MetaKing Studios raises $15 million for blockchain MMO Blocklords

MetaKing Studios has raised $15 million in seed funding to develop blockchain-based massively multiplayer online game Blocklords.

Makers Fund and Bitkraft Ventures led the round, with investments from Delphi Digital, Animoca Brands, Shima Capital, WW Ventures, Spartan Group, Huobi Ventures and others. MetaKing Studios will use the funding to accelerate development of its flagship strategy game, launching in Early Access this year.

Founded by David Johansson and Nicky Li, game industry executives with decades of experience developing free-to-play and games, the MetaKings Studio team includes more than 100 artists, designers and developers from studios such as Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Paradox Interactive and Creative Montage.

“At heart, we’re a team of gamers and tech enthusiasts looking to create fun and entertaining experiences using the new technologies at our disposal,” said David Johansson, CEO of MetaKing Studios, in a statement. “In Blocklords, we worked to build a massive, dynamic game world that is directly impacted by player choices, whether they choose to be humble farmers or powerful lords and ladies. By giving gamers full ownership of their digital assets, we not only incentivize how they play games, but also empower them to have fun while doing so.”

Blocklords is a medieval strategy MMO that weaves world-building with real-time battles, deep historical fantasy lore, and a detailed lineage system. It is based on a player-driven narrative.

“MMOs have a clear product-market fit within blockchain games as they enable more diverse and dynamic in-game economies,” commented Jamie Wallace, an associate at Bitkraft, in a statement. “When it comes to Blocklords, not only does it have deeper gameplay than current blockchain-based games on the market, but it is also designed to attract a wide range of player types, ultimately creating a more inclusive game that engages all stakeholders within the game Web3 universe appeals . I look forward to seeing this incredibly talented team combine their experience building blockchain gaming infrastructure with their game design expertise to create an innovative web3 strategy game.”

MetaKing Studios has already built a player community for Blocklords, with more than 10,000 active community users who have been busy creating content and design alongside the MetaKing Studios development team in anticipation of the game’s imminent release.

“MetaKing Studios is at the forefront of developing an immersive, fun and immersive MMO real-time strategy game that leverages blockchain technology to enhance player experiences with innovative game design,” said Andrew Willson, Director of Makers Fund, in a statement. “David, Nicky and the team have invaluable experience developing multiplayer gaming platforms around the Web3 economy and look forward to helping them build a deep medieval strategy experience that I can’t wait to play.”

Blocklords features a player-driven economy that will scale rapidly as more players join the massive online world. As part of this experience, players will be able to own their hero characters and, through the game’s Dynasty system, continue their bloodline through heirs, populating the world and creating their own unique lineage and legacy.