Can Gameplay Help Kids Regulate Their Emotions? Meet ‘Rage Fighters’ Created by Pixar Veterans

Para consultas de los medios de comunicación, comuníquese con:  prensa@equimundo.org

Created by Pixar veterans and backed by leading researchers, new game pairs with exclusive first-look of Ryzo Studios’ animated short film Release the Beast

Denver, CO – Ryzo Studios, a new animation and impact-focused startup founded by Pixar veterans Erica Milsom and Todd Shaiman, today announces its first-ever release: Rage Fighters, a Roblox melee combat game where emotional regulation skills literally unlock better gameplay. Launching February 3, the game gives players access to an exclusive first-look window of Ryzo’s companion animated short film, Release the Beast, through the studio’s Discord community.

Rage Fighters and Release the Beast were created to address a growing crisis in boys’ mental health by meeting boys where they already spend their time — gaming, online communities, and animation.

Why This Matters

The stakes are high, with recent research underscoring the urgency: Over 60% of young men say no one cares if they’re okay (Equimundo), loneliness effects nearly 1 in 6 people globally (WHO), and suicide is the second leading cause of death among people 10-34, with males four times more likely to die by suicide than females (NAMI).

At the same time, boys are deeply connected online: 94% of adolescent boys game or use social media daily (Common Sense Media), and boys are more likely than girls to report close online friendships (Digital Wellness Lab). Yet few experiences intentionally help them build emotional skills in the spaces where they already spend their time.

With 151 million daily users — over half of them male — who spend an average 2.8 hours a day on the platform, Roblox offers a powerful opportunity to give boys tools to navigate big feelings through play, and an alternative narrative about what it means to be strong.

“We wanted to create something that supports positive responses to overwhelming emotions and genuinely meets boys where they are,” said Erica Milsom, Director and Founder of Ryzo Studios. “The kids told us clearly: they wanted a film, a Roblox game, and a place to connect. So that’s what we built.”

About the Game: Rage Fighters

Developed in partnership with Bad Ape Games, Rage Fighters is presented as Aaron’s own creation — a game he built to make sense of the emotional storm inside him.

The game’s design was shaped directly by conversations with boys during early screenings of Release the Beast. When asked what the film was about, boys immediately named the emotions they saw — anger, fear, shame, frustration — and shared their own experiences. When the team mentioned a possible Roblox game, the response was overwhelming: make it a fighting game. Elements from the film are included in the game including characters, set pieces and score.

Gameplay Features

Players battle through the EmoDojo and themed zones including the Rage Storm and the Toxic Zone. In each zone, players meet characters from the movie, who help guide them to confront enemies representing conceptual challenges—inner critics, emotional flashpoints, and overwhelming feelings—while learning four core skills that provide tactical combat benefits:

• Pause – Creates a protective force field and teleports players to safety
• Breathe – Restores health and calms intense situations
• Cool Down – Provides environmental advantages in combat
• Conectar – Allows players to make meaningful connections through gameplay

Notebook pages hidden throughout the world reveal Aaron’s design thinking that folds real-world emotional skills into game mechanics, and connects the game’s story to the film’s emotional journey.

Research-Informed and Community-Supported

Ryzo Studios developed both projects in consultation with leading experts including:

• Judy Chu (Stanford University) – Boys’ development and masculinity norms
• Gowri Aragam (UCSF / Harvard Medical School) – Adolescent mental health
• Scott Shigeoka (UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center) – Curiosity and human connection

The project has been made possible by the Caring Masculinities Fund, a fund led by Gary Barker, CEO of Equimundo: Center for Masculinities and Social Justice, to support organizations worldwide in engaging men and boys to advance gender equality. Equimundo also provided visibility and strategic guidance. The impact campaign is led by Ryzo’s Chief Impact Officer, Tehya Kopp.

Rage Fighters Launches February 2026 on Roblox. 

Play here: https://www.roblox.com/games/106511362279091/Rage-Fighters

Release the Beast will be available exclusively to Rage Fighters players for a limited time through an in-game link directing players to RyzoSphere, the studio’s Discord server.

¿Tienes preguntas o quieres cubrir esta historia?

Contáctenos en prensa@equimundo.org