Hatchyverse Builder Spotlight: Francis Tabios — Orchestrating the Creative Symphony of Hatchyverse
In the fast-evolving landscape of media and gaming, a paradigm shift is underway, challenging the traditional notions of intellectual property (IP) and corporate structures. At the forefront of this transformation stands Hatchyverse, a burgeoning ecosystem powered by decentralized IP, pioneering a new era of transparency, collaboration, and community-driven creativity.
Hatchyverse is not just a platform; it’s a vision that functions as a generator and distributor of resources and experiences within a positive feedback economy. At its core, it champions open brand ownership and access to development resources, setting the stage for a redefined relationship between creators and their communities.
Welcome to the first installment of the Hatchyverse Builder Spotlight! Here we’ll take a break from continually building and shipping to highlight some of the brilliant people putting their creative efforts towards building the Hatchyverse.
In the realm of creative directors, Francis Tabios is a maestro of innovation and coherence. With an impressive career journey spanning renowned gaming giants like Miniclip, Netease, and THQ Nordic, he has embarked on a visionary quest to revolutionize storytelling and brand ownership within the vibrant world of Hatchyverse. Francis took the time to answer some questions about his work and vision for the Hatchyverse.
What is your high level strategy for the Hatchyverse brand?
From my point of view I believe that to build an IP, it is important to lay down the pillars of the world.
The Hatchyverse is a particular situation because it came after Hatchy Pocket, meaning that we had to build around an established narrative, even if it is small. The idea that I have is that we started with Pocket, leaning into the 90s and 00s nostalgia, Digimon vibes and classic Shonen tropes. In my opinion that is just one possible angle of the Hatchyverse. I believe that we can expand the world by using each product subtly, but we do not have to force it as a book every time. For example Omnigens are an alien race, probably connected to the origins of Omniterra and the Hatchies, but we won’t get this narrative in the product; Arcania is about a sport that happens in our world; Majika are a set of lands unexplored; and so on.
For each project we will find its space in the IP. The next step for me is to introduce a timeline. We know that most of the current projects are medieval fantasy related, but I don’t believe that we should focus on that; for example some products can be sci-fi, happening in the future, other products can be about dark ages or prehistory. Personally I would love to see something about an Hatchyverse version of our 80s and 90s, who knows, maybe I will personally make a project about it.
Can you talk a little about what the role of Creative Director is for those who may not be familiar with the role?
There is not a specific description for this role, at least that’s what I learned in the last years of my career. A Creative Director for fashion or marketing has a different approach than one from the gaming industry, but the focus is the same, being able to lay down a set of rules that allow the creators to build inside, without getting wrong and by staying coherent. In my day-by-day for example I check that all the products have at least a “Hatchyverse” element, otherwise we will end up with a collection of games related only by name to each other. Then it is about checking the feeling that we want to convey, which is not only the aesthetic but the message that we want to give.
I often brainstorm with Sol about how the lore should go, and I believe that we are in a situation where the scariest part is now, because you can go anywhere but you don’t know where it will end up. What I do as Creative Director is to be able to express the potential of the Hatchyverse by letting each product be standalone, and one day being able to let it go once the community will grasp the pillars by heart.
What are some other brands that you have worked with?
I come from the gaming industry, I worked for Miniclip, Netease, THQ Nordiq and other big companies. I started as UX Designer, which is still my expertise, and I started to look at the bigger picture by focusing on analyzing trends and possible opportunities to insert our products.
If you think about big brands, I worked on some interesting IPs like Eve Online and Lord of the Rings, which made me realize how a good IP needs to have a very strict set of rules before lending to a studio, in this way the identity can still be ensured despite the quality or form of art used.
I met Sol while working in Gear Inc, since then we kept in touch and I even helped him from time to time on developing his projects, that’s how we’ve stayed in contact over the years.
What are some differences/advantages/disadvantages in growing a largely unknown brand vs one that is more established?
The advantage is for sure that there is freedom to experiment and to build. Owning a new brand is empowering but also scary because it doesn’t have any value until the results are out, and we want to be successful.
The disadvantage is that when you work with a blank canvas you want to put everything in, taking something from your memories, something else from trends, and a risk is that you end up creating a very bad patchwork that has no coherence but just forced elements. Is the same for game design, you tend to chase innovation when you have ownership and you end up trying to reinvent the wheel for no reasons or you are so in love with some elements that you try to force them into your projects.
That’s why a good Creative Director should also know how to draw a line while still listening to all the inputs.
How does Hatchyverse being part of the crypto industry impact your view of its creative direction?
It is a new world and we are all pioneers in this team. I believe that if we have good feedback from the market, then we can discuss if the impact is positive or not. For me in particular, the impact is not that strong, there is a world to build and systems to fit inside of it, this is still exciting regardless of the industry. Maybe the user base reached will be different, but that’s another story.
What about working to grow the Hatchyverse most excites you?
I like to see continuity. I believe in the models set by Star Wars, Marvel and DC, where any person can enter that universe from a different product, a comic, a game, a movie, a toy, but is not forced to digest it all. That’s what excites me, putting those pieces together and creating characters and subtle narratives to make them belong together. I personally have a list of characters that I want to introduce in the canon, and I can’t wait to show them, Hatchirin was one of them.
Oooo, I’m not sure everyone knows who Hatchirin is — can you share more about this character?
The idea of Hatchirin came from the necessity to have a character that can bring guidance, something that the fan base can start to recognize. Hatchirin is a futuristic AI, that guides the users through various journeys. She has an energetic personality and she is willing to help you to discover this universe. She is the latest model and her name came from the wordplay of Hatchy and Hachi which means 8 in Japanese, that’s why her symbol is infinity which is the number rotated, just a small visual twist.
My idea is that she is the model number 8, meaning that there are somewhere in the timeline of the Hatchyverse other 7 models who are probably still working and with different looks. Maybe they were developed in ancient times using magic or mechanical engineering, who knows? I would really like to see Hatchy being used by our fans’ creations, like tutorials for games, avatars, art and so on.
Does Hatchy introducing decentralized IP to the world provide any unique opportunities?
We are in a world where if a person becomes very passionate about an IP or brand, they will create homages to it in any form, fanart, fanfictions, cosplays, music covers, etc. So for me this is a next step, to provide a tool to be officially “canon” in an IP that can honestly be interesting for a wide range of people.
Imagine writing a Batman story and being able to have easily an approval by DC to make it canon, that is what we are trying to build, but from zero. Of course we need to set some rules, otherwise we will lose the cohesiveness of the universe.
***
Hatchyverse represents a bold step towards a future where creators, communities, and brands coexist in a harmonious, mutually beneficial relationship. It’s a journey towards democratizing creativity, where everyone has a voice and a stake in the media they cherish.
In the hands of Francis Tabios, the Hatchyverse isn’t just an ecosystem — it’s a symphony of creativity, innovation, and cohesiveness. With his guidance, the future of storytelling and brand ownership is being rewritten, and the community eagerly awaits the next captivating note in this evolving narrative.
Get to know more about Francis’s work and portfolio here: http://www.francisleo.com/
Learn more about the Hatchyverse and join the revolution here: https://www.hatchyverse.com/
Be on the lookout for our next Builder Spotlight, where we’ll talk with the teams working on the Hatchyverse game titles!
