On December 14, Moonray PBC, the developer behind the
multiplayer action-role-playing game (RPG) Moonray, announced that the
project has raised $3.5 million from strategic investors. Moonray is
considered the first metaverse and gaming non-fungible token (NFT)
exchange built on the Bitcoin network via Stacks.
Moonray PBC Leverages Stacks to Build a Blockchain Game on Bitcoin, Project Raises $3.5 Million From Strategic Investors
Play-to-earn (P2E) games, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and the
metaverse have become very popular in recent times. There’s been a massive amount of funding directed at projects developing video games and new ventures being launched by big-name game makers. A report
published in mid-November shows that game developers are starting to
incorporate blockchain tech into games more frequently. On Tuesday, the
startup Moonray PBC announced that the team has raised $3.5 million in a
funding round led by Animoca Brands.
The funds will be dedicated toward scaling the Moonray
multiplayer action-RPG, an NFT marketplace, and in-game economy. In
addition to Animoca Brands, investors such as LD Capital, Lucid Blue
Ventures, GBV Capital, and Metavest Capital joined the Moonray financing
round. Unlike the myriad of blockchain games built on networks like
Ethereum and Solana, Moonray is built using the Bitcoin (BTC) protocol through Stacks.
“Stacks is an open-source blockchain network that leverages the
security and capital of Bitcoin for decentralized apps and smart
contracts,” the Stacks website explains.
According to Rodrigo Etcheto, CEO of Moonray PBC, bitcoin (BTC)
will be an integral part of the Moonray gaming ecosystem, with the
ability to earn bitcoin yield and Lightning Network integration.
“Building a game in the metaverse is more than just putting something in
VR or AR, there has to be an economy where players can have a real
financial stake in the things they own,” Etcheto said in a statement on
Tuesday. “Players have found roundabout ways to trade digital items in
the past and we are trying to make it easier for players to exchange and
sell items with one another.”
The Moonray PBC executive added:
When our marketplace is fully-operational we will feature
Lightning Network integration, [bitcoin] payments, and NFTs that have
the ability to earn [bitcoin] yield.
Moonray Plans to Launch in March 2022
The game Moonray and the Moonray NFT marketplace aim to launch with
select players around March 2022, according to the funding announcement.
The funding from Animoca Brands follows Animoca’s partnership
with the popular NFT project Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC). Animoca
Brands and BAYC’s creators, Yuga Labs, plan to launch a play-to-earn
(P2E) blockchain game based on BAYC NFTs next year as well. Yat Siu, the
executive chairman and co-founder of Animoca Brands, believes
blockchain games are transforming the industry and that Moonray will be
part of the shift.
“Blockchain games are evolving rapidly. Moonray is at the vanguard of
this change, building a far-future RPG experience that will be unlike
anything that most players have ever seen on blockchain,” Siu opined in a
statement sent to Bitcoin.com News. “We are very excited by the
potential that Moonray is demonstrating as it builds this ambitious
multiplayer AAA experience.”
source link : https://news.bitcoin.com/game-developer-moonray-pbc-raises-3-5-million-aims-to-bring-nft-and-blockchain-gaming-to-bitcoin/
