Ethereum’s ‘Ember Sword’ Is the Latest in a Growing Wave of Crypto Game Shutdowns
The post Ethereum’s ‘Ember Sword’ Is the Latest in a Growing Wave of Crypto Game Shutdowns appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.
In brief Ethereum-based game Ember Sword generated $203 million in metaverse land sales in 2021. Four years later, the game has been discontinued due to a lack of funding. Numerous crypto games have already shut down this year, including Nyan Heroes and Deadrop. Four years after attracting $203 million in NFT land sales, Ethereum game Ember Sword has shut down, with developer Bright Star Studios citing a lack of funding required to continue its operations. It’s the latest example of a growing trend of crypto games closing up shop. “We were ultimately unable to secure the funding needed to continue,” the game’s official site now reads. “We explored every possible way forward. But in today’s market—where even some of the most promising projects are shutting down—we couldn’t find a path to keep building.” Massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Ember Sword rose to prominence in 2021 amid the metaverse boom—around the time that Facebook rebranded to Meta. It had completed a number of funding rounds, with one disclosed to total $2 million, attracting investment from the likes of video game streamer Dr. Disrespect, The Sandbox co-founder Sebastien Borget, and Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin. The project also attracted prominent gaming veterans as advisors, including Rob Pardo, former chief creative officer at Blizzard Entertainment and lead designer of the enormously popular World of Warcraft, as well as retired esports player Dennis “Thresh” Fong. As metaverse mania hit its peak in 2021, there was a virtual land grab, prompting high-value NFT sales in games like The Sandbox and Decentraland. Amid this explosion of interest, Ember Sword itself attracted $203 million worth of NFT land purchases via 35,000 players. Ember Sword eventually entered closed beta in July 2024, but the gameplay footage was met with a slew of commenters disappointed with the product. Late in…
