Thirdverse raises $15 million to develop Web3, VR games

Thirdverse, a Tokyo-based video game developer, has raised $15 million in a third-party funding round led by MZ Web3 Fund to develop Web3 and virtual reality games.

Thirdverse’s total raised funds now stand at $33 million. Its top investors include membership-based Web3 community 8DAO, venture capital firm B Dash Ventures, blockchain game developer Double Jump.tokyo, blockchain venture capital firm Fenbushi Capital and many more.

Thirdverse CEO Hironao Kunimitsu said that the company was delighted to partner with MZ Web3 Fund after experiencing a significant increase in the previous year and with numerous projects in progress.

“We’re dedicated to innovation and expanding the boundaries of VR and Web3 gaming,” Masaru “Nogi” Ohnogi, Thirdverse chief business officer, said.

“Our newest projects, Altair Breaker, X8, and Captain Tsubasa: Rivals, all showcase the exceptional talent of our team, their creativity, and their desire to drive new experiences in gaming for audiences worldwide.”

MZ Web3 Fund CEO Yusku Maezawa praised Thirdverse, expressing his excitement to be part of the company’s next growth phase.

“We believe that both the VR and Web3 gaming industries have a bright future and that Thirdverse is uniquely positioned to benefit from the market growth trends and the remarkable experience of its team,” Maezawa said.

More about Thirdverse

Thirdverse’s VR game portfolio includes the multiplayer VR sword-fighting action game ALTAIR BREAKER, which was launched in August for Meta Quest2 and PCVR. It will also be released for Sony’s PlayStationVR2 soon.

The game offers intuitive controls unique to VR, which allows players to experience the greatness of sword-fighting actions that would be unimaginable in the real world. These include high-speed sword-fighting moves, slashing enemies, aerial combos and wide-range special skills.

Additionally, the game features a multiplayer mode that allows players to form groups of up to four people to fight together while interacting with other users from all over the world via voice chat.

The company also revealed in September that their multiplayer VR tactical shooter, X8, would be released in February 2023 on PlayStationVR2.

In X8, players take on the roles of various heroes, fighting alongside and against one another using interactive skills and special weapons. Each hero has hero-specific items for situational advantages. Heroes also have access to weapons, armor and things specific to their character.

Players are split into groups and compete in multiple rounds in which the attacking team must deploy a detonation device. The defending team must prevent opponents from planting the device or defuse it if they do so.

Recently, Thirdverse also announced the Web3 and virtual reality game Captain Tsubasa: Rivals, developed in partnership with Blocksmith. Built on Polygon, the game will be released at the end of 2022.

Captain Tsubasa: Rivals will allow players to train and compete with characters from the original manga Captain Tsubasa. Players in the RIVAL Mode will vie against rival characters to replicate the original story, whereas players in the PvP Mode will face others online.

In the game, the characters are represented using generative NFTs. Yuto Nagatomo, a professional soccer player, has been named the game’s official ambassador.

Thirdverse plans to release more than ten Web3 games by 2023.