Crypto gaming closure wave continues with 'Ember Sword', Ethereum's latest victim
Ember Sword Ethereum Game Shuts Down Due to Lack of Funding
After attracting over $200 million in pledges for an NFT land sale four years ago, the Ethereum-based game Ember Sword has closed its doors. Developer Bright Star Studios announced the closure, citing a lack of funding required to continue operations.
The massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) rose to prominence in 2021 amid the metaverse boom, and completed several funding rounds. Notable investors included video game streamer Dr. Disrespect, The Sandbox co-founder Sebastien Borget, and Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin.
Ember Sword announced that it was unable to secure the necessary funding to continue, despite exploring every possible option. The game entered closed beta in July 2024, but gameplay footage received mixed reactions.
In a statement, the developers expressed gratitude to their players and supporters. However, they acknowledged that this is not an isolated incident but part of a broader trend of crypto games closing this month.
Last week, cat-themed Solana shooter Nyan Heroes also shut down due to an inability to secure funding. The hero shooter had completed four play tests via the Epic Games Store, and claimed more than one million players across the testing period.
Similarly, mobile game Blast Royale's development has been discontinued, although the game will become open-source for other developers to pick up. On Monday, Ronin role-playing game Tatsumeeko was also discontinued as its creators shift focus onto their Discord-based fantasy life simulator called Project: Wander.
Other notable game closures in recent months include Deadrop, The Mystery Society, and Gala Games' The Walking Dead: Empires, which is expected to close at the end of July.
Edited by Andrew Hayward
Update: After publication, it was clarified that the $203 million figure from 2021 was the amount pledged towards the NFT land sale by interested parties, not the final amount raised.
Sources:[1] http://www.embersword.com[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ember_Sword[3] https://www.cyberfrontmagazine.com/two-million-raised-by-ember-sword-as-strike-is-scheduled-fornovember-2021/[4] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-28/embitem-game-raises-2-million-as-crypto-gaming-boom-continues[5] https://decrypt.co/85007/ethereum-based-game-ember-sword-shuts-down-lack-of-funding
- Despite Ember Sword's initial success in raising over $200 million for an NFT land sale, the Ethereum-based game, which rose to prominence amid the metaverse boom, has shut down due to a lack of funding.
- The closure of Ember Sword follows a trend of crypto games, including the cat-themed Solana shooter Nyan Heroes, also shutting down recently due to an inability to secure funding.
- In the wake of Ember Sword's closure, other games such as mobile game Blast Royale, Ronin role-playing game Tatsumeeko, and Gala Games' The Walking Dead: Empires have also discontinued development or are expected to close.
- Token holders, players, and supporters of these crypto games, like Ember Sword, may need to find new investment opportunities, as the broader trend of underfunding in the crypto gaming sector continues.
- As the technology behind games like Ember Sword evolves, it will be interesting to see how the crypto gaming industry adapts and navigates the challenges of securing funding in the face of potential market volatility.
