Ludocene is hoping to usher in a new era of curated game discovery.
I recently posted a quick link to a neat looking Kickstarter that is aiming to help with game discovery. Since sharing, I've managed to jump on a call with the project's lead, Andy Robertson, to find out more about his Ludocene web app, and what it's hoping to ultimately achieve.
Ludocene, which is the work of Andy and a small team of developers based in the UK, came about following a clear need for a way to find those amazing games that often get lost in amongst the noise of the now thousands of releases each month. It's something I've got first hand knowledge of — each week I trawl through the releases on the eShop for my Nintendo newsletter, often coming away dismayed at just how buried the true gems often get in amongst all the rubble (cheap asset flips, AI junk, and lazy mobile ports to name a few) — so any help finding that glimmer in amongst the garbage is most welcome.
This upcoming app hopes to shine that light on games you may like — suggesting various titles to you, all based on a human-curated set of recommendations. It's this human-centric approach that's central to Ludocene's offering.
In an increasingly AI and algorithm-fuelled world, this independent web app is looking to real experts from across the gaming space — with decades of combined experience — to help tailor the games that Ludocene suggests to you. Andy tells me he currently has over two dozen experts already on board, including journalists, developers, podcasters, and more. The result, which I've been testing over the past few days, is something that is not only helpful, but also playful in how it functions.
That's because beyond just being a solid database of games tied to a recommendation engine — something Andy already has plenty of experience with (he's been building the child-focused Family Gaming Database for over half a decade now) — Ludocene takes its core function and presents it in an interactive, custom way.
You can think of it like a dating app which matches you with games, rather than people — all determined via a deck-building interface that helps build out your taste and further develops the recommendations made. It's a fun, reliable, and quick way to find something genuinely good to play.
The Ludocene web app, which development started on earlier this year, is still in under active development — however a working prototype, which I'm told Kickstarter backers will get instant access to, is ready to go. The complete web-based app is expected to release in around six months — at which point it will be free to use, with an optional subscription to help keep the recommendations coming, and ensure the projects long-term sustainability.
Andy shared with me how the whole project is an independent, family-owned enterprise, with no VC backing or large corporate owners to answer to — this self-reliance is not only why the project is seeking Kickstarter funding (of around $30,000), it's also key to ensuring the recommendations on offer can't be bought and that the results put forward remain genuine.
It's a novel solution to a real problem. There's buried treasure out there, and Ludocene looks like it's going to help unearth it.
Ludocene is currently seeking funding on Kickstarter — the project ends on March 13, 2025.