First-of-its-kind gaming platform, World Reborn, launches an 8-week limited run to empower players toward real-life impact through brand-led missions
Medford, Oregon – April 8, 2025 – Wicked Saints Studios today launches World Reborn, featuring collaborations with e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE: ELF), Discord, Starlight Children's Foundation, and more. World Reborn is an interactive story game with real-world quests that make real-life impact. It is the first game ever that will reveal players' “character strengths” and help them use their strengths to better their day-to-day reality. Backed by behavioral science and positive psychology, and designed to boost each person’s self-belief, this game will prove that players are already strong. The first-of-its-kind platform gives brands, nonprofits, and creators a unique way to connect with Gen Z about the issues they care about most.
"I like to describe it as Duolingo for saving humanity – play a little every day to find your power," said Jessica Murrey, CEO of Wicked Saints. "In World Reborn, fantasy narrative gameplay meets real-life changemakers to provide bite-sized ways to improve each player’s wellbeing, relationships, and the world around them."
Backed by Riot Games, the Black female-led game studio is the brainchild of an Emmy-award winning storyteller and international peacebuilder; a behavioral science researcher; and a former senior engineer at Pokémon GO. These three women teamed up to build games that employ behavioral technology to empower Gen Z to build real-life skills. Players’ mastery of in-game skills can be used to create real change in their lives and communities. The first three real-world quests are hosted by e.l.f. Beauty, Discord, and Starlight Children's Foundation.
Known as "a bold disrupter with a kind heart," e.l.f. is the exclusive brand launch partner. Discord, which enables players to build meaningful connections around the joy of playing games through voice, video and text features, is the exclusive communications platform partner. Starlight, who delivers happiness to seriously ill children through gaming and play, is the principal non-profit partner for the limited live period.
Real-world quests, called Training Mods, feature real-life changemakers tackling a variety of social goods, such as: supporting women's sports from e.l.f., empowering teen authenticity and well-being from Discord, and boosting spirits of hospitalized children from Starlight Children's Foundation.
e.l.f. is fueled by a belief that anything is e.l.f.ing possible and has created the exclusive launch quest within World Reborn, centered on building young girls’ confidence using sport and building up the fandom for Elite Women Athletes. WNBA basketball star Aerial Powers and professional volleyball player with League One Volleyball (LOVB) Kimberly Drewniok share their stories and tips in e.l.f.'s Training Mods within the game.
“With this partnership, e.l.f. furthers its mission to democratize access for every eye, lip, and face. Together with Wicked Saints, we are creating a community and offering the next generation a safe space to dream big and access their full potential through sports,” said Patrick O’Keefe, chief integrated marketing officer, e.l.f. Beauty. “Of the few women who make it to C-Suite, 94% of them played sports. Access to sports provides pathways and opportunities for young girls, both on and off the playing field. We help level the playing field so everyone wins.”
Digital games are the number one form of entertainment for Gen Z (13-24), with 87% playing games once a week (Ad Council). Additionally, Gen Z is increasingly turning to gaming as a social space for authentic interactions. Wicked Saints’ partnership with Discord on World Reborn recognizes how Gen Z increasingly seeks meaningful social interactions through gaming environments, using these platforms as spaces for genuine connection and community building.
Discord's real-world Training Mod within World Reborn is centered on teen mental health, well-being, and authentic relationships. Popular streamer Natalie Rose, @TheMayhemMermaid, is the face for Discord's Training Mod. The game also encourages players to harness the magic of Discord by connecting on the platform around their unique strengths and gameplay.
“At Discord, we know that games have the power to do more than entertain–they can inspire, teach, and create meaningful change. Discord helps World Reborn connect with one of the world's largest and most engaged community of players and encourages them to be their authentic selves, form real friendships, and introduces them to Discord’s tools and resources for a safe and positive experience on the platform,” said Savannah Badalich, Sr. Director of Policy, Discord. “Research shows that gaming helps regulate emotions, reduce stress, and foster resilience. World Reborn encourages these benefits, and we’re excited to partner in supporting player well-being through the power of games.”
Starlight Children's Foundation is partnering with World Reborn to help players send words of encouragement to hospitalized kids with a Training Mod that features Jade, a now 14-year-old who survived a double-lung transplant at 11 years old.
"Jade's courage and kindness are an inspiration to all of us," said Adam Garone, chief executive officer of Starlight Children’s Foundation. "Through World Reborn, not only will players learn Jade's story and better understand what children like her go through, but they will have the chance to boost the spirits of hundreds of hospitalized kids just like Jade."
People interested in being the first to experience this paradigm-shifting game can download the game on the Apple App Store. A trailer for the game can be seen here.
About Wicked Saints
Wicked Saints is the Black female-led video game studio that employs behavioral technology to empower Gen Z to build real-life skills. First to emerge from Niantic’s (makers of Pokémon GO) BDI incubator, Wicked Saints’ flagship game, World Reborn, blends the “real” and “digital” worlds, so players’ mastery of in-game skills can be used to create real change in their lives and communities. With experience inside and outside of gaming, the Wicked Saints team is world-class in their fields; grassroots campaign building and behavioral science expertise complement Emmy award-winning writing with gaming design and artistry from legacies like Entergalactic, Love Death + Robots, Pokémon Go, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Marvel, Square Enix, Zynga, EA, and more. Wicked Saints has already captured the attention of high-profile investors such as Reid Hoffman, Riot Games, 1Up, Precursor, Bronze, and OVF.
About e.l.f. Beauty
e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE: ELF) is fueled by a belief that anything is e.l.f.ing possible. We are a different kind of company that disrupts norms, shapes culture and connects communities, committed to positivity, inclusivity and accessibility. Our mission is clear: to make the best of beauty accessible to every eye, lip and face. Our brands, e.l.f. Cosmetics, e.l.f. SKIN, Keys Soulcare, Well People and NATURIUM are led by purpose, driven by results and elevated by our superpowers. e.l.f. Beauty offers e.l.f. clean and vegan products, all double-certified by Leaping Bunny and PETA as cruelty free and we proudly stand as the first beauty company with Fair Trade Certified™ facilities. A kind heart is at the center of our ethos: We donate 2% of net profits to organizations that make positive impacts. Learn more at www.elfbeauty.com
About Discord
Discord is the communications platform that enables people aged 13+ to build meaningful connections around the joy of playing games through voice, video and text features. As the only communications platform purposely built for people who play multiplayer games, Discord has a highly engaged community of 200+ million monthly active users who spend a combined 1.5+ billion hours playing games each month across thousands of game titles on PC alone. Headquartered in San Francisco, Discord is free to download at Discord.com with an optional subscription offering called Nitro that offers enhanced streaming and customization features.
About Starlight Children's Foundation
Hospital stays can be lonely, stressful, and scary. That’s why Starlight exists. Founded in 1982, Starlight Children’s Foundation is a 501(c)3 organization that aims to deliver happiness to seriously ill children and their families through vital programs that impact millions of kids annually. Donor-funded and offered free of charge to hospitals and families, Starlight programs unleash the power of play, empowering kids with a renewed sense of optimism, resilience, and courage. Starlight is a top-rated charity committed to the equitable allocation of programs to its nationwide hospital network. Learn more at starlight.org and follow Starlight on social media @starlightchildrensfoundation.