A16z Leads $4.8M Round for P2E Gaming Startup Battlebound

Play-to-earn (P2E) gaming startup Battlebound has announced a $4.8 cardinal effect circular led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), with information from Play Ventures and CryptoKitties developer Dapper Labs, according to a draught blog station provided to CoinDesk.

Angel investors who participated successful the circular included Yield Guild Games CEO Gabby Dizon, Dapper Labs CEO Roham Gharegozlou and a16z advisor Alex Price.

The backing volition assistance Battlebound standard and merchandise its 2 crippled titles successful improvement successful phases that are quicker to market. The institution volition besides grow its improvement and operations teams, Battlebound CEO Adam Hensel told CoinDesk successful an email.

"The founding squad of Battlebound is simply a uncommon premix of web3 savvy and seasoned crippled improvement expertise – collectively Adam Hensel and squad person helped physique immoderate of the industry’s astir palmy games specified arsenic Teamfight Tactics, League of Legends, and Overwatch 2," Jonathan Lai, wide parter astatine a16z, told CoinDesk successful an email. "Their inaugural task ‘the Evaverse’ was impervious of their capabilities with a tiny team, and we’re excited to enactment them arsenic they standard up to adjacent much ambitious experiences connected chain."

Founded successful May 2021, Battlebound is presently processing 2 games. Evaverse is simply a metaverse crippled that’s unfastened level for different non-fungible token (NFT) communities to integrate playable avatars. The 2nd game, codenamed Project A, is simply a next-gen carnal postulation crippled successful which players tin discover, conflict and ain assets. Project A volition besides beryllium interoperable with Evaverse.

Last year, Battlebound launched an NFT postulation of 10,000 playable crippled avatars, which generated $3 cardinal successful funding. The adjacent NFT postulation volition motorboat aboriginal this year.

However, Evaverse doesn’t necessitate players to link a crypto wallet oregon acquisition an NFT to statesman playing.

“All our games volition beryllium built for NFT and non-NFT players alike, said Hensel, who antecedently worked arsenic a method creator astatine Riot Games. “We judge the blockchain ownership exemplary enhances an already superb gaming experience. Like free-to-play games, players should person a large clip playing earlier committing to immoderate purchase.”

Project A is successful the aboriginal pre-production signifier with the motorboat perchance coming successful aboriginal 2023.

“We judge successful gathering precise intimately with our assemblage and sharing successful the travel with players. We volition person an immersive improvement process that encourages and rewards players for being portion of it arsenic the crippled takes shape,” said Hensel.

Battlebound is processing a tokenomics exemplary based connected the autochthonal EVA token, which volition backmost the earning system wrong Evaverse and is expected to motorboat aboriginal this year.

“Our precedence for launching the tokens astatine Battlebound is to make semipermanent sustainable maturation successful the ecosystem that shares rewards with our players for spending their clip and vigor playing our games,” said Hensel.