Quick take:
- GunZ will be the foundation for “Off The Grid” (OTG), a new game where in-game items can be traded using NFT technology.
- This investment round is led by Republic Capital.
- Gunzilla will not be selling NFTs directly to its gamer community.
AAA game studio, Gunzilla Games, today announced that it has raised a total of $46 million in its latest funding round, led by Republic Capital.
Other major participants include Griffin Gaming Partners, Animoca Brands, Jump Crypto, Raptor Group, CoinFund, Shima Capital, Dominance Ventures, GSR, Kucoin Labs, Spartan Investment Group, AlphaCrypto Capital, Blizzard, Digital Strategies, Morningstar Ventures, Gamegroove Capital, NGG and Huobi Group, who will also assist in maintaining the technical infrastructure of the project. Notable angel investor and advisor include Justin Kan, co-founder of Twitch.
The new funds will allow the studio to build out its new platform called GunZ, which grants players complete ownership over their in-game possessions.
GunZ will be the foundation for “Off The Grid” (OTG), a AAA Battle Royale 2.0, third-person shooter, led by the studio’s Chief Visionary Officer and Oscar nominee Neill Blomkamp. It is the first game from the studio that enables “in-game item trading”, which it says is one of the game’s standout mechanics.
In OTG, players will be able to buy new in-game items from others who collected them in the game or acquired them from each other. Trading will be handled via an internal blockchain-based marketplace or any third-party marketplace which supports NFT technology.
“In today’s free-to-play games, if you pay for something, it isn’t yours. You do not, and cannot, own anything. Anyone can read the EULA of any game to verify this. If you’re banned, for example, any item can be taken away from you, even if your ban is accidental. When you stop playing any free-to-play game, the money you’ve put in also disappears. We are re-inventing the system, putting the power back in the hands of gamers, and are using blockchain technology to make this happen. With OTG and GunZ, we are creating a universe that will set a new standard for the industry,” Vlad Korolev, CEO and Co-Founder of Gunzilla.
Gunzilla says that it will not be selling NFTs directly to its community of gamers nor hide progression or other game features behind a monetised paywall. By incorporating NFT technology into in-game item trading, Gunzilla believes that the GunZ platform has the potential to change the core gaming experience for players.
However, the trading is entirely optional, meaning that players can completely skip this feature and enjoy the OTG game for free. Players will also be able to take their items out of the game. As the universe of OTG continues to evolve, gamers will discover new items each time they play. In-game items that players can trade will include unique characters created by players, custom weapons, clothing items and accessories.
Further details on OTG will be released in the coming months.
Stay up to date:
