HitBox Games raises $1.6M for hack’n’slash Web3 game Swords of Blood

HitBox Games has raised $1.6 million in venture funding for its Web3 hack’n’slash RPG Swords of Blood.

The company said Swords of Blood aims to be an accessible Web3 product, with a high-quality gameplay experience and story, to tap into the market for mainstream players while offering secure player ownership of in-game items.

Support for Sheridan, Wyoming-based HitBox Games came from Fundamental Labs, Gate io Labs, Master Ventures and others. Swords of Blood will feature triple-A quality graphics, animation and lore, the company said.

HITBox Games has sourced talent from long-running franchises such as Sim City 2000, Enigmatis, Rainbow Six, Prince of Persia, Nightmares from the Deep and Blade Bound. James Seaman, CEO, has more than 35 years of experience in game development and management. And Mariusz Szynalik, director of game development, has ten years of experience in game publishing and management.

Among the contributors is John Moyer from the heavy-metal band Disturbed. He will be music and sound manager. Jakub Szamalek will bring narrative and lore experience from Cyberpunk and some of the Witcher games.

Swords of Blood is the Web3 expansion of a previously successful Web2 game, Blade Bound. Swords of Blood intends to seamlessly combine both Web2 and Web3.

In the game, the kingdom of Ezura, ravaged by the traitor’s forces, has fallen into chaos. The last defenders of the light have been wiped out. A powerful goddess, Sentinel, has been summoned to use her remaining power and aid a lone warrior against the forces of evil, to restore Ezura to its former glory.

The game will offer dungeon exploration, mini-bosses, solo game expansion, as well as clans, tournaments, and four, eight, and 16-player PvP modes. Along the way, players collect gold resources and can craft more items and weapons.

Play to own and win to earn

Players will not only earn in-game currency, but they can craft and own items, and unlock special upgrades.

By joining tournaments and multiplayer modes, players can win tokens and valuable NFT. All legendary items in Swords of Blood can also be traded for fiat monetization via the NFT market. The game will be launched on Polygon (MATIC), one of the fastest EVM compatible blockchains.

Blade Bound, released in 2018 and had more than four million downloads on the App Store and Google Play. It will become the framework for Swords of Blood. The rights to Blade Bound are now owned by HitBox Games SVG LLC, with the goal of creating a Web3 digital ownership game, which will evolve into an MMORPG.

“We designed Swords of Blood as a free-to-play RPG to capitalize on the mass adoption market of both Web2 and Web3 players,” Seaman said in a statement. “The game is ready to download and play, no need to buy NFT or handle an external wallet. Your account will have a safe custody wallet to hold all items or spend SWDTKN tokens without leaving the game.”

“Players will remain in full control of their assets, which cannot be revoked or locked. This is very important to rebuild a robust blockchain system, especially after the recent events with a flawed ownership model, which led to volatility in the crypto market,” Seaman added.

Christopher Ries, CEO of partner SphereOne, said in a statement, “Swords of Blood will be the key game to help the next billion users of Web3. It offers incredible game mechanics and unique seamless Web3 integration, while not compromising on an exciting story. We’re impressed with the team’s mobile-first approach and their ambitious roadmap. Swords of Blood is an important partnership for us, and we’re excited to bring them a more streamlined experience on our cross-chain payments platform. »

Swords of Blood has partnered with Stardust, which allows for the automatic creation of an escrow wallet, without the need for browser extensions or external wallet downloads. Players can purchase SWDTKN without leaving the game, as well as use and exchange to upgrade equipment and powers. All players can start for free using the model of a Web2 game, but also start building assets as they progress.

The next step for Swords of Blood will be an NFT sale for early adopters who want to own a piece of the game’s universe. The collection launch will be announced soon. Swords of Blood is also planning its beta launch, pending the announcement of the exact date.

The team has eight people, and the Diablo series was a big inspiration for them. Regarding the criticism that games to make money have received among Western players, the company said that the current blockchain games set players a “wrong precedent.”

The company said that during the NFT bull market, game developers sold NFTs, often simple just profile pictures, riding on hype and fear of missing out.

“We believe in the fundamental idea behind NFTs – digital ownership. This idea long predates NFTs as a technology, and in gaming, digital ownership and even play-to-earn were here long before blockchain,” the company said. NFTs and blockchain enable smooth and easy transfer of digital ownership. Our game is free to play and focuses on traditional player base (Web2) and blockchain is ‘only’ to enable digital ownership. Blockchain is not the end, but a means to improve the experience.”