KSI is back on his crypto Twitter account, so the bull run is pretty much confirmed. Or maybe he’s just looking for rent money after spending the $850k he made dumping XCAD on his followers the last time he used the handle.

Wen CryptoZoo 2?

Anyway, we’ve got some big news in the works, but here are some other stories in web3 gaming to keep you busy while you wait:

• Insert Coin to Continue: The latest funding rounds in web3 gaming.

• Partnerships: Who’s teaming up in the gaming world?

• Change Log: Updates, patches, and new features from games we’ve covered.

• Release Radar: Upcoming games, playtests, and drops.

• On-Chain Activity: New on-chain game announcements and network migrations.

• Other News: The other things that happened in web3 gaming this week.

• Bonus Loot: Cool media we’ve been digesting this week.

Insert Coin to Continue

The latest funding rounds in web3 gaming.

• Ginger Joy ($1.26M). Matchingham Games spinoff Ginger Joy raised £1 million ($1.26 million) to develop an ecosystem of interoperable, web3 mobile games.

• Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow ($3M). The game studio led by ex-Disney and Club Penguin veteran Chris Heatherly raised $3M from GSR Markets, Sfermion, Polygon, and others to develop its web3 Clue and Among Us style game, The Mystery Society.

• Overworld ($10M). Game studio Overworld raised $10M in a seed round from Hashed, The Spartan Group, Galaxy Interactive, Big Brain Holdings, and others to launch an anime-inspired third-person RPG on Unreal Engine 5.

• Ultiverse ($4M). AI web3 gaming platform Ultiverse raised $4M at a $150M valuation in a round led by IDG and participated in by Animoca Brands, Polygon Ventures, ZetaChain, Manta Network, and others.

Partnerships

• Alutra x Wagyu Games. Alutra is teaming up with game developer Wagyu Games to integrate Smart NFT functionality and a custom marketplace into Wagyu’s Undead Blocks.

• HashPalatte x Animoca Brands. HashPort subsidiary HashPalette partnered with Animoca Brands Japan to collaboratively develop and promote HashPalatte’s metaverse game, THE LAND.

• Oasys x Com2uS (XPLA). Oasys is onboarding Com2uS’s The Walking Dead All Stars and Summoners War Chronicles onto the Oasys Hub through the development of a new XPLA Verse Layer.

• Param Labs x Animoca Brands. Param Labs is teaming up with Animoca Brands for GTM support for its Pixel To Poly platform.

• Sequence x Spellborne. Sequence partnered with Mon Studios to integrate its wallet-as-a-service solution into the game.

Release Radar

Upcoming games, playtests, and drops.

• 🎮 Shardbound (Playtest): Open Registration

• 🎮 Paradise Tycoon (Beta): Late February

• 🖼️ Metablots Collection (Mint): February 26

• 🖼️ Wild Forest (Mint): February 22

On-Chain Activity

New on-chain game announcements and network migrations.

• Pixelmon (Immutable zkEVM). Pixelmon is an open-world adventure and combat game that has somehow survived the worst NFT reveal of all time and a ZachXBT thread.

• Legends of Elysium (SKALE → WEMIX). LOE is a F2P card and board-based strategy game developed by DA GAMES SRL and Prime Bit Games.

• The Walking Dead: All Stars (GALA → Oasys). The Walking Dead: All Stars is a strategy RPG based on the TV series and comic books. Developed by Com2uS, the decision to move to Oasys comes with the announcement of the XPLA Verse on Oasys.

Other News

• ARGOS Identity, ITERATIVE Games, and Cominted Labs joined the BGA.

• Gensokishi user-generated gear now available on Switch and PS4.

• Gunzilla Games’ Off The Grid is the first web3 game to be released on the Xbox store.

• QORPO Studios released details around its upcoming QORPO token launch, including distribution information and airdrop opportunities.

• UFORIKA hired Nigel Carlos as their Chief Marketing Officer, who was previously the CMO at Aavegotchi creator Pixelcraft Studios.

Bonus Loot

• 📘 Designing an Open Game Economy (Part 1), 0xHeimdall (Read)

• 🎧 Web3 Gaming 2024: Hiring, Derek and Vader (Listen)

• 📺 zkEVM Phase 1 & the Biggest Month for Partnerships, Immutable (Watch)