Neon Machine team brings extensive entertainment expertise, with credits like Halo, Call of Duty, and Westworld. This accomplished team brings a wealth of experience to the table, enriching the company’s creative endeavors.
Web3 gaming innovator Neon Machine has successfully garnered $20 million in Series A financing dedicated to the realization of its highly-anticipated extraction shooter, ‘Shrapnel.’
This financial endeavor comes in the wake of a prior seed round that yielded $10.5 million, concluding in June of 2021. Subsequently, the lead investment was orchestrated by Polychain Capital and saw contributions from notable backers such as Griffin Gaming Partners, Brevan Howard Digital, Franklin Templeton, IOSG Ventures, and Tess Ventures.
‘Shrapnel’: A Pioneering First-Person Shooter Integrating Blockchain Technology
‘Shrapnel’ stands as an audacious gaming venture, enthusiastically endorsed by Neon Machine as an AAA title – a classification. Notably, this designation is typically reserved for video games known for their top-tier production quality, substantial financial backing, and an all-encompassing marketing strategy.
Moreover, when we look at the gameplay excerpts available on Neon Machine YouTube channel and the extensive documentation on the official website, ‘Shrapnel’ clearly stands out as a first-person shooter. It provides players with a multi-faceted gaming experience.
Within the game, which has yet to initiate pre-alpha trials, participants will face challenging “extraction” mechanics. Additionally, these mechanics necessitate them to safely abscond with any in-game loot to secure their acquisitions.
Preliminary gameplay demonstrations reveal a semblance to the gameplay loop characterizing Call of Duty: Warzone, a renowned free-to-play extraction shooter conceived by Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard studio.
What sets ‘Shrapnel’ apart from its AAA counterparts is its integration of Web3 and blockchain technology. In contrast, other titles like ‘The Division 2’ introduce mechanisms where players can “extract” valuable in-game items to boost their characters and profiles.
However, ‘Shrapnel’ takes a pioneering approach by connecting assets directly to the blockchain.
Neon Machine’s ‘Shrapnel’: Empowering Players through Asset Ownership and Modding Opportunities
In accordance with the studio, this affords players complete ownership of these assets. Furthermore, ‘Shrapnel’ will feature a modding toolkit for adding blockchain assets, promoting player interaction.
This concept, theoretically, could create a captivating environment conducive to seasonal competitions and tournament gameplay.
Moreover, according to a Neon Machine press release, the game will be in early access for paying subscribers in December. Following the conclusion of the initial evaluation phase, the company intends to release ‘Shrapnel’ as a free-to-play offering at an indeterminate point in 2024.
Beyond the development and launch of ‘Shrapnel,’ Neon Machine has articulated its intention to eventually license its Web3 developer’s API platform, GameBridge, post-launch.
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