Web3 game publisher Moku has announced this September that they have successfully closed a funding round led by Axie Infinity and Ronin creator Sky Mavis and a16z Games’ Speedrun accelerator program, raising a whopping $5.35 million to develop an innovative web3 distribution ecosystem that gives gamers and creators the power to deliver high-quality blockchain games.
Next to the two leading backers, the round also saw strong support from the following 3 investment firms: Framework Ventures, Arca, and 32-Bit Ventures. Some of the other participants included Big Brain Holdings and Formless Capital, alongside angel investors such as YGG’s Gabby Dizon, Pixels founder Luke Barwikowski, and more. The full list of investors and angels can be found in the image below.
The Director of Business Development at Sky Mavis, Kathleen Osgood, said the following in the announcement:
“The Moku team has been a dominant force in web3, displaying unique understanding on how to activate communities and ecosystems. Sky Mavis is proud to support the Moku team’s accelerated development, believing it to be a key component to the growth of the overall space.”
What Is Moku HQ?
The Moku HQ to date has acted as a launchpad and questing platform for a variety of web3 gaming experiences on the Ronin network, providing players with exclusive opportunities to play and earn by completing various quests and gacha challenges to accumulate points that can be redeemed for NFTs, token rewards, whitelist spots, and more. Various web3 game studios have used this questing platform to further engage their communities, such as Sky Mavis with The Axie and Ronin Moku Challenge last year, and extraction shooter Shrapnel with the introduction of an off-chain METAL points system.
As a launchpad, they’ve helped a variety of projects launch on Ronin, including Pixels, Ragnarok: Monster World, Kaidro, and more.
Now, the Moku team is on a mission to deliver a whole gaming ecosystem where gamers and creators act as co-publishers.
Partner of a16z Games Speedrun, Robin Guo, added the following:
“One of our core beliefs in web3 is that it can change distribution and growth: users receive incentives directly in the form of tokens that can drive and direct traffic, communities can naturally form and organize around digital IP, and founders are encouraged to build and test in public. That’s why we’re excited to invest in Moku, who are the leading web3 publishers on Ronin and have the potential to upend traditional, top-down marketing for games and align incentives between the developer and publisher.”
Back in July this year, the Ronin community had the opportunity to participate in the Moku NFT sale, which had 8888 Moki NFTs up for grabs on the Mavis Launchpad at the price of 55 $RON per asset. Participants had the opportunity to mint Common Eggs, Lucky Eggs, and Divine Eggs, each of which could be hatched on a dedicated page in order to reveal your Moki Genesis NFT.
What Are Moki Genesis NFTs?
The Moki Genesis Collection is at the heart of the growing Moku ecosystem that consists of cute and colorful 2D creatures referred to as Mokis. This collection is said to pay homage “to its amazing partners & community,” and comes with a variety of benefits for its holders. Some of these benefits include bonus points and multipliers when completing Moku quests, access to airdrops, special events, and giveaways, as well as rewards from the team’s partners, in-game perks, and more.
Sky Mavis Co-Founder Jeffrey ‘Jihoz’ Zirlin also commented on the successful financial round, praising the team’s crucial distribution role that brought advantage to the growth of the gaming-focused chain:
“Moku has executed like crazy. They’re a key part of Ronin’s distribution advantage. The Moku team demonstrates that amazing talent exists within our community and that the best builders come from the trenches.”
In other Ronin-related news, this month also marked a significant announcement in the growth of its ecosystem, revealing that 7 new web3 games are joining the Ronin Forge program.
