10 Things You Didn’t Know about Chris Zhu
Chris Zhu is the CEO of Yahaha Studios . This is one of the numerous companies interested in the Metaverse. However, Yahaha Studios stands out to some extent because it has managed to raise $50 million for its war-chest, which makes it clear that there are those out there who believe in its potential.
1. Went to Shanghai Jiao Tong University
For his bachelor’s degree, Zhu went to Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Unsurprisingly, said school can be found in the city of Shanghai in the country of China. However, Shanghai Jiao Tong University is notable for being one of the oldest institutions of its kind that can be found in said country, having been founded towards the end of the 19th century by the edict of the Guangxu Emperor. In the present time, it is considered to be one of the best schools in both China and beyond.
2. Went to Fudan University
Later, Zhu went for a master’s degree from Fudan University, which is another school from Shanghai. Similarly, it has a reputation for being an excellent school in both China and beyond. However, it is amusing to note that it is just a bit younger than Shanghai Jiao Tong University because it was founded just a bit before the end of the Qing dynasty in the early 20th century.
3. Studied Computer Science
There are a lot of people who choose to do their undergraduate degree in one subject before doing their graduate degree in another. However, Zhu wasn’t one of them. Instead, he did both of his degrees in computer science, with the unsurprising result that he went into a computer-related career.
4. Video Game Industry Veteran
Zhu wasn’t always involved in the video game industry. At one point in time, he was working at Microsoft. Granted, said company is involved in video games as well. However, Zhu doesn’t seem to have been involved in that part of Microsoft. Later, he worked at EA and then Unity Technologies, both of which can be considered video game companies. After all, EA is EA. Meanwhile, Unity Technologies isn’t as high-profile but is nonetheless important because it facilitates the making of video games through its software.
5. This Isn’t His First Startup
Yahaha Studios isn’t the first time that Zhu has been involved in a startup. Previously, he had been a co-founder of SilkCloud, which was an e-commerce platform that seems to have been bought out by Unity Technologies. Something that would explain a lot about how Zhu winded up in a couple of relatively high-ranking positions at the latter.
6. His Company Is Based in the City of Espoo
In any case, Zhu’s company Yahaha Studios seems to be based in the city of Espoo in the country of Finland. This can sound strange. However, it becomes much more understandable when one realizes that said city is home to Rovio, Remedy Entertainment, and a number of other notable companies. In other words, Espoo is home to the kind of resources and institutions that startups need to get their revenue-earning operations off of the ground. Having said that, one of the other co-founders is a long-time resident of the city, which is said to have played a role in Yahaha Studios being based there as well.
7. His Company Is Interested in the Metaverse
Yahaha Studios is one of the numerous companies out there that are interested in the metaverse, which can be summed up as a collection of virtual worlds that put an emphasis on social connection between interested individuals. It is a concept that has been receiving a lot of interest in recent times, with the result that a lot of parties have latched onto it for the purpose of making themselves seem more relevant. As such, it can be difficult to distinguish between companies that matter and companies that don’t matter, particularly since everyone is so hyped-up by the thought of getting involved in the next big thing while it is still building up to that point rather than already there.
8. His Company Wants to Enable No Code Video Game Development
Having said that, Yahaha Studios does have a clear idea of where it wants to go. Essentially, it has two aims. First, it wants to enable no code game development. For those who are unfamiliar, this can seem somewhat ridiculous. However, no code game development has been a thing for a very long time. As such, Zhu is interested in something familiar but in a new context.
9. His Company Wants to Host the Resulting Communities
The second aim is that Yahaha Studios wants to make this no code game development happen within the metaverse. The idea is that people will build games using its no code game development platform and then play games in its virtual worlds, thus resulting in online communities. Something that can be very lucrative for tech companies. After all, online communities encourage people to stick around for longer than otherwise possible because of social connections. Moreover, they result in the creation of online resources that provide value for their members, thus making them more attractive as well. If Yahaha Studios can succeed in its ambition, the result could be very lucrative.
10. His Company Is Set to Launch an Alpha
Of course, there is no way to tell whether Yahaha Studios will succeed or not at this point in time. Still, the fact that Zhu and the rest of the company’s leadership have managed to raise $50 million suggests that there are interested parties that are willing to bet upon them. Currently, Yahaha Studios hasn’t released anything because it is still in a relatively early stage of the business lifecycle. However, it is interesting to note that the company is apparently preparing to launch an alpha in Q2 of 2022. Depending on exactly what that alpha will look like, that could mean that it is making good progress.
