Shero Games Launches Crowdfunding Campaign To Empower Women Of Color In Gaming

Shero Comics, the place where powerful women rule the world, is raising funds to bring video games to life that feature women and girls of color with main character energy.

On Nov. 8, 2023, Shero Games, the official gaming division of the female-centered multimedia company, will be unlocking a new level on its quest: a crowdfunding campaign. Shero plans to build games based on its “own library of inclusive stories and will use the funds raised to enlist a game developer” for the company’s highly anticipated mobile, PC, and Roblox games, according to a press release provided to BLACK ENTERPRISE. The campaign will run through Dec. 22.

Thanks to husband and wife duo 2020 NBA All-Star and 2021 NBA Champion Jrue Holiday and two-time Olympic gold-medalist soccer player Lauren Holiday, Shero Games is on its way to the ultimate feat of “taking on the male-dominated world of gaming.” The star athletes are matching up to $35,000 of what the company raises through the couple’s JLH Social Impact Fund.

“Though I’ve been a gamer my whole life, it wasn’t until I exhibited at my first comic con in 2016 when a developer approached me about turning Rayven Choi into a video game that the idea of building games landed on my radar,” Shequeta L. Smith, award-winning writer and founder of Shero Comics, stated in the release. “Now with several more IPs under my belt, I think it’s the perfect time to make video games with Sheroes at the epicenter.”

Level Unlocked

In 2016, Shero Comics was founded by Shero CEO, Shequeta L. Smith, with the intention of creating a “renaissance of Black standalone superheroines,” according to the website. While women make up 48% of all gamers, less than 6% of mainstream games feature a female protagonist, the press release reported. The Los Angeles-based multimedia company has since been on a mission to help women and girls of color tap into their superpowers by architecting diverse technology.

Three years later, Shero Comics celebrated a history-making move. It launched the only all-female comic convention in America, SheroCon, and the first comic con to take place inside a Westfield property. The company has built a stunning platform of Black female-led comic book IPs like Rayven Choi, Squad Goals, The Legend of Cahokia, and Young Grandmaster Choi.

Shero will be at the LA Comic Con in December. What’s more, Smith is celebrating her nomination for the Distinguished Leadership of the Year Award from the Regional Black Chamber of Commerce of San Fernando Valley.

Supporters of the crowdfunding campaign will have some perks ahead of them, such as early access to the games, tickets to the future release parties, free in-game power-ups, and themed wallpapers. In addition, favor bags will include Shero Games merchandise such as T-shirts, graphic novels, and gaming headsets.

The campaign will also kick off two new games, “SheroCon” and “Raven Choi.” “SheroCon” is a Roblox gaming experience that replicates the real-life magic of the annual Shero Comics Convention, an event that spotlights and celebrates women and their contributions to pop culture and geekdom. “Rayven Choi: Reaper’s Run” is a mobile game based on the Korean-African American graphic novel Rayven Choi.

The Shero Games crowdfunding campaign will go live on at www.fundblackfounders.com/sherogames.