1. Researcher Comment

First off, the standout projects among Web2.5 games were Oh Baby Kart, Big Time, and Shrapnel. Oh Baby Kart continues to post impressive numbers in back-to-back playtests, building anticipation for its full release, while Big Time is finally trying to revitalize some of the waning interest as it begins its preseason. As for Shrapnel, with the announcement of its funding alongside a call sign event, it looks like it's time to stretch out and try to build on the success of its Web3 shooter. At Fully Onchain Game, we're also seeing a lot of teasers and playtesting ahead of DevConnect in November, with titles like Moving Castle and Loot Survivor to look forward to.

2. Major Updates

2.1 Realms.World Releases Major Update

Realms.World, a Starknet-based Loot derivative project, has recently undergone a major update. First, the project underwent a visual rebranding that aligns with its vision and hosted a pre-launch tournament for its first flagship game, Loot Survivor. Finally, they released "The Black Paper", which outlines their vision for tokenomics, on-chain governance, and Realms.World.

2.2 WASD unveils WASD Guild

WASD, the most active Fully Onchain Game & AW related media project today, has announced the WASD Guild, the official onchain gaming clan of WASD. Members who mint the V1 badge through Mirror will be able to enjoy the benefits of WASD's exclusive gaming clan, team membership, and priority access to tournaments.

3. Fundraising

*This information is taken from DefiLlama's raises page.

3.1 NexGami (Source)

Polygon-based GameFi platform Nexgami, formerly Light Esports and MetaVrius Games, has closed a $2M seed round at a $20M valuation. Nexgami provides a seamless integration solution for gaming projects on the Polygon blockchain, and will use the new funding to improve the user gaming experience and focus on the esports ecosystem.

3.2 Darewise (Source)

After raising $3.5M in a token pre-sale from Animoca Brands and GameFi Ventures, Darewise will use the funds to further expand the Bitcoin Metaverse ecosystem. Life Beyond will be the first game to use the token for in-game assets and lands.

3.3 Upland (Source)

Upland is a blockchain real estate transaction game based on real-world locations and has completed $7M in Series A+ funding from EOS Network Ventures. The funds will be used to add more features to the game, strengthen its marketing strategy, enable third-party developer tools, and launch an Ethereum token linked to an in-game utility token.

3.4 Hyptopia (Source)

Hytopia, formerly NFT Worlds, is a Minecraft-inspired game with social features for players and a flexible, monetizable game creation toolkit for developers. Recently, they released their own Layer 2 exclusively for Hytopia.

3.5 Sharpnel (Source)

Shrapnel is a sci-fi concept shooter that will feature weapon parts and skins as NFTs on Sharpnel's Avalanche subnet. Sharpnel also released its own ERC-20 token, $SHARP, in April. Shrapnel is focused on the potential for UGC and wants to give players the ability to create their own in-game items and issue them as NFTs.

3.6 Moonveil (Source)

Moonveil is currently working on a mobile tower defense game called Astrak: STAGE ONE, which aims to create an open ecosystem where players can stay engaged and interact. The game will offer a cooperative multiplayer experience, with a focus on PvP and PvE battle features. Moonveil is also working on an as-yet-undisclosed multiplayer strategy game.

4. More Reads

4.1 Projects Updates

• Moving Castle Announces New Game, 'The Cursed Machine'

• Paima receives $1.4M grant from Cardano to develop AW infrastructure

• Parallel Reveals Season 3 Battle Pass 'Crimson Confidant'

• Oh Baby Kart logs over 12,000 races in two days

• Big Time, Preseason Begins

• ZTX Begins Playtest #2

• Roll Your Own Begins Season 2

• AW House hosts online mini AW hackathon

• Dojo, hosts Dojo Game Jam #2

• SEGA, Double Jump, Oasys Announce Web3 Three Kingdoms Battle

• Xterio launches marketplace

• Sorare launches NBA Season 2

• Dojo Releases Dojo v0.3.0

• Paima to launch next game on top of Algorand

• FRAMED! Unveils On-Chain Mafia Game

• Loot Survivor hosts 72-hour tournament

• WASD launches WASD Guild

• Cometh launches its own L3 with AltLayer

• Laputa releases beta waitlist for new on-chain MMO game

4.2 Suggested Reads

• Newzoo, Gamer Generations Report

This report provides a comprehensive look at how much and what games each generation plays.

• WolvesDAO, The Wolves DAO Files #23: Zynga's Sugartown and Web3 Playbook

This article discusses how Zynga is retooling its legacy games to develop a Web3 gaming platform called "Sugartown," which is catalyzing the gaming industry's transition to Web3 adoption.

• 0xparc, ZK Hunt: an exploration into the unknown

This article describes the development and conceptual exploration of an onchain PvP game called ZK Hunt, which was developed using the MUD framework and circom, emphasizing the different ZK game mechanics and their impact on information imbalance.

• Naavik, Blade Ball and How to Be Successful in UGC Games

This article provides an in-depth analysis of how Blade Ball, a UGC game on the Roblox platform, became popular, as well as the challenges developers face when developing UCG games and the impact of social media.

• SYORA, The Survey of the Definition of Autonomous World

This article explores the concept of an autonomous world and discusses its definition.

Thanks to Kate for designing the graphics for this article.