Overwolf is a

software Software is a set of computer programs and associated software documentation, documentation and data (computing), data. This is in contrast to Computer hardware, hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. ...

platform designed to help developers create extensions for

video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedb ...

, which are then offered to users through Overwolf's ''App Store''. The platform was created by Overwolf Ltd., and extensions are often focused on providing in-game services that would normally require a user to exit the game, such as the use of a

web browser A web browser is application software for accessing websites. When a user requests a web page from a particular website, the browser retrieves its files from a web server and then displays the page on the user's screen. Browsers are used on ...

or an IM client. Other extensions provide game-specific features that can remind users about certain in-game events, easing the game experience. The platform has gained traction in competitive video games, such as esports and

MMORPG A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a character (of ...

s, where native extensions are often forbidden due to concerns about cheating. Overwolf extensions sidestep this concern, since they do not interact with the game engine; they operate exclusively on the overlay created by the main Overwolf program.

History

Overwolf was founded in 2010 by Uri Marchand, Gil Or, Alon Ranowitz and Nir Finkelstein with a cash seed investment from Joseph (Yossi) Vardi. In September 2013, another $5.3 million was invested by Venture Capital Marker LLC. At the start of the Beta release, Overwolf had 50,000 users. As of early 2013, Overwolf had reached 1 million users and grew to 5.5 million installs by the end of 2013. In September 2012, Overwolf opened its

Software Development Kit A software development kit (SDK) is a collection of software development tools in one installable package. They facilitate the creation of applications by having a compiler, debugger and sometimes a software framework. They are normally specific ...

to allow users and developers to create applications for games. An improved version of their SDK is expected to be released in mid to late 2014. At the same time, the Overwolf App Store went live allowing user created programs to be distributed to all users of Overwolf. In June 2020, Overwolf acquired CurseForge, for an undisclosed sum, from

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. In March 2022, Overwolf acquired the UK-based payment platform software specialist Tebex in a $29 million deal.

Partnerships

Overwolf has partnered with a number of organizations. Partnerships with organizations such as

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, EA, Buff and Infernum were made to promulgate the software among their user bases and to tailor versions of the software for the partner. Other partnerships, like those with Teamspeak, were made to develop special apps such as the creation of the Official Teamspeak in-game overlay.

References

{{Reflist Social networking services Companies based in Ramat Gan Video game companies of Israel