NDUS Interactive raises $7.5M in pre-Series A funding to launch third-person shooter game Xociety on the Sui blockchain.
On Thursday, NDUS Interactive disclosed that it has secured $7.5 million in pre-Series A funding to develop the third-person shooter game Xociety on the Sui blockchain.
The funding round was spearheaded by the Sui Foundation and Hashed, with additional investment from Spartan, Neoclassic, Big Brain Holdings, and PUBG game publisher Krafton.
“We are focusing on creating a sustainable player engagement model, moving away from the short-lived earning models seen in some Web3 games,” said NDUS founder Jeffry Kim, in a release. “This investment will help us blend the best aspects of traditional gaming with the possibilities of Web3.”
Xociety introduces a variety of features, including an in-game corporation system that enables players to manage economic entities and own shares within the game universe. It integrates elements of role-playing and first-person shooters with a novel reward structure that is based on competence.
A recent beta test for Xociety attracted more than 3,000 users from 76 countries, who collectively spent more than 11,000 hours playing the game. Of these users, 77% remained engaged for more than a week.
The game is being developed by industry veterans, including Myoungjin Lee, who is recognized for his work on Ragnarok, and Sang Chung, the former Head of PlayDapp.
The game is scheduled to be released later this year, according to a representative from Sui. However, the next play-to-mint event is currently scheduled for July. Users were granted access to NFT mint allowlists and token rewards during a previous play-to-mint event in January and February.
Xociety has already created player-owned in-game identities on the Ethereum blockchain. However, in April, NDUS announced that it would ultimately launch the game on Sui.