$6M Funding for Smolbound Life Sim RPG Development
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$6M Funding for Smolbound Life Sim RPG Development
$6M Funding for Smolbound Life Sim RPG Development
Darkbright Studios has announced a successful seed round, raising $6 million to support the development of its life sim title, Smolbound. This RPG/sim hybrid game features a player-driven world with seamless Web3 integration, and the studio has initiated closed beta tests for the game, with plans to launch it on the Treasure Layer-2 blockchain next year.
A Quirky Marriage of Animal Crossing and Raft
Smolbound boasts an infinite world, where players can engage in various mechanics such as travel, farming, exploration, and collection, all set in a colorful fantasy art design. The game features an extensive UGC ecosystem and live ops, along with Web3 integration that promotes player ownership. According to Darkbright, Smolbound is “a quirky marriage of Animal Crossing and Raft.”
Investors and Partners
The seed round was led by Bitkraft Ventures, with participation from Play Ventures, Anthos Capital, King River Capital, Rockaway X, Zentry, Caballeros Capital, Gam3Girl Ventures, and Offchain Labs. Jonathan Huang, Principal at Bitkraft, expressed his excitement to back the co-founders in their journey to reinvent the genre.
A Life Sim RPG with Web3 Ownership
Yujie Song, Darkbright CEO, emphasized the game’s unique approach to storytelling and tone, which leans heavily into zany, irreverent, and fun elements. Song also highlighted the benefits of Web3 and player ownership mechanics in building next-generation live services, enabling players to feel like partners rather than just users.
Key Features of Smolbound:
