Web3 gaming company Neon Machine has successfully raised $20 million in a Series A funding round aimed at supporting the development of its eagerly awaited extraction shooter game, “Shrapnel.”
Neon Machine’s prior fundraising endeavors included a $10.5 million seed round that concluded in June 2021. Polychain Capital spearheaded the recent Series A round, with participation from backers such as Griffin Gaming Partners, Brevan Howard Digital, Franklin Templeton, IOSG Ventures, and Tess Ventures.
Neon Machine showcases “Shrapnel” as a AAA-rated game, a designation used in the gaming industry to highlight games with the highest production, budgeting, and marketing standards. Shrapnel, a first-person shooter, integrates multiplayer features. The gameplay emphasizes an “extraction” dynamic where players need to safely evacuate with in-game loot to retain the items. Early impressions of the game draw parallels to “Call of Duty: Warzone,” a renowned extraction shooter developed by Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard.
However, a distinguishing feature of “Shrapnel” is its deep integration with Web3 and blockchain technology. Unlike other similar titles, assets within “Shrapnel” are blockchain-linked, granting players genuine ownership over these in-game assets. Moreover, the game will encompass a modding toolset, potentially enabling players or developers to incorporate different blockchain assets into the gaming environment. Such an approach promises intriguing potential for dynamic competition and tournament scenarios.
Neon Machine’s press release indicates that “Shrapnel” will be accessible for early-access testing to paid subscribers in December. Following this preliminary assessment phase, the company plans to officially release “Shrapnel” as a free-to-play game in 2024.
Furthermore, Neon Machine has ambitions beyond “Shrapnel.” Post the game’s release, and the company plans to license its proprietary Web3 developer’s API platform, “GameBridge”.
