Can video game communities form the basis of a successful short-form video app? The leadership team at FreshCut is betting big on that proposition. Just months after pivoting to its current model, FreshCut has reached over two million visitors while pulling in a community of 130,000 content creators.
FreshCut’s founders are a trio of Twitch alums who are bringing more than three decades of experience to their new gig. FreshCut CEO James Kuk headed Twitch’s Business Development and Strategic Partnerships, Chief Product Officer Ben Stueck also worked in Business Development at the Amazon-owned platform, and Chief Content Officer Ernie Le spent five years as Twitch’s Director of Game Publisher and Developer Partnerships.
At Twitch, the FreshCut founders built gaming industry connections that are now informing their startup’s strategy. The platform is organized into subcategories based around specific franchises, such as Roblox and Super Smash Bros. Within those communities, viewers can discover and interact with creators who play the same games they do.
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That granular structure may sound like Reddit, but FreshCut also resembles Twitch thanks to its “laser focus on gaming content,” according to Kuk. “The cornerstone of any game is having a strong community to support it. Yet the key failure of major social media platforms for gamers is a lack of community focus, since they serve hundreds of verticals that go far beyond gaming,” the FreshCut CEO said in a statement. “As a testament to our vision, our user base has soared month-over-month since we launched.”
Twitch and FreshCut may focus on the same category, but the latter platform hopes to win users with a generous revenue-sharing structure. A press release claims that FreshCut’s “equitable business model” aims “to share more revenue with Partners than existing social media competitors.” Twitch, meanwhile, has endured contentious relations with high-level streamers after enacting controversial changes to its own Partner Program.
When FreshCut’s founders first announced the platform last year, Web3-based monetization features were a bigger part of the deal. Since pivoting to its community-oriented model, FreshCut has turned on multiple revenue streams, including a Community Fund that has reportedly paid out $1 million to creators so far.
Gamers who have joined FreshCut’s growing community include “Roblox girl” Lana Rae and YouTube star NightFoxx. The app’s latest press release states that it has raised $11.8 million to date.
