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

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

Backing 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 drawn on the talents of long-running franchises like Sim City 2000, Enigmatis, Rainbow Six, Prince of Persia, Nightmares from the Deep, and Blade Bound. James Seaman, CEO, has over 35 years of experience in game development and management. And Mariusz Szynalik, Director of Game Development, has a decade of experience publishing and managing games.

Contributors include John Moyer of the heavy metal band Disturbed. He will be the music and sound director. Jakub Szamalek will bring traditional and narrative experience from Cyberpunk and some of the Witcher games.

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

In the game, the kingdom of Ezura, devastated by the Traitor’s forces, has been thrown into chaos. The last defenders of the light have been annihilated. A powerful goddess, Sentinel, has been summoned to use her remaining power to help a lone warrior against the forces of evil, to restore Ezura to her former glory.

The game will offer dungeon exploration, mini-bosses, solo play expansion, as well as clan, tournament, and PvP modes for four, eight, and 16 players. Along the way, players gather gold resources and can craft additional items and weapons.

Play to own and win to win

Players will not only earn in-game currency, but will also be able to craft and own items and unlock special upgrades.

By joining tournaments and multiplayer, players can earn tokens and valuable NFTs. All legendary items in Swords of Blood could also be redeemed for fiat monetization via the NFT marketplace. The game will launch on Polygon (MATIC), one of the fastest EVM-compliant blockchains.

Blade Bound, released in 2018 and had over four million downloads on the App Store and Google Play. It will become the framework of Swords of Blood. The rights to Blade Bound are now fully owned by HitBox Games SVG LLC, with the goal of creating a Web3 digitally owned game, to be turned into an MMORPG.

“We designed Swords of Blood as a free-to-play RPG to tap into the market for mass adoption by Web2 and Web3 players,” Seaman said, in a statement. “The game is ready to download and play, no need to buy any NFTs or deal with an external wallet. Your account will have a secure custodial wallet to store all items or use SWDTKN tokens without leaving the game.”

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

Christopher Ries, CEO of partner SphereOne, said in a statement: “Swords of Blood will be the key game to help bring the next billion users to Web3. It offers incredible game mechanics and seamless and unique Web3 integration, without compromising on an exciting story. We’re impressed with the team’s mobile-first approach and ambitious roadmap. Swords of Blood is an important partnership for us and we are pleased to provide you with a more streamlined experience on our cross-chain payment platform.”

Swords of Blood has partnered with Stardust, which allows for the automated creation of a custodial wallet, without the need for browser extensions or external wallet downloads. Players can purchase SWDTKN without leaving the game, as well as spend and trade to upgrade their gear and powers. All players can start for free using the model of a Web2 game, but can also start accumulating assets as they go.

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 launch of the collection will be announced soon. Swords of Blood is also planning its beta release, pending the announcement of the exact date.

The team has eight people and the Diablo series was a great inspiration for them. As for the criticism that play-to-win games have received among Western gamers, the company said that current blockchain games gave gamers a “wrong precedent.”

The company said that during the NFT bull market, game developers sold NFTs, which were often simple profile pictures, taking advantage of hype and fear of missing out.

“We believe in the fundamental idea behind NFTs: digital ownership. This idea predates NFTs as a technology, and in gaming, digital ownership and even playing to win was here long before blockchain,” the company said. “NFT and blockchain allow for an easy and seamless transfer of digital property. Our game is free to play and targets the traditional (Web2) player base and blockchain is ‘only’ to enable digital ownership. Blockchain is not the goal, but a means to improve the experience.”