AAA game studios have led the way in creating hyper immersive experiences that have captivated players’ hearts. Clocking in as some of the most expensive games to make, titles like Red Dead Redemption 2, Cyberpunk 2077, The Witcher 3, and Grand Theft Auto V were able to fill its game with intricate details of dialogue, lore, in-game economies, and more.
But even with record spending on development, immersive experience gaps persist simply due to the impossible nature of anticipating individual players’ interests and interactions they’ll have with the game. As seen in user-generated content (UGC) and modifications expanding Skyrim and Garry’s Mod many years after their initial launch, players and creators consistently showcase their willingness to support and extend treasured immersive experiences. However, most games lack the tools that allow players to create content in a permissionless and composable nature sought by the community.
That’s why we’re excited to support Hypersonic Laboratories, founded by Jack “Maker” Kim. They’re building the Helix Metaverse, a hyper-realistic digital world that focuses on providing ultra-efficient tooling to enable players to play, co-create, and shape the immersive worlds that’d become the next frontier of entertainment.
From Robotics to the Metaverse: a Maker’s Journey
Jack’s entrepreneurial spirit and passion for creating began early, as he crafted and sold his own battle robotic parts. Seeking to expand his reach, he delved into web development, learning HTML and CSS to create his own distribution website. This experience revealed the scalability of software, fueling his curiosity to explore further. Soon, his mother noticed an influx of checks arriving at their house, as the Twilight and Marvel Heroes-themed Custom Search Engines he developed for friends began generating significant AdSense income for a teenager.
His drive led him to establish BeneLabs, a search engine donating AdSense income, before he enrolled at Stanford University to deepen his understanding of computer science. However, Jack soon dropped out to pursue an internship at Giphy, recognizing it as a valuable opportunity to learn directly from software builders.
Under the mentorship and encouragement of Alex Chung, Giphy’s co-founder and CEO, Jack embarked on a venture that birthed Rumblr—a viral parody of modern dating around the world. Jack later secured angel investment from Shana Fisher, founding partner of Third Kind Venture, as he redirected his focus to Hypersonic Laboratories, a move aimed to marry his passion in building digital product and the ethos of being a “Maker”, to develop the frontier digital playground for creators and modders harnessing the latest technologies.
The Helix Metaverse and the Future of Digital Creation
Jack saw the potential in Unreal Engine 5 and the possibility of building a hyper-realistic and immersive digital world. Even with hundreds of millions in development budgets, Grand Theft Auto V struggles to cater to the experience desired by those seeking a realistic digital world. A growing community of modded GTA V servers, such as FiveM and NoPixel, continues to jump through technological and legal hurdles to meet the increased demand, with more players now actively engaging in these modded servers than in GTA V Online.
Under Jack’s leadership, Hypersonic Laboratories aims to make Helix a modder’s paradise. They will focus on providing a platform of tools for digital creators who have traditionally been on the fringe of the gaming community. These tools will enable the creation of high-fidelity, interactive in-game content at scale, as well as 3D models and network solutions for multiplayer, real-time level, and map editing. The team will launch their first game based on a playable replica of New York City and give the reins to modders to fulfill their imagination and creativity set for later 2024.
See you in the Parallel Universe
Jack and his team are set on creating the most realistic digital clone of our world, building on top of the latest accessible technologies. We believe that with his focus on serving the new era of digital creators, they’ll be able to form a digital world where unlimited creativity and fun are unlocked for many.
We are thrilled to support Jack in this ambitious yet wonderful goal through participating in Helix’s Series A funding raising. We eagerly anticipate their journey ahead and can’t wait to see the creations made possible and dive into the parallel universe ourselves!If you are a founder working on a startup in SEA, or working with web3 and AI / IoT, apply to AppWorks Accelerator to join the largest founder community in Greater Southeast Asia.
