If you have ever wondered what happened to Fortnite champion and live streamer Fresh, aka MrFreshAsian, his new project has just hit the virtual screens of online casino giant Stake.
After building up a fanbase of 8 million subscribers on YouTube, Fortnite gamer Harley Fresh focussed his energy on founding Animo Studios, a business launched with the vision of operating at the intersection of gaming, entertainment and emerging digital experiences.
This week saw that vision become reality in an exclusive collaboration with Stake, who unveiled the studio’s suite of animated characters in a new live online game, Sky Roulette.
What Do Animo Studios Do?
Animo employs a combination of its proprietary technology and software to transform human hosts into live-action animated characters.
Using advanced motion capture to record movement, together with live broadcasting, machine learning and Animo’s own software and hardware, the human hosts can be reimagined as characters with their own unique personalities and storylines.
Although this initial iteration has been developed to give new life to traditional online casino games such as roulette, Animo’s proprietary technology has been designed to scale so that future productions can include live game shows.
It has also opened up branding potential in the live arena and Animo has already been collaborating with experts in the IP sector who have worked successfully in the past with the likes of Netflix, Warner Brothers and Universal.
There will be scope too for celebrities and influencers to insert their own IP-based characters into projects, opening up their profile to a wider audience.
“Animo is set to reshape table games, game shows, and beyond, reimagining how we play, connect, and engage online,” said Fresh, who now operates as Animo CEO.
“The live entertainment space has stagnated for too long, and we see enormous potential to bridge the gap between gaming and iGaming.”
“Animo’s innovative use of software and hardware pushes the entertainment experience to the next level,” said Brais Pena, Chief Strategy Officer of Easygo, the parent company of Stake.
“It’s exactly the type of project we want to support.”
Fresh Reveals His Three-Year Journey With Animo
Fresh founded Animo Studios in 2022 and took to social business channel LinkedIn five days ago to explain what he has been doing in the three years since he last posted on YouTube.
“3 years ago, my life was a nonstop climb for bigger numbers,” he wrote.
“3+ Billion views, 1,150+ videos, and thousands of hours live as Australia’s most followed Twitch streamer:
- 20 million followers
- Daily uploads
- Endless streams
- Constant esports tournaments
“Every day was about chasing the next peak.
The real lesson? Navigating trends, adapting to real-time feedback and maintaining momentum taught me to innovate fast, and pivot faster.
“Operating at this scale brought me invaluable lessons and qualities that now guide every decision I make.
“Then, I decided to step away from the public eye. No subscribers to count, no views to chase, and no stages to stand on – just quietly building in stealth.
“For the last three years, I’ve poured myself into Animo Studios and I’ve never worked harder or cared more about what’s to come.
“The photo was me at 17, just after winning the Australian Open Summer Smash Pro-Am for the second consecutive year in 2020 – what feels like a lifetime ago, and a reminder of how far the journey has taken me.
“Streaming and content will always be part of my DNA, but now it’s time to share a new adventure.”
