Overwatch Mobile App Could Change Gaming Industry

A new mobile app that aims to meld the gaming and battle sport worlds is coming out of Arkansas early this year.

Born from the mind of 17-year-old CEO Josh Moody and helped along by a partnership with Bentonville-based digital agency RevUnit, Overwatch will be available for free iOS download in early February, with the Android version not far behind.

The app integrates the extra challenges and advantages of combat video games with the physical aspect of sports like paintball, laser tag and the shooting battle sport airsoft, bridging a gap between video games and physical activity that has been attempted, but never quite reached by virtual reality.

Moody calls it “the best of both worlds.” GPS radar allows teammates to track each other’s movements and voice chat allows them to communicate.  

A “commander” feature allows one team member to observe from a remote location every player on the field’s movements and also to disperse in-game “perks” like extra ammunition and lives. Players will be able to jam enemy radar and even listen in on enemy communication lines, Moody said.

The success of Overwatch moving from concept to reality was bolstered by a big win at the ARK Challenge in fall 2013.

The team put the $150,000 in prize money to work in product development, but has now taken to the crowd funding site Indiegogo.com to secure more funding for the project, with a goal of raising $50,000.

The campaign will conclude Jan. 26. And about 20 days before the end, $4,000 had been raised.

A partnership with Cybergun — the largest airsoft gun company in the world — is in the works, and the team is looking to ensure a packaging deal where instructions to download Overwatch will come with the company’s products, which are sold through Walmart, Academy Sports & Outdoors and Cabela’s. However, nothing is confirmed at this time.

“We are working with our partners on the retail strategy,” said David Moody, Josh Moody’s father and chief operating officer of Overwatch. “Overwatch has to earn its place on the shelf and with online retailers by creating demand for the products.”

The app is making local and national news because of its innovation.

“It’s been a blur,” Josh Moody said. Instead of being put off by his age, people have been welcoming and have been “very impressed by what I’ve been able to accomplish.”

And the work isn’t over.

In addition to continuing daily to test and improve the software, Innovis — the company Moody formed to make products like Overwatch — is working with product designers on developing hardware, including a rail mount that would attach a user’s smartphone to an airsoft or paintball gun and a personal mount, which would attach a smartphone to the user’s forearm. 

There has been no date set for the launch of the hardware, but the arm band mount will only take a month or so to produce, and a decision on the final design of the gun mount will be made in the coming weeks, David Moody said.  

About five developers are working on the project at a time. RevUnit co-founders Michael Paladino and Joe Saumweber work as chief technical officer and chief strategic officer, respectively. David Moody works on a contract basis, overseeing day-to-day operations including accounting, tax credit paperwork and funding documents.

 

Young Entrepreneurship

In many ways, Moody is a typical teenager. He attends Little Rock Catholic High School, is in the process of applying for college, and enjoys hanging out with friends and playing basketball.

But his love for video games, a typical pastime for his age, and airsoft have led him down a path that is quite different from his peers.

He first had the idea for Overwatch about two years ago, but he did not see how it would be possible to bring it to fruition.

His father introduced him to Paladino and Saumweber last spring.

“David Moody is a friend of mine and Joe [Saumweber]’s, and I remember when he told us we should meet his son, because he had an idea,” Paladino said. “Initially, we were skeptical.”

As developers, Paladino and Saumweber are used to getting pitches, he said. Many times, the ideas are half-baked.

However, Moody had thought out the idea completely and also had researched the market. He studied the gaming and airsoft markets and projected a possible market for Overwatch.

“Also, he is just an impressive person,” Paladino said. “His maturity and work ethic have flossed any doubts we had. He is an extremely hard worker, and he knows how to think things through and manage a conversation.”

“My friends like to poke fun at me about it,” Moody said. They talk about getting together to do things and then joke that Moody probably has some “business stuff” to do. 

 

Vision to Reality

For Moody, he’s doing something he enjoys. He has never had any formal training, but he taught himself to write code in HTML and CSS. Since he was young, he has teetered with electronics, toyed with video and image production and designed websites for fun. His diverse talents allow him to take a hands-on approach for many aspects of Overwatch. Moody even shot and edited the promotional video himself.

“I love that I can bring my passion to the public,” he said. Surprising to Moody, the product being worked on now is little-changed from the vision he originally had. He has accomplished this with hard work.

When Innovis Labs was accepted into the ARK Challenge, he temporarily moved with his father to Fayetteville to compete.  

Being much younger and less experienced than some of the others in the ARK Challenge, Moody had to prove himself as a competitor, he said. In addition to competing, the participants learned the basics of running a business — an aspect of the program that might have been redundant to some contestants but was very helpful to Moody.

Moody also made many great mentors and friends through the process, he said. Another benefit to participating in the ARK Challenge is Overwatch’s exposure to potential investors and business partners. Several of these are already in the works.

“You don’t usually see that kind of traction that early on,” said Ramsay Ball, principal of Colliers International in
Arkansas and small investor in Overwatch. “There is a lot of opportunity.”

Ball believes since Overwatch is based in Bentonville it can take advantage of many aspects of retail talent. “They don’t have to go far to make relationships and connections. It’s the right place, we just have to see if it’s the right time.”

 

Endless Possibilities

Although there are similar apps that attempt to create an integrated real-life gaming system, they have “fallen short in implementation,” Moody said. “Overwatch is unique in its focus and implementation of features to create a more interactive and connected outdoor gaming experience than any existing app on the market.

“It’s an app for gamers, by gamers,” he added.

According to airsoft industry website popularairsoft.com, Overwatch is the most featured app of its kind. 

“While BattleTac creates a HUD on your smartphone, the GPS radar is simply loaded through a website, and because of this, no voice chat is integrated.  Airsoft Force Tracking implements more features, but the app is currently only on Android and still does not integrate voice chat,” Moody said. Overwatch does offer voice chat.

“Unfortunately, it is very difficult to patent software, which makes it tough to maintain a position as a leader in any software field,” he said. “What drives us in our app development is the passion to continue innovating and creating new, incredible products and features for an industry that is long-overdue for technology integration. 

“In a world where anyone with a computer is a potential competitor, innovation is the only protection for an idea. If a company continues to improve a product, everyone else will simply follow in the footsteps of those on the cutting edge,” Moody said.

A trademark for Overwatch and its logo is in the works, and once the initial product is launched, Moody has planned several expansions.

And although the team is focused right now on launching Overwatch in the gaming space, there has also been some interest from law enforcement and the military to use the system in security measures.

And, if Moody has his way, he will create more products in the coming years. That would mean Overwatch is just the beginning for Innovis Labs.