Weekly Gaming News Digest with CARV

This is the weekly gaming news powered by CARV, covering the game updates and industry news from June 26th to July 2nd.

As a platform focusing on gaming, CARV consistently strives to stay updated with the ever-changing game industry. In order to ensure that you are kept abreast of the latest gaming news, we are delighted to present you with a review of last week's highlights.

📌 Game Updates

Ubisoft Unveils Champions Tactics, Its First Blockchain Game. [Read more]

Ubisoft has revealed its first blockchain-based game, Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles, following the discontinuation of its NFT experiment on Ghost Recon Breakpoint last year. The French video game publisher had entered the web3 gaming space in 2021, running an NFT trial that ended in April 2022. Ubisoft's Champions Tactics will operate on the Oasys blockchain, featuring player-versus-player tactical gameplay with mythical champions. While the blockchain gaming sector has experienced a slowdown, it still holds the highest level of on-chain activity.

The Impact of Lego-Fortnite Collaboration in the Metaverse [Read more]

Lego and Epic Games have officially confirmed their partnership during the Cannes Lions Festival. The collaboration aims to bring the Lego brand into the Fortnite metaverse, targeting a younger audience and providing a safer online environment. Details suggest a focus on creative aspects rather than the Battle Royale mode, potentially allowing players to build their own worlds using Lego blocks. This venture aligns Lego with other brands that have engaged with Fortnite's metaverse, signaling a new era of child-friendly virtual experiences and highlighting the transformative power of digital innovation.

HV-MTL Forge is Now Live. [Read more] HV-MTL Forge is a game where players must keep their HV happy and build the ultimate forge to evolve into Evo2. By earning powerful upgrades known as AMPs, players can reach Evo2. Participating in seasons and earning a seasonal leaderboard ranking determines the rarity of the AMPs. The game lasts for 6 seasons, providing players with 6 chances to obtain upgrades. After the 3rd season, HVs with enough energy can enter The Rift. Players are advised to review the Game Guide and FAQ for more information.

Star Atlas to Close Escape Velocity and Sell Mining Ships [Read more]

On July 7th, 2023, Star Atlas will shut down its mini-game Escape Velocity, which allowed players to gather game resources. The game required a refundable deposit of 1000 ATLAS tokens. The Star Atlas team discovered some players using bots, resulting in capped rewards for those players. To gather resources in the future, players will need a Mining Claim or one of the newly announced Mining Ships. These ships come in three sizes and can be staked to earn ATLAS tokens or resources. The ultimate mining ship, the Armstrong IMP, costs $27,500 USDC. Star Atlas aims to create a space MMO where players control markets and factions on the Solana blockchain.

Alien Avatars: The New Project on WAX Blockchain Associated with Alien Worlds [Read more]

Alien Avatars is a player-run project associated with Alien Worlds on the WAX blockchain. Players can collect Avatar parts and create their own unique Avatars, which can be minted by others for a fee, earning the creator TLM tokens. Avatar parts packs can be purchased using TLM, and the rarity of the Avatars is determined by the parts used. The minting price varies based on rarity and previous purchases. Alien Avatars contributes to the Alien Worlds ecosystem and player-run DAO organizations.

My Pet Hooligan Alpha on Epic Games [Read more]

My Pet Hooligan, a third-person shoot-em-up game featuring rebellious rabbits, has been accepted onto the Epic Games platform. This move highlights Epic Games' growing presence in the blockchain gaming space. My Pet Hooligan is set to launch the next phase of alpha testing, accessible to owners of Hooligan or Zuckbot NFTs. The game offers various modes and a destructible city environment. Hooligan NFT holders gain early access to releases and can participate in creating animated content. The game also offers real-life merchandise and a facial expression animation app.

📌 Industry News

Avalanche-Backed Web3 Gaming Studio Pixion Games Closes $5.5M Seed Round [Read more]

Pixion Games, a web3 gaming studio, has raised $5.5 million in seed funding for their flagship game, Fableborne. The funding round involved notable investors such as the Avalanche Foundation's Blizzard Fund, Shima Capital, and ReadyPlayerDAO. Pixion plans to use the funds to develop Fableborne, an action-based role-playing game that incorporates on-chain assets on the Avalanche network. The studio aims to expand the game's technology and leadership team to create competitive multiplayer experiences with player-owned economies.

Mythical Games raises $37M for in-game marketplace in Series C round [Read more]

Game publisher Mythical Games has raised $37 million in Series C1 funding, maintaining its unicorn status with a valuation exceeding $1 billion. The funding will be used to launch a new marketplace and pursue revenue-generating initiatives, with a focus on achieving profitability by the end of the year. The round was led by Scytale Digital and included participation from ARK Invest, Animoca Brands, MoonPay, and others. Mythical plans to release its new game, Nitro National World Tour, in a few months and develop an in-game marketplace for NFL Rivals. They have also migrated their Mythical Chain to the Polkadot ecosystem for scalability.

Immutable Teams Up with SuperDuper, Creators of Second Most Profitable Brand in Web3 Gaming [Read more]

SuperDuper, the studio behind the popular NFT collection Cold Blooded Creepz, has partnered with Immutable, the web3 gaming platform, to develop the blockchain-based real-time strategy game Overlord. The collaboration aims to onboard millions of new users to blockchain gaming and leverage the expansive Overlord IP. Overlord will encompass various forms of entertainment, including animation developed by Seth Green's Stoopid Buddy Stoodios and a clothing line from West Brand Lab. Immutable's technology will enable fast and gas-free trading of digital assets. The first playable Alpha of Overlord RTS is scheduled to launch in Q3 2023.

Anzu Completes $48 Million Series B Funding Round Led By EMMIS To Accelerate In-game Advertising [Read more]

In-game advertising platform Anzu has raised $48 million in a Series B funding round, led by Emmis Corporation and featuring investments from PayPal Ventures, Evolution, Simon Equity Partners, and Bandai Namco Entertainment 021 Fund. The funding will be used to expand Anzu's global leadership team and establish teams across the United States. Anzu aims to capitalize on the growing market for in-game advertising, connecting brands with billions of gamers across various platforms. The company has achieved significant milestones, including securing patents and partnering with exclusive AAA games.

Abyss World Expands To Polygon, Creating A New Era For Web3 Gaming [Read more]

Abyss World, a leading developer in the Web3 gaming movement, is expanding to Polygon zk-EVM, partnering with Gaming #onPolygon to enhance blockchain-based gaming. Polygon offers fast transaction speeds and support for smart contracts and Dapps, aligning with Abyss World's Web3 gaming vision. The growth of the $AWT token and surpassing 100,000 Steam wishlist players have positioned Abyss World well in the gaming industry. Despite concerns about Sui's token release and ecosystem projects, Abyss World remains optimistic and aims to attract 1 million players. Supported by major industry players, they are committed to pushing the boundaries of Web3 gaming.

PlayMining GameFi Platform Partners with Gaming Blockchain Oasys to Deploy Layer 2 Chain [Read more]

Digital Entertainment Asset (DEA), a Singapore-based blockchain entertainment company, has partnered with Oasys, a Japanese blockchain gaming platform, to build a Layer 2 blockchain called 'DEP Verse' on the Oasys Layer 1 blockchain hub. The collaboration aims to deploy games on DEP Verse, solve social problems, expand the Oasys ecosystem, and promote mainstream adoption of blockchain gaming. DEA's expertise in running its PlayMining GameFi platform with over 2.7 million users will be valuable in supporting other projects launching games on Oasys. The environmentally friendly Oasys blockchain has notable validators such as SEGA and Square Enix.