its players come from Southeast Asia. “We realized that our community on Roblox was largely Asian. By meeting local studios, we discovered a strong cultural alignment with the platform,” explains Romain Hubertcurrently traveling between Indonesia and Vietnam.
One thing led to another and the young Breton company built a network of partners, leading to the creation of its own regional entities. At the head of this new zone, Aurélien Palasseformer director of Ubisoft Asia-Pacific, who had already supervised the creation of the French giant’s Vietnamese and Chinese studios.
“Vietnam is today one of the most dynamic mobile markets, particularly in the hyper-casual segment,” underlines Hubert. “There is a culture of play, talent and a work rate that perfectly matches what we do. »
A strategic hub in Hong Kong to drive growth
If Da Nang concentrates production, Hong Kong will act as a nerve center for financial and legal coordination. “All Asian countries have different legislation. Hong Kong will allow us to centralize management and prepare for the opening of new studios, particularly in Indonesia,” explains Hubert.
This network illustrates RIVRS’ desire to combine operational proximity with international structuring. An approach already adopted by major mobile players and now transposed to UGC gaming.
Roblox, the global creative laboratory
Roblox, often referred to as the “YouTube of video games”, is at the heart of RIVRS’ strategy.
“It’s the first platform that allows anyone, from 12 or 13 years old, to create and publish a game,” summarizes Romain Hubert. The engine is based on a recommendation algorithm comparable to that of TikTok: it is interactions and engagement that determine the visibility of games, and not the marketing power of the studios.
This redistributive logic opens the way to success stories improbable: young developers propelled to the top of the world rankings with paltry budgets. It is in this spirit that RIVRS launched its $1 million fundintended to support the rise of emerging Asian studios. “We finance part of their costs, provide them with technical tools, 3D assets and data expertise to optimize their games. Some studios have gone from 4 to 20 people in one year,” explains Hubert.
An economic model based on microtransactions
Unlike mobile gaming, dominated by advertising, Roblox is based on a system of microtransactions and premium subscription. Users buy the internal currency, Robuxwhich they then spend on games. “It’s a more fluid model, without intrusive advertising. Creators and studios receive a share of revenue from premium subscribers and in-game purchases,” explains Hubert. This system promotes a circular economy where each new creation feeds into the entire platform — a model he believes could extend to other entertainment industries like Webtoons or UGC animation.
Artificial intelligence, a catalyst for creation
The other strong axis of the RIVRS strategy is based on the integration of artificial intelligence in its production pipelines. “We are working on tools capable of generating 2D and 3D models directly in Roblox, integrated into our pipeline without external steps,” announces Hubert. These tools will be made available to its partner studios by the end of the year. The objective is to reduce creation time, streamline the design of universes and promote an approach data-driven in live game management.
From Minecraft to Roblox: the trajectory of a 24-year-old founder
At only 24 years old, Romain Hubert embodies this new generation of entrepreneurs from gaming culture. He began creating on Minecraft from the age of 15, before transforming this passion into a business with his partner Loïc Deffains. The duo first built a studio focused on Minecraft, before making a strategic transition to Roblox. RIVRS’ first fundraising was based on investor influencersbefore a second led by the fund Play Adventures, which allowed the company to scale in the UGC market.
Towards a new era of community gaming
RIVRS’ bet is part of a fundamental movement: the professionalization of content generated by users. “The closed game model is disappearing. In the coming years, we will see more and more open games, designed as platforms where players create and monetize their content,” anticipates Hubert. A movement already started by giants like Rockstarwhich prepares the integration of UGC mechanisms into GTA VIOr Epic Games with UEFN (Unreal Editor for Fortnite).
RIVRS intends to establish itself in this ecosystem as one of the world’s leading independent UGC gaming studiosby focusing on a hybrid, creative, editorial and technological model, faithful to its new signature: “By Creators for Creators.”
