Become a Wataku Founder

Why we built Wataku

Wataku exists because we wanted to play something that did not exist yet. Not a chess variant, not a Go variant — an original game that borrows the discipline of both and builds its own identity on top.

• Combine great strategy traditions in a genuinely new way.
• Create an original game rather than another clone.
• Offer deep strategic play across three distinct phases — Debut, Coronation and War.
• Make complex strategy understandable through a visual Academy.
• Build modern AI opponents and AI-assisted learning.
• Support competitive play and a worldwide community over time.

Combining strategy traditions in a new way

Wataku draws inspiration from classical abstract strategy, then goes its own way. Pieces move with the precision you would expect from a chess lineage, but the board is a lattice of intersections where position and connection matter as much as material.

Its own ideas carry the game: a staged opening where both sides build a position before any conflict, a Coronation where the Kings take the field, connected kingdoms that must not be severed, reserve units held back for the right moment, and a tactical language of check, collapse and disconnection that belongs to Wataku alone.

A modern AI-powered strategy game

Wataku ships with AI opponents built on the same engine that adjudicates every real game. Each AI personality plays at the same core strength but chooses differently among moves the engine already rates as equivalent, so they feel like distinct opponents rather than difficulty sliders.

• Distinct AI personalities with their own strategic styles.
• Practice at any hour, without waiting for a human opponent.
• Replay analysis that evaluates a position and suggests candidate moves.
• Planned Deeper AI-assisted explanation and coaching.

The Wataku Academy

Most strategy games teach you the rules and leave you to work out the ideas. The Academy is built the other way round: it is visual, short and interactive.

• Watch — annotated sequences that show an idea in motion.
• Solve — puzzles that ask you to find the move.
• Explore — rules demonstrations you can play with directly.

Concepts progress from the first placement to the deep structural ideas that decide real games.

Visit the Academy

A competitive future

Wataku already has rated play and a leaderboard. The long-term ambition is a real competitive scene built on top of it.

• Ranked play and rating categories.
• Planned Clubs and community events.
• Planned Tournaments, featured games and spectatorship.
• Planned Study tools built around competitive games.

Where Wataku is going

These are the themes we are working towards. They are directions, not dated promises — we would rather ship them well than on a schedule.

• Stronger and more varied AI opponents.
• An expanded Academy with more concepts and puzzles.
• Better social and competitive features.
• Clubs and community events.
• A mobile-quality responsive experience everywhere.
• Tournament infrastructure.
• Richer replay and analysis tools.
• A growing visual identity and theme library.

What you receive

Available now

• Permanent Wataku Founder status on your account.
• Recognition as one of the earliest supporters of the project.
• Our thanks — your purchase directly funds the work described above.

Planned for Founders

These are not yet built. They are listed so you know what Founder status is intended to unlock, not as a promise of a delivery date.

• Planned A Founder badge and profile title.
• Planned An exclusive Founder profile frame.
• Planned An exclusive Founder board theme.
• Planned Recognition on a public Founders page.
• Planned Early access to selected new features.

None of these affect play. Founder status never changes legal moves, matchmaking, rating, clocks, tournament eligibility or piece strength.