ESB Games is a new gaming and creation platform being built around one simple idea: people should be able to discover, belong and build within one connected ecosystem. We’re developing ESB Games as a place where players can discover experiences, connect with friends and communities, take part in events and express themselves — while creators can build, test, publish and grow their projects using tools designed specifically for the platform. Rather than treating playing, creating and community as completely separate products, ESB Games is being designed to bring them together.
What is ESB Games?
At its core, ESB Games is a connected ecosystem for gaming, creation and community. The main ESB Games Play Platform is being developed as the place where players can discover and play experiences, find creators, connect with friends, join communities, attend events, customise their identity and interact with the wider platform. Alongside it, ESB Studio is being built as the creation environment for developers who want to make games and interactive experiences for ESB Games. These products are supported by additional services covering families, safety, support, accounts and the infrastructure needed to keep the wider ecosystem connected.
Built for players
Players are at the centre of the ESB Games experience. We want discovering something new to feel simple, useful and personal. ESB Games is being designed to help players find games and experiences they genuinely enjoy while also discovering the creators and communities behind them. The Play Platform is being developed around features including game discovery, profiles, friends, groups and communities, events, avatar customisation, messaging and other social experiences. As development progresses, these systems will increasingly work together rather than existing as isolated features.
Built for creators
Creation is another major part of ESB Games. ESB Studio is our game creation environment, currently in development. It is being built to bring world building, Lua scripting, user interfaces, animation, visual effects, audio, testing and publishing workflows into one creator platform. Our goal is to make starting a project approachable while still providing the deeper tools needed for more ambitious games and experiences. Creators will eventually be able to move from an idea, to a playable project, to testing and release preparation, and then publish their work into the wider ESB Games ecosystem.
Creation connected to discovery
We don’t believe a creator platform should stop at providing an editor. Building a game is only part of the journey. Creators also need ways to publish their work, reach players, build communities, understand performance and continue improving their experiences. That is why ESB Studio and the ESB Games Play Platform are being developed as connected parts of the same ecosystem. Over time, publishing, creator profiles, communities, events, discovery systems and planned analytics tools will help connect the things creators build with the people who may want to play them.
Communities are part of the platform
Games are often about far more than the experience itself. Players make friends, follow creators, form communities, organise events and spend time around the games they enjoy. ESB Games is therefore being built with community and social systems as an important part of the platform rather than an afterthought. Our aim is for players to be able to discover not only a great experience, but also the creators, people and communities surrounding it.
Safety and families
Building a platform where people play, create and communicate also brings significant responsibility. Safety is being considered throughout the development of ESB Games. Our ecosystem includes work on moderation, reporting and enforcement systems, account protection, Trust & Safety operations and dedicated family tools. The ESB Games Family Centre is being developed to give parents and guardians appropriate visibility and controls over areas of a younger player’s experience. Public Help, Support, Trust & Safety and family resources are also being developed so people can understand platform rules, get assistance and know what options are available when something goes wrong.
One ESB Games ecosystem
ESB Games is ultimately bigger than any individual website or application. The Play Platform, ESB Studio, Creator Hub, Family Centre, Support systems and other ESB Games services are being designed around connected accounts, shared services and common infrastructure. The aim is to make moving between playing, creating, managing an account and accessing support feel like using one ecosystem rather than a collection of unrelated products.
Our vision
ESB Games is being built around three ideas: Discover. Belong. Build.
Where is ESB Games now?
ESB Games is currently in active pre-launch development. Core account, platform, creator, family, support and internal systems are being built and tested in stages. Some features discussed in this article are already in development, while others remain planned for later phases. Public availability will expand progressively as individual parts of the ecosystem become ready for broader testing. We would rather communicate clearly about what is being built than present planned functionality as though it is already publicly available.
What comes next
This is only the beginning. Over the coming months, we’ll use ESB Games News to share development updates, introduce individual products and features, explain how our creator ecosystem works and provide more information as testing expands. You’ll also be able to follow the development of ESB Studio, creator publishing, safety systems, family tools and the wider Play Platform through our official ESB Games websites. Our goal is ambitious: to build a connected gaming and creation ecosystem where people can discover something new, find somewhere they belong and build what comes next.
Our purpose
Discover. Belong. Build.
