Veteran Game Developers Secure $30.5M Funding for AAA Shooter on Tezos' Etherlink L2

A team of industry veterans from Sony, Amazon, Riot Games, Blizzard, Ubisoft, and Epic Games has raised $30.5 million to develop a AAA shooter title on Etherlink, Tezos' gaming-optimized Layer 2 solution. The project brings together creators behind hit franchises including Call of Duty, Valorant, Fortnite, and Planetside 2.

Led by Bitkraft Ventures and Brevan Howard Digital with participation from Tezos Foundation, Hashed, and other prominent investors, the studio will leverage Etherlink's robust smart contract capabilities for its in-game economy. The blockchain infrastructure provides the scalability and seamless processing required for high-end gaming experiences.

"When I heard the EverQuest creator was assembling this all-star team to build an AI-powered immersive world, my reaction was pure excitement," commented Tezos co-founder Arthur Breitman.

The game, set on the fictional island of Marova, casts players as elite operatives called Reapers in a PvPvE environment featuring base-building, territorial conquest, and resource management. It will launch on Steam, Epic Games Store, and through the official website, incorporating NFT functionality for trading characters, bases, skins, and crafted items via the Reaper Actual Ecosystem.

"Tezos and Etherlink enable us to deliver transformative digital ownership in gaming," said CEO John Smedley, co-creator of EverQuest and Planetside 2. Trilitech's Gaming Head Efe Kucuk added: "Etherlink makes blockchain infrastructure invisible until needed - delivering frictionless permanence when it matters most."

The studio plans to unveil its Foundation phase (pre-alpha) in coming weeks, offering early access and tradable on-chain assets to participants.