Proof of Play, the studio behind the onchain pirate game Pirate Nation, confirmed on X that it is ceasing operations. The studio said it could not build a sustainable business at scale around its founding thesis that blockchain gaming could help usher in a decentralized internet. The confirmation follows the earlier exit of co-founder and CEO Amitt Mahajan, closing out a chapter for one of the more prominent studios in on-chain gaming.

Inside the Shutdown Announcement

Proof of Play’s official account posted the news directly, closing with a statement thanking its community: “We truly gave it our best effort and are grateful for everyone who passed through and spent time in our community.” 

The studio is open-sourcing its code and art for future builders, including the Pirate Nation Unity app, Pirate Nation smart contracts, and its internal agent workflow tool, popbot. On top of the code release, the studio also placed the Founder Pirates NFTs and Pirate Nation’s artwork, IP, and logos under a CC0 license.

Mahajan, the FarmVille co-creator who co-founded Proof of Play four years ago and served as CEO, had already confirmed his departure from the company.

What This Means for Pirate Nation Holders and Players

The Pirate Nation Foundation, which the studio says operates independently from Proof of Play, will continue supporting the $PIRATE token, and the Foundation’s website will remain online. Proof of Play points will not be redeemable for anything going forward. Shiba Story Go!, another title from the studio, has been acquired by a third party and will keep operating independently. 

Readers holding $PIRATE or using Foundation-linked services should watch for updates directly from the Foundation rather than from Proof of Play’s own channels, which are winding down. For more on how projects in this space handle shutdowns and transitions, see our crypto news coverage.

What Comes Next for Pirate Nation’s Code and Community

With the code and art now open-sourced, independent developers could pick up where Proof of Play left off, though no team has announced plans to do so as of this writing. The Pirate Nation Foundation’s continued operation is the clearest signal of what survives the shutdown.

What this means for you: If you’re new to crypto gaming, this is a real example of how a well-known onchain game can shut down even after years of building. Proof of Play’s points won’t be redeemable going forward, though $PIRATE token holders still have the independently run Pirate Nation Foundation to watch for updates.