Hunt for "predators" has been announced, €1 million has already been invested

Online games have become a new social space for 3 billion users. At the same time, the growth of the audience is accompanied by an epidemic of fraud and threats to underage players – from online “predators”. “Predators” have come to be called criminals who use gaming platforms to lure victims.

The problem is so urgent that the London startup PlaySafe ID has raised €1 million in pre-seed investment round to develop a system to protect players from cheaters, hackers and predators.

Читайте также

Читайте также

Hunt for "predators" has been announced, €1 million has already been invested

Viacheslav Gulay

Gaming&Cybersport

The funding was led by Romanian company Early Game Ventures. It specializes in European startups and sees the PlaySafe ID product as the basis for creating a “level of trust” in the gaming ecosystem. The American investment company Hartmann Capital and the Israeli guild of in-game content creators Overwolf also contributed to the preliminary funding of the project. Hartmann Capital assumes that the innovation will become an analogue of a “digital rule of law”, and Overwolf hopes to reduce the toxicity of gaming communities.

The verification platform developed by PlaySafe ID issues anonymous digital identifiers (IDs) that confirm that the user is not involved in fraud or illegal activities. At the same time, the system is not tied to a specific game. It provides end-to-end verification, but protects privacy. For example, a player caught cheating will not be able to create a new account – their personal ID will be blocked in all integrated services. The company plans to expand the platform and integrate with major gaming services in order to attract more than 250 thousand users in the coming months.

Despite PlaySafe ID’s claims, excessive control could undermine anonymity. In addition, some important details are not disclosed. For example, how will the system avoid false accusations or who will manage the data? In addition, the startup’s success largely depends on integration with large platforms and their willingness to share data. However, in a world where online predators adapt faster than security systems, such initiatives are not just an innovation, but a necessity.