Brand · Web & Mobile App · PWA · Payments
Building the platform where skill has a price.
HiStakes is a competitive gaming platform where players stake real money on skill-based 1v1 matches and tournaments. We built the brand, the web and mobile experience, and the infrastructure underneath it — from matchmaking to money.
The challenge
A platform that holds player funds in escrow and settles real-money matches has to earn trust before it earns a single game. The challenge wasn't just building a gaming app — it was building a payment-grade product that players would trust with their money, on day one.
The approach
We designed HiStakes as an installable PWA rather than a native-only app, so it could reach players instantly without an app-store gatekeeper, while still feeling like a real app — splash screens, offline-aware UI, the works. Payments went through PayFast with escrow logic built around the specific rules of skill-based wagering, and the product was tiered from day one — Free, Pro, Host, Enterprise — so it could grow with its player base.
What we delivered
- Brand identity
- Web app design & development
- Mobile app design & development
- Installable PWA build
- ELO-based matchmaking UX
- PayFast payment & escrow integration
- Tiered pricing infrastructure
- Marketing content
- Domain & web hosting
Outcome
A platform now running thousands of matches a month, with real money moving through it safely — the kind of product that only works if every layer, from the splash screen to the escrow logic, was built to be trusted.
Real stakes. Real trust. Built to hold both.