Ex-Base Team Secures $21M from Pantera, Makers & Hashed to Enhance Onchain Gaming

New York, United States, July 22nd, 2024

NPC Labs Aims to Onboard 3 Billion Gamers onto Blockchain

NPC Labs has announced a successful Seed Round funding of $18 million, led by Pantera Capital, bringing the total to $21 million including Pre-Seed investments. Significant investors in this round include Makers Fund, Hashed, Collab+Currency, Sfermion, Mirana Ventures, Bitscale Capital, and Mantle EcoFund. The organization plans to enhance the onboarding process and development of blockchain gaming as a key contributor to B3.fun, a revolutionary horizontally-scaled gaming ecosystem built on Base, Coinbase’s Layer 2 network.

Founded by former members of the business and ecosystem development team from Base, NPC Labs is set to boost gaming on Coinbase’s Layer 2 network, driving Base’s ambitious vision of bringing a billion users onto the blockchain and restoring economic freedom to game developers and players alike.

Daryl Xu, Co-founder and CEO of NPC Labs, commented: “In today’s competitive gaming landscape, developers struggle to get their games to market. After years of development, they rely on publishers to support, market, and distribute their creations, often relinquishing 70% of their proceeds while facing the risk of being dropped if revenues fall short. Furthermore, players investing time and effort in acquiring digital assets risk losing everything if a studio pulls the plug. Our mission is straightforward. We want to create engaging games for everyone while simplifying the process for developers to go on-chain. Essentially, we’re putting control back into the hands of game creators and players.”

Despite the potential of on-chain gaming, many developers from the traditional gaming sector underestimate the complexity involved in creating a viable protocol with adequate liquidity and user engagement, all while managing infrastructure that ensures smooth gameplay.

Viktoriya Hying, Co-founder and COO, noted: “When a game-specific app chain is launched, developers often end up isolating their users, resulting in a fragmented experience with significant barriers to entry. Imagine if every game required its own dedicated console and infrastructure; it’s simply impractical. Gamers want a single platform to access multiple games. B3 aims to be that platform, addressing these challenges by managing the chain and providing the essential infrastructure, allowing developers to focus on delivering the best player experience.”

B3 has been designed with chain abstraction, which removes the need for users to switch networks or utilize bridging. Currently in its testnet phase, B3 supports games built on Base and other EVM-compatible chains. Its proprietary technology stack is highly scalable, facilitating the onboarding of games from other chains effortlessly, offering users a completely seamless gameplay experience.

Franklin Bi, General Partner at Pantera Capital, remarked, “With the success and momentum of Base, we were thrilled to partner with NPC Labs to enhance the Base ecosystem through B3. Daryl and Viktoriya have significantly supported key teams within the Base ecosystem, particularly in gaming and consumer applications. B3’s infrastructure and tools will introduce a new dimension to Base by empowering developers to create exceptional games and on-chain experiences for users.”

About NPC Labs:
NPC Labs, established by the core team behind Base, is dedicated to elevating gaming on Coinbase’s Layer 2 network. As a core contributor to B3.fun, NPC Labs is focused on scaling the network for the next generation of on-chain gamers. The team envisions a future of on-chain gaming characterized by seamless experiences and a transformed ownership and incentive model within the gaming ecosystem.

NPC Labs is committed to reshaping the landscape of blockchain gaming and creating new opportunities for developers and players alike.