Lifeless, dying or going web2: The obituary of (some) blockchain video games in 2025

As inevitable as web3 gaming is as an idea, it’s additionally inevitable that almost all of blockchain video games received’t achieve success.

So right here’s our record of the video games formally shutting down or rebooting as web2 experiences.

NB: to offer a way of the size of time that funding is predicted to final, one rule of thumb is it prices round $1 million to run a crew of 10 sport builders yearly.

Most web3 sport funding was raised in 2021 and 2022 so a nominal crew of 10 would have value not less than $3 million by mid-2025. In fact, for extra complicated video games, groups could be greater than 50-strong.

You do the mathematics!

Closed down

US developer Battlebound – raised $8 million in 2022 – closed down, cancelling improvement of its sport Anterris.

South Korea developer Hypedream – $7 million raised in 2021 – closed down on account of a scarcity of funding, additionally closing down its Derby Stars and Derby Race video games.

US dev Nice Large Stunning Tomorrow – raised $3 million in 2024 – closed down, suspending improvement on its social deduction sport The Thriller Society.

US developer Midnight Society closed down, canning its in-development vertical shooter Deadrop.

US studio Laguna Labs canned its forthcoming sport Neo Olympus after it did not mint out its preliminary NFTs.

Singapore dev 9 Lives Interactive – raised $13 million – ran out of funding, additionally closing down its in-development PC shooter Nyan Heroes.

Overworld – the US improvement studio that’s a part of Xterio – $10 million raised – cancelled its in-dev sport Overworld, pivoting to construct the video games advertising and rewards blockchain REACH.

Closing down

Cellular battle royale Blast Royale will formally shut on thirtieth June however it is going to be open sourced. UK developer First Mild Video games – raised $5 million in 2022 – remains to be working.

TGC sport Cosmik Battle from French developer Cometh – $10 million raised – is being sunsetted. It “didn’t discover a sustainable distribution channel or long-term launch companions”. The corporate continues to function.

Not formally introduced however it seems that cell sport Rumble Kong League – raised $5 million in 2021 – has been offered off, reportedly – however with no proof but – to a Brazilian firm.

Gala Video games’ The Strolling Lifeless: Empires is shutting down, with its final playable date being thirty first July. NFT holders will obtain “new NFTs of equal performance in different Gala Video games merchandise”.

Ditched web3, going web2