Gaming Vets Launch JOA with AI to Make Sports Fandom 'Playable'

LONDON – March 17, 2026 – A new venture from the minds behind gaming hits like NFL Rivals has launched with an ambitious goal: to fundamentally reshape the experience of watching live sports. JOA, a company founded by industry veterans including Mythical Games co-founder Rudy Koch, today announced its "live link" sports platform, powered by what it calls an "agentic insights engine." The launch was accompanied by the strategic acquisition of intellectual property from interactive fan platform GreenPark Sports and a major partnership with combat sports giant ONE Championship.

This multi-faceted announcement positions JOA at the intersection of artificial intelligence, gaming, and live broadcasting, aiming to convert hundreds of millions of passive spectators into active participants in the sports they love.

The Dawn of Agentic AI in Sports

At the heart of JOA's strategy is its proprietary technology. The company's "agentic insights engine" and "live link platform" are designed to work in tandem, creating a new interactive layer that synchronizes seamlessly with any live sports broadcast. Unlike passive second-screen apps that simply display stats or polls, JOA's platform intends to be proactive and dynamic.

The term "agentic AI" suggests an advanced form of artificial intelligence capable of autonomous decision-making. In this context, the engine will analyze live game data in real-time to generate personalized challenges, unique content, and immediate rewards for fans based on the action unfolding on screen. This transforms the viewing experience from a one-way broadcast into a two-way, participatory event. A fan watching a ONE Championship fight might receive a real-time challenge to predict the next significant strike or the outcome of a grappling exchange, with rewards tied directly to their accuracy.

"JOA is redefining how fans experience live sports by turning broadcasts into interactive, social play with personalized challenges and content, and real-time rewards linked to real-world outcomes," said Rudy Koch, CEO of JOA. The vision is to make fandom a tangible, playable activity, where engagement is not just encouraged but is an integral part of the experience itself.

A Strategic Play for Market Leadership

JOA’s entrance into the market was marked by a significant strategic maneuver: the acquisition of substantially all intellectual property assets from GreenPark Sports. GreenPark, founded in 2018, was an early pioneer in the "playable fandom" space, building a community platform with partnerships that included the NBA, LaLiga, and MLS. The acquisition includes GreenPark's core technology and its 'ForKeeps' mobile game.

This move is not just about acquiring technology but also about consolidating expertise and accelerating a shared mission. Rather than starting from scratch, JOA has integrated a foundational platform that has already explored the challenges and opportunities of interactive sports. This allows the new venture to bypass years of development and focus on scaling its vision globally.

"GreenPark was built around a simple idea: fandom must be playable," noted Tony Grillo, CEO of GreenPark Sports, who will now serve as a Senior Advisor to JOA. "JOA shares that belief deeply, and they have the vision and focus to take it to the next level."

The strategy is heavily endorsed by a syndicate of investors, including ADvantage, Phoenix Capital Ventures, 359 Capital, and Galaxy Interactive. Their backing signals strong confidence not only in the technology but also in the consolidation strategy. "We've been proud backers of Tony and the GreenPark team... and we're excited about the future with JOA," said Alex Bente, Co-Founder at ADvantage. "They are seasoned gaming veterans who know how to meet fans where they are."

From Gaming Hits to the Next Sporting Frontier

The confidence expressed by investors stems largely from the proven track record of JOA's founding team. CEO Rudy Koch was a co-founder of Mythical Games, a studio celebrated for its innovations in blockchain gaming and its breakout hit NFL Rivals. He is joined by Andy Hubbard, co-founder of Shortround and a leader in the creation of NFL Rivals, and Andrew McAlister, a former Product Director on top-grossing mobile games like F1 Clash.

This trio brings a wealth of experience in building engaging, commercially successful interactive entertainment that masterfully blends gameplay, community, and live competition. Their work on NFL Rivals in particular demonstrated an ability to translate the passion of a major sports league into a sticky, compelling digital experience. This background provides JOA with a crucial advantage: a deep, intuitive understanding of player motivation and user engagement, principles they now aim to apply to the broader sports audience.

By approaching sports fandom through the lens of a game designer, the team seeks to solve the challenge of passive consumption. Their philosophy is that modern fans, raised on interactive entertainment, expect more than a static broadcast. They crave agency, community, and the ability to participate in the narrative of the sport, a demand the gaming industry has perfected and that JOA now plans to bring to every live sporting event.

The First Test: Combat Sports with ONE Championship

The company's ambitious vision will first be put to the test through a landmark partnership with ONE Championship, the world's largest martial arts organization. This collaboration will introduce JOA's platform to a massive global audience of hundreds of millions of combat sports fans, providing a real-world crucible for its interactive technology.

The partnership will manifest as a second-screen experience that syncs with ONE Championship's live events. Fans will be able to engage with the fights in unprecedented ways, participating in real-time prediction games, competing on leaderboards, and earning rewards based on the live action. This initial launch serves as a critical proof-of-concept, demonstrating how the AI-powered platform can enhance the excitement and community around a fast-paced, dynamic sport.

Choosing combat sports as a launchpad is a calculated decision. The round-by-round, moment-to-moment action provides fertile ground for the kind of micro-interactions and personalized challenges JOA's platform is built to deliver. Success with ONE Championship would not only validate the technology but also create a powerful case study for its expansion into other major sports leagues and broadcasts around the world. This partnership marks the first step in a journey to build a unified interactive layer for all of live sports, transforming the fan from a simple spectator into an essential part of the game.