Golden Tides is a New Type of MOBA with Open Seas and No Lanes
Psychedelic Games secures $3.5M to build a pirate-themed “Adventure MOBA” that replaces rigid lane design with open-world exploration and naval combat
Psychedelic Games has announced Golden Tides, a free-to-play 4v4 pirate-themed “Adventure MOBA” that aims to shake up how the genre works. Backed by a $3.5 million funding round led by KRAFTON, FlyQuest, and Arbitrum Gaming Ventures, the project positions itself less as an iteration on established MOBAs and more as a structural overhaul.
At the core of that rethink is a deliberate rejection of genre conventions. Golden Tides removes lanes, towers, and extended match lengths, replacing them with 20–25 minute sessions set across an open world of islands and sea. Instead of pushing down predictable paths, two teams of four players navigate freely, competing for objectives like buried treasure while engaging in both land-based combat and ship-to-ship encounters.
"Whenever we’re designing a game, we never think, “OK, here’s the genre we want to make, there’s a hole in the market, let’s go fill that.” It’s always, “What mechanic sounds really, really fun?” or “What’s a really fun experience?” and then, “How do we make that great?”
So whenever we’re designing, we’re thinking about how to try something, build it fast, and test it fast. If we like it, we keep it. If not, we cut it. We do a lot of group ideation, a lot of crazy ideas, and we move quickly. We essentially made a giant block of marble (game mechanics) and have chipped away it to reveal greatness. "
- Psychedelic Games CEO, Devin Richman
From a design perspective, Golden Tides sits at an unusual intersection. It retains recognizable MOBA elements such as defined roles (tank, support, damage) and ability-driven combat, but layers those systems into a more open-ended playspace.
The result is a hybrid structure where teams can approach victory through multiple strategies. Players might hunt AI-controlled bosses, ambush enemy crews, or avoid conflict entirely while securing objectives. Naval combat introduces another axis of skill expression, with ship-based movement and skillshot-driven engagements adding complexity beyond traditional top-down encounters.
"When you play, you get the same kind of power scaling you’d expect from a MOBA like League, Dota, or even something like Overwatch Stadium, but the big difference is we’ve completely removed lane-based gameplay. Instead, we drop you straight into team fights and team action.
You’re basically going on an MMO-style raid from the start with your full team of four fighting NPC groups while searching for objectives. Right out of the gate, you’re already in the action, leveling up, collecting gold, and scaling. However, another team is doing the exact same thing.
Then we layer in the pirate experience. Instead of pushing lanes, both teams are competing over objectives that have a clear beginning, middle, and end."
- Psychedelic Games CEO, Devin Richman
The project’s funding structure is also notable. Rather than pursuing traditional venture capital, Psychedelic Games assembled a group of strategic partners with direct ties to game development, publishing, and esports.
KRAFTON brings experience in scaling globally successful multiplayer titles, while FlyQuest’s involvement signals early consideration for competitive ecosystems and community building. Arbitrum Gaming Ventures, meanwhile, reflects a growing interest in funding projects that challenge established design patterns rather than iterate on proven formulas.
Golden Tides is still in development for PC, with a playtest planned for Q2 2026. Whether it ultimately delivers on its ambitions remains to be seen, but its approach highlights a broader moment for the MOBA genre.
For more than a decade, MOBAs have remained structurally consistent, with innovation largely happening at the level of characters, balance, and presentation, so it should be interesting to see if this can make a splash (pun intended).
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