How Brent Liang Helped Grow a Community of 100,000 Gamers
By Anne Schulze
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Within the first week of its launch, founding team member Brent Liang helped Fractal achieve a remarkable milestone – amassing a community of 100,000 players on its Discord server. Such rapid growth underscores Liang's unique strategy for nurturing grassroots engagement within the online gaming world.
"We wanted to create a platform that empowers both organizers and participants," said Liang, whose early role saw him drive Fractal's priorities across product, strategy, sales, and community support. "We lowered the barriers to entry and unlocked new avenues for gaming enthusiasts to connect and compete by providing comprehensive tools and resources."
Liang's Innovative Approach
Operating at the convergence of consumer technology, internet, gaming, blockchain, and fintech, Liang has worked tirelessly on Fractal's mission in the gaming sphere to let game developers own their audience end-to-end. This is a pressing issue in light of regulatory shifts like the Digital Markets Act in Europe and the Epic v. Apple lawsuits in the U.S.
"Our platform empowers games to go direct-to-consumer through innovative audience aggregation, web shop payment, and player engagement features," Liang explained.
Liang's contributions are bolstered by Fractal's founding team, which boasts an impressive pedigree in the tech and gaming industries. Justin Kan, co-founder of Fractal and creator of Twitch; Robin Chan, who led Zynga's Asia-Pacific efforts and is an early investor in companies like Uber and Twitter; and Dan Borstelmann, who worked at Google and helped build YouTube, bringing a wealth of expertise to the table.
"Our founders come from established tech and gaming backgrounds," Liang noted. "We have a strong team that excels in building great enterprise products in gaming."
Democratizing Tournament Organization
Liang helped Fractal introduce a user-friendly toolkit that streamlines creating and managing esports tournaments. This feature has been instrumental in attracting a diverse array of organizers, from individual enthusiasts to established organizations.
"We recognized the need for a platform that caters to organizers of all levels," Liang said. "By simplifying the logistical complexities, we've enabled a surge of community-driven tournaments, fueling the growth of our user base."
Liang's emphasis on grassroot engagement and user acquisition rewards has nurtured a welcoming and inclusive community on Fractal. He has equipped users to navigate game event management effectively through leaderboards, game nights and seasonal events.
Driving Innovation
As Fractal (renamed to Stash) continues to gain traction, Liang focuses on sustaining the platform's momentum. With a $35 million funding round from prominent investors and the achievement of multi-chain support (Solana, Polygon) within a year of launching, Fractal has left its mark in the blockchain gaming world and looks to serve game developers more broadly.
While specifics about revenue and customer base remain undisclosed, Liang wants to highlight Fractal's leading product – a web shop that allows game developers to sidestep platform fees and sell directly to their players.
"We are just getting started," said Liang. "I'm confident that by listening to our customers and refining our offerings, Fractal will change gaming for the better for all."
