Proof of Play, a company spearheaded by Amitt Mahajan, co-creator of Farmville, has successfully raised $33 million for the development of Web3 games, as revealed in a September 21 announcement. Amitt Mahajan serves as the CEO of Proof of Play, and the company’s board includes Twitch co-founder Emmett Shear.
Distinguished Backing from Prominent Investors
This substantial funding round was co-led by Chris Dixon of Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and Neil Mehta of Greenoaks. It also attracted investments from notable figures such as Naval Ravikant, Balaji Srinivasan, and the founders of the streaming platform Twitch. Web3-focused firms, including Anchorage Digital, Mercury, Firebase, Zynga, and Alchemy, also participated in the financing.
Pirate Nation Web3 game. Source: Proof of Play
Proof of Play introduced a closed beta of its inaugural Web3 game, Pirate Nation, in December 2022. The company asserts that it has the capabilities to surmount common challenges encountered by players when engaging with Web3 games. It claims to possess a suite of technological and product innovations designed to swiftly immerse players in enjoyable gameplay, all without necessitating prior blockchain knowledge.
Commitment to Decentralization
In its announcement, Proof of Play emphasized its commitment to decentralization. Pirate Nation, described as a “Forever Game,” operates autonomously without the need for external servers or intervention from creators. Furthermore, the company has future plans to open-source its technology framework, further advancing decentralization within the gaming ecosystem. Proof of Play’s team comprises professionals with extensive experience in prominent gaming and web companies, including Epic Games, Zynga, EA, Activision, and Google.
In the landscape of Web3, multimillion-dollar funding rounds have become increasingly commonplace in 2023. Notably, EVE Online developer CCP Games secured $40 million in March to pursue the development of a new EVE game spinoff. Similarly, Hyperplay raised $12 million in June to advance its distribution platform and position itself as a competitor to Steam.
