NEWS RELEASE
Charlie Villanueva joins Phenoms
NBA Veteran & Alopecia Advocate Charlie Villanueva Joins Phenoms, a Game Reimagining Sports & Superpowers.
[Dallas, Texas, USA, July 30th 2025] — Big Karma, the game studio behind the disability perception-busting sports video game, Phenoms, announces the signing of 11-year NBA veteran, alopecia spokesperson, activist, and investor, Charlie Villanueva. Villanueva joins over 40 other licensed champion athletes, appearing as a headlined, animated, playable character in the Phenoms game.
Phenoms features characters, each based upon real life athletes and artists with disabilities. Villanueva headlines a roster of notable athletes and people with disabilities competing to be the greatest in a sports video game. Players collect and coach animated sports heroes based on real-world athletes, each with a unique story and super-powered adaptations of their lived experiences.
Slated for release on Android and iOS in 2026, Phenoms, the game, enters beta testing soon. Gamers collect characters and compete as stylized, animated, super-powered players - each modeled by the real-world champions who crash boundaries and redefine "winning," every day.
"This collaboration with Big Karma is an alley-oop," said Villanueva. "The partnership goes beyond NIL licensing, it's a celebration of resilience, visibility, and the power of representation in gaming and pop culture. Phenoms is a game-changing platform that celebrates our unique identities. Our differences are our strengths on-and-off the court. Can't wait to be animated and bring this message home to all gamers, along with Team Phenoms."
Phenoms reimagines sports, flipping perceived vulnerabilities into in-game superpowers. For Villanueva, as a person with Alopecia Universalis, the game's message strikes a deeply personal chord.
Villanueva's in-game Phenom character will honor his real-life skills, his personal journey, and Dominican pride — bringing light to his constituencies, representing, advocating, educating, role-modeling, and sinking hoops.
"Charlie embodies the true spirit of Phenoms," said Pascal Clarysse, CEO of Big Karma. "He's a competitor, a leader, and a role model who lives our values. Phenoms needs a power forward on the team, and Villanueva is it! We’re looking forward to playing Villanueva for the win!"
As one of the most visible and articulate athletes living with Alopecia Universalis, Villanueva has shattered perceptions, becoming an icon of success, perseverance, and self-acceptance. As a spokesperson and supporter for the National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF) and through his own "Charlie's Angels" organization for adults and especially young children with alopecia, he raises awareness, represents, advocates, educates, and breaks barriers. He is a Phenom!
Visit phenoms.com to sign up for updates and early access to the closed beta of the game on mobile.
About Charlie Villanueva
Picked 7th overall in the 2005 NBA Draft, Villanueva played pro ball for 11-years in the NBA for: Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons, and Dallas Mavericks. He also proudly represented the Dominican Republic on the international court as a member of the national team.
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About Big Karma
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Founded by Pascal Clarysse, Big Karma is a distributed international force developing intellectual properties and producing games. With an all-star team of gaming and entertainment industry veterans, Big Karma is out to represent people with disabilities (a population of 1.6 billion strong) in pop culture, not as tokens, but as multi-dimensional heroes. Big Karma’s co-founders, John Schulte, Cheryl Ann Wong, and Plamen Dragozov, have played instrumental roles in iconic character-centric franchises ranging from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Barbie to Power Rangers and Plants vs. Zombies. Big Karma is backed by a small group of angel investors, including Kristian Segerstrale, and Remarkable Accelerator by CPARF.
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For more information, follow @BigKarmaHQ on social media or visit phenoms.com to sign up for updates and early access to the closed beta of the game on mobile.
ASSETS FOLDER:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1s8cqe8o0VqAI28BTrTwR_4W344KwM_vc?usp=sharing
W.I.P. Materials, not representative of final product quality.
CONTACT:
Cheryl Ann Wong
949-633-8667
