Esports luminaries join Ethereum game Ember Sword following virtual land auction in metaverse
Gaming Studio Bright Star Secures Funding for Play-to-Earn Game Ember Sword
Bright Star Studio, the developer of the upcoming Ethereum-based play-to-earn game, Ember Sword, has secured new funding. The round attracted a cohort of video game and esports industry veterans, some of whom will also provide developmental advice.
This funding comes amidst a surge in virtual land sales following Facebook's push towards the metaverse. The July pledges for NFT land in Ember Sword surpassed $200 million, demonstrating strong demand even before the recent hype.
Notable investors in the latest round include Rob Pardo, former chief creative officer at Blizzard Entertainment, and Dennis "Thresh" Fong, the first professional competitive gamer. Pardo will advise on game design and development, while Fong may assist in transitioning Bright Star from a startup to a major studio.
Pardo's involvement could be a significant boost for Ember Sword, especially considering its similarity to Blizzard's genre-defining World of Warcraft. His endorsement might help attract traditional video game players, some of whom are vocal critics of crypto games and NFTs.
Beyond Pardo and Fong, other gaming and esports industry influencers joined as investors. These include Kevin Lin, co-founder of Twitch, Dr. DisRespect, a popular video game streamer, and Sebastien Borget, co-founder and COO of The Sandbox, among others. The exact amount raised during this funding round remains undisclosed.
The round's strategy focused on gathering support from notable game industry leaders who could support the team and potentially advocate for the game. Previously, the studio secured a $2 million funding round in May, which focused on investment and VC firms.
Virtual land sales in metaverse-style games have seen a spike lately, propelled by Facebook's recent metaverse unveiling. In a single week in November, more than $100 million worth of digital land was sold across various games.
Ember Sword players can purchase digital plots of land within the game world, which they can customize and monetize. Land owners will be able to profit from trading fees and earn the game's Ethereum-based Ember token. Each plot is sold as an NFT, serving as a digital deed of ownership.
The large-scale land sale for Ember Sword took place in July, before the recent surge in demand. A total of nearly 35,000 players pledged over $203 million towards the land sale, although the actual amount received was significantly lower.
Bright Star is now focused on delivering a playable experience to its community, aiming to begin rolling out parts of the game to land buyers at the end of Q1 2022. A series of beta testing periods are planned throughout the year, leading to an open beta launch at some point.
The game will launch on Ethereum's layer-2 scaling solution, Immutable X, instead of the rival Polygon network. The studio is confident in the potential of blockchain-based games to disrupt traditional business models while allowing communities and content creators to benefit from their success.
- The upcoming play-to-earn game Ember Sword, developed by Bright Star Studio, has secured new funding from video game and esports industry veterans.
- Notable investors in the latest round include Rob Pardo, former chief creative officer at Blizzard Entertainment, and Dennis "Thresh" Fong, the first professional competitive gamer.
- Pardo's involvement can be a significant boost for Ember Sword, especially considering its similarity to Blizzard's genre-defining World of Warcraft.
- Ember Sword players can purchase digital plots of land within the game world, which they can customize and monetize, earning the game's Ethereum-based Ember token.
- The studio is confident that blockchain-based games, like Ember Sword, have the potential to disrupt traditional business models while allowing communities and content creators to benefit from their success.
- In a single week in November, more than $100 million worth of digital land was sold across various games, indicating a spike in metaverse-style game virtual land sales.
- Facebook's recent metaverse unveiling has propelled this surge in virtual land sales in metaverse-style games.
- Beyond Pardo and Fong, other gaming and esports industry influencers, such as Kevin Lin, co-founder of Twitch, Dr. DisRespect, and Sebastien Borget, joined as investors.
- The game will launch on Ethereum's layer-2 scaling solution, Immutable X, instead of the rival Polygon network.
