Evolve

Evolve Labs, founded in 2008 by Adam Sellke and formerly known as Echobit, developed a social network and collaboration platform for the gaming community. The company was based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The primary product, Evolve (evolvehq.com), was a desktop application that provided a party system with voice chat, virtual LAN for multiplayer gaming, matchmaking, and support for instant messaging protocols. The platform allowed gamers to connect with friends, cast their games on services like Twitch, share screenshots and videos, and track their playtime and achievements. A key feature was its in-game overlay, which was compatible with thousands of games, making its tools accessible without leaving the game environment. The service also included Evolve Arenas, a suite for esports enthusiasts to engage in player vs. player and team competitions. The company's platform supported over 5,000 PC games and claimed to have over 2 million members as of December 2017.

Evolve Labs and its products ultimately ceased operations. Reports from 2017 and 2018 indicate the service shut down due to a lack of funding and was later merged into Player.me, with the desktop application's functionality ending in December 2018.

Keywords: gaming social network, virtual LAN gaming, esports competitions, game streaming tools, multiplayer party system, voice chat for gamers, in-game overlay, PC gaming community, matchmaking service, collaboration tool for gamers, video game achievement tracking, online gaming platform, player vs player competition, team-based esports, Adam Sellke, Echobit, Evolve HQ, Evolve Arenas, LAN gaming, social gaming platform