Talofa

Talofa Games is a venture-backed gaming studio focused on the intersection of physical fitness and interactive entertainment. The company was established in 2019 by founder and CEO Jenny Xu. Xu's background uniquely positions the company, merging her lifelong passion for long-distance running with a prolific game development career that began at age 12. Having started her first game company, JCSoft Inc., in high school and shipping over 10 mobile titles with more than 9.2 million downloads, she used the earnings to pay for her Computer Science degree at MIT. The inception of Talofa Games was significantly propelled by winning the grand prize in the 2019 Niantic Beyond Reality Developer Contest for the prototype "Run to My Heart," which evolved into their flagship title.

The company's primary business is developing and publishing mobile fitness games. Talofa operates in the growing market of gamified health and wellness, targeting individuals who are looking for motivation to be physically active. The core product, "Run Legends," is a free-to-play mobile cooperative fitness RPG. The game's model translates real-world movement, such as walking or running, into in-game actions. Players can engage in 5-to-15-minute missions, either solo or synchronously with friends globally, battling in-game enemies that represent real-life anxieties. The gameplay is designed around high-intensity interval training (HIIT), where players alternate their physical pace to execute different in-game abilities like attacking or healing. This audio-based experience allows users to play without constantly looking at their screens. Revenue is generated through in-app purchases of digital items and assets. In January 2024, Talofa announced it had raised $6.3 million in a seed funding round led by Chamaeleon, with participation from A16Z GAMES SPEEDRUN, Basis Set Ventures, and Insight Partners, to expand "Run Legends" and develop new titles.

"Run Legends" distinguishes itself by turning outdoor exercise into a social, cooperative RPG. Instead of direct competition, the game emphasizes teamwork to defeat in-game monsters called Sappers. The application uses a phone's sensors to track movement speed, which directly controls the player's character in real-time battles. This removes the need for expensive hardware, requiring only a smartphone and headphones. Players can unlock new gear, which provides different skills, and progress through a story-driven world. The company is also developing a second title, "Monster Walk," a pedometer-based RPG that rewards every step taken, aiming for greater accessibility and privacy by not relying on GPS location tracking.

Keywords: mobile gaming, fitness games, gamification, health and wellness apps, cooperative RPG, augmented reality games, exergaming, social fitness, Jenny Xu, Run Legends, venture capital, high-intensity interval training, wearable technology, digital health, interactive entertainment, player-versus-environment, free-to-play, in-app purchases, Niantic, A16Z