• Immerse yourself in the world of captivating entertainment as we explore PortalOne, the revolutionary hybrid games platform that seamlessly blends live shows with gaming. 
  • Discover how this innovative experience is redefining the way we play and connecting players worldwide in a thrilling new era of interactive entertainment.

Have you ever played or seen your friends play video games? They're completely submerged in it, even without the headphones. Eyes narrowed, laser focus on the screen, on the lookout for the next enemy. They don't even jump at the sound of the gunshots. I find their focus fascinating, don't you? 

It's like they dive headfirst into this digital rabbit hole, like they’re Alice in Wonderland. There's this surge of euphoria, they are transported to another world and become architects, commanders, artists, whoever they want to be. An escape from the mundane, monotonous lull of the real world. 

Now what if I tell you that this experience is getting even more enhanced? Grab your controller, put on your headphones, and get ready for an elevated entertainment experience that is going to blow your minds (like my friends quite literally do in their video games). 

Founded in 2018, PortalOne is the world’s first hybrid games platform. Hybrid games are a new category of entertainment that seamlessly mix games with live shows that are embedded directly inside the games. This mobile-first content gives users a more engaging games experience, with stunning visuals and enhanced interactivity while allowing users to compete for prizes. They enrich everyday life by providing captivating, positive entertainment — with rewarding interactions that transform virtual wins into real-world rewards. A place where players–regardless of age, gender, and gaming ability–can compete directly against guests using their smartphones. 

PortalOne has been laser-focused on its mission to combine the strengths of both the games industry and the TV industry, making way for a whole new category of entertainment. They aim to increase the joy and value of playtime, and their vision is to realise the full potential of immersive, gamified experiences to entertain, inspire, and connect people around the world. PortalOne intends to become the ultimate destination for hybrid games, in the same way that Netflix is for TV and film, and Spotify is for music. To succeed in their mission, they've brought together a group of experts from all around the world, all united by the same passion: to build a new future for entertainment. Together, with their world-class roster of investors and advisors, they are empowered to show the world the full potential of hybrid games. 

PortalOne is co-founded and led by brothers Bård Anders Kasin and Stig Olav Kasin. CEO, Bård previously worked as a technical director at Warner Bros. on movies including the Matrix Trilogy, while Stig, who serves as CXO, has an award-winning background in game development, and has worked on major TV franchises including The Voice and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. 

Bård Anders said: “Gaming, social, and media are converging, and we are fortunate to be at the very edge of that frontier. Our company now enters an exciting new phase of scaling up on all fronts as we prepare to introduce hybrid games to the world. Now we look forward to welcoming new partners who recognize the opportunity PortalOne offers for iconic and popular IP brands to bridge into a whole new era of entertainment.”

The startup planned to use funding to continue building out its platform and operations en route to its first commercial launch: PortalOne Arcade, a journey into a retro “arcade” featuring multiple games. The PortalOne Arcade is the destination for fun casual games that are easy to learn, but hard to master! Inside the PortalOne Arcade, you can hang out with friends, play a variety of games, climb the Leaderboards, win prizes, and tune into the shows (on three nights each week) to play against special guests.

The Oslo-based startup has secured the financial backing of former Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter alumni, as well as Justin Bieber’s manager, Scooter Braun. PortalOne has already landed an exclusive seven-year distribution deal with retro juggernaut Atari, while other potential deals with established developers and publishers are in progress. Portalone has raised a total of 75.3M in funding over 6 rounds. It is funded by 36 investors, some of which are SNO Ventures, Founders Fund, Coatue Management, Talis Capital, and Rogue Capital Partners.

PortalOne, with its visionary approach of fusing live shows and gaming, along with having strong industry partnerships has ushered in a new era of immersive entertainment, captivating players worldwide with rewarding experiences.

Are you ready to dive headfirst into digital rabbit holes of entertainment?