Date Like Goblins, a new dating service for gamers, lets players meet in their comfort zone. Create your goblin profile, set your gaming availability, search for matches and set up gaming dates over voice chat.
The company’s crowdfunding campaign with an initial goal of $72,000 is live now.
Players will be able to customize how much information they give to potential goblin matches. Date Like Goblins offers three match modes that can be changed at any time.
In Human mode, users can see photos of potential matches. On the hand, Goblin mode does not reveal photos at any time. Finally, Halfling mode is somewhere in the middle — hiding photos once a user has indicated interest.
Lil Snack & GamesBeat
GamesBeat is excited to partner with Lil Snack to have customized games just for our audience! We know as gamers ourselves, this is an exciting way to engage through play with the GamesBeat content you have already come to love. Start playing games now!
In addition to these match modes, players can search for potential goblins using a variety of filters. These include age, gender, location, keywords, and D&D moral alignment to find potential friends and romantic partners.
At launch, Date Like Goblins is compatible with:
| Mac + PC Compatible | PC-only Compatible |
|---|---|
| World of Warcraft | PowerWash Simulator |
| Stardew Valley | It Takes Two |
| Final Fantasy XIV | Phasmophobia |
| Escape Simulator | Chained Together |
| Magic the Gathering | |
| Board Game Arena (Chess, Checkers, Go, Backgammon, etc.) |
Date Like Goblins market fit
Date like Goblins was founded by Lise Keeney, who previously worked as a publicist for dating apps like Hinge, Tinder, OkCupid and more.
Instead of traditional dating apps where users swipe on average 4,000 times to book six dates, this new service aims to be a refreshing alternative for gamers.
Date Like Goblins plans to shake up the market in two distinct ways. First, the platform helps users form both platonic and romantic connections removing incentives to keep players single. And second, the company plans to charge users a low $6.99/month membership fee after a three date free trial.
“Traditional dating apps favor the conventionally attractive and neurotypical, resulting in a soul-crushing cycle of surface-level lust-fishing and insincere, fleeting encounters. It’s a numbers game and for most of us, the odds aren’t in our favors. This isn’t entirely unsurprisingly because the same apps we download to solve our loneliness only profit as long as we remain single, said Keeney on the company’s Kickstarter.
“We believe that at the end of the day, the best dating app isn’t a dating app at all — it’s just a good party where you can have fun and meet new people.”
In addition to Keeney, one of the company’s advisors is Susan Cummings, cofounder of 2K Games and CEO of Tiny Rebel Games. On top of her traditional gaming experience, Cummings also met her partner and Tiny Rebel cofounder, Lee Cummings, playing Grand Theft Auto.
Kickstarter Campaign
Date Like Goblins officially unveiled its Kickstarter campaign on July 31, 2024 after entering closed beta earlier that month. Backers will get access as soon as September 30, shortly after the campaign ends in mid-September.
The company plans to use these funds to grow its user base and community. These efforts are kicking off at upcoming GenCon, Terrificon and PAX West.
Kickstarter Backers will get first-entry to the platform, a locked-in membership rate, and for the highest tier, gratis access to any and all premium features in
perpetuity.
Backer levels include:
- DTF (down to fund) — $10 for unlimited access through 2024
- FWB (friends with benefits) — $30 for unlimited access through June 2025
- Situationship — $60 for unlimited access through December 2025
- Everlasting Goblin — Lifetime access is available for $100 for the first 500 backers and $120 after those 500 spots are filled.
