Quick take:
- The seed round was co-led by Animoca Brands and Shima Capital.
- NFT elements will be implemented into the studio’s first game, Edenbrawl.
- The gaming startup’s core team includes veterans from Riot Games, Bungie and Blizzard.
Game development startup Worldspark Studios has just announced that it has closed a $3 million seed round today.
The fundraise was co-led by Animoca Brands and Shima Capital and includes additional investors such as Alameda Ventures, Jump Capital, AAG Ventures, Sfermion, and YGGSEA—the sub-DAO of crypto gaming guild, Yield Guild Games.
With the funding, the studio plans to implement NFT features into its first game, Edenbrawl. It’s an online multiplayer battle arena game similar to League of Legends and Dota 2, with a focus on combat.
Speaking to Decrypt, Worldspark founder and CEO, Chandler Thomlison, said that the game has been in development via an army of 240 contractors who built out the core playable game over a few years.
The startup’s core team includes former Riot Games developers and others from Bungie and Blizzard.
Now with the latest funding, Thomlison has recruited veteran full-time game developers across the industry to improve the gaming experience and implement NFT features to create a tokenised economy around Edenbrawl and its accompanying games. The team of game developers will also be developing games that make use of blockchain networks.
Unlike other blockchain games, Edenbrawl will not have play-to-earn elements. The game’s NFTs are purely for cosmetic purposes. Players will be able to buy character and weapon skins, unique character animations, and mounts for creatures, which can be resold or traded.
“Most MOBAs in the blockchain space right now—for lack of a better term, they’re a little ‘pay-to-win,’ and that kind of ruins the competitiveness of it,” Thomlison told Decrypt. “We absolutely cannot do that if we want to be this long-term, sustainable, competitive game. The only thing NFTs can be in Edenbrawl is cosmetics.”
However, the NFTs will provide true player ownership of the in-game items and potential interoperability with other games.
Worldspark Studios has ambitions to expand its position in the blockchain gaming space beyond Edenbrawl. The startup is planning to create an NFT-driven hub world where players can buy and customise NFT land that can be used for houses, guild halls, social clubs, and more.
While traditional game publishers entering the blockchain gaming space are facing backlash, Thomlison explained that blockchain is a small focus for Worldspark in comparison to the studio’s need to make an actual fun game.
The studio has yet to decide on which blockchain network it will build its games on. WorldSpark will hold a token sale in about seven or eight months, with an aim for Edenbrawl to launch into closed beta early in 2023.
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