Worldspark Studios Propels Development of Edenbrawl with Newly Acquired Funds

Game developers are starting to funnel into the NFT space following the massive success of Axie Infinity over the past year. Among these is the startup Worldspark Studios which has been acquiring talents from AAA studios such as Riot Games, Bungie, and Blizzard in its quest to develop a game on the blockchain.

Fairly recently, Worldspark Studios was able to raise $3 million during a funding round led by leading crypto gaming and metaverse investor Animoca Brands. Other investors such as Alameda Ventures, Jump Capital, AAG Ventures, Sfermion, and YGGSEA participated in the seed round, which was co-led by venture capital firm Shinma Capital.

The funds are expected to be utilized for the studio’s first title Edenbrawl, which will be a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) akin to League of Legends and DOTA 2. Worldspark founder and CEO Chandler Thomlison declared that the game has been in development for a few years and that they hope to recruit veteran full-time developers in an effort to polish the gaming experience as well as integrate NFTs.

What sets Edenbrawl apart from other blockchain games such as Axie Infinity is the absence of a pay-to-win element. Unlike Axie Infinity — where users need to purchase NFT creatures to play the game — the NFTs acquired in the upcoming MOBA game will only be for cosmetic items. These include skins for characters and weapons, emotes, and mounts, which may be sold or traded.

“Most MOBAs in the blockchain space right now—for lack of a better term, they’re a little ‘pay-to-win,’ and that kind of ruins the competitiveness of it,” explained Thomlison. “We absolutely cannot do that if we want to be this long-term, sustainable, competitive game. The only thing NFTs can be in Edenbrawl is cosmetics.”

In the long run, Worldspark is focused on expanding its World of Eden with plans of launching an action role-playing game titled Trials of Eden alongside an NFT world where users will be able to buy land and customize houses, guild halls, social clubs, and more. Within the World of Eden, certain accomplishments and NFTs that are bought in one Eden game may also serve as a perk or be used in another Eden title — if it’s supported.

“You’re hanging out with friends, and you’re showing your status through NFTs,” added Thomlison. “t’s all about this interconnected economy, and that’s where the blockchain piece comes in.” However, Worldspark understands the hesitancy of players surrounding NFT games, especially given the recent backlash from traditional gamers.

In response, Thomlison notes: “We’re making a game first. We care about the blockchain, but that’s such a small focus for us in comparison to the need to make an actual fun game. We look across the blockchain game spectrum, and these games are all going to go away eventually because there’s no true gameplay to it.”

Source: Decrypt