9 Lives Interactive, an independent game studio based in Singapore, has on Thursday announced a successful $3 million funding round led by Mechanism Capital.
The round also saw participation from Delphi Digital, Sfermion, 3Commas Capital, Momentum 6, Kosmos Ventures, Devmons GG and CSP DAO, 9 Lives Interactive said in a statement.
According to the statement, the investment will be used to develop 9 Lives Interactive’s debut title, Nyan Heroes, a next-generation hero shooter game with unique gameplay mechanics and cat-inspired IP to drive mass adoption.
“Our goal is to create a flagship IP-driven shooter that delivers an immersive experience to team-based shooter fans of all ages and genders,” said Max Fu, Creative Director and CEO, of 9 Lives Interactive.
“Nyan Heroes features bleeding-edge technology, including the capabilities of the Unreal 5 engine and blockchain, to support true asset ownership in a thriving creator economy,
“We grew up playing shooter games, and we believe that this is the next evolution, where cute cat heroes give this genre mass appeal, which will lead to both Web2 and Web3 player adoption,” he added.
Founded in 2021, the team at 9 Lives Interactive is comprised of industry veterans from leading studios, including EA, Bungie, and Ubisoft, with senior advisors from Riot Games and Twitch.
The team has a history of developing, shipping, and sustaining AAA multiplayer shooter and live service titles, including Halo, Destiny, Fortnite, Marvel’s Avengers, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six.
Nyan Heroes is a team-based, objective hero-shooter featuring quirky cats who pilot powerful mechs in competitive battles to save the world.
Players select from 8 guardian classes and use both unique abilities and agile, feline-inspired movement to secure objectives and defeat opponents.
Mechs are highly customizable via an innovative “augment weapon” system, providing a wide range of play styles and opportunities to express high levels of skill.
Nyan Heroes takes place during the not-so-distant future in the underground civilization of New Nekovia, a vibrant city full of optimism, hope, and holographic skies.
Currently, in pre-alpha, Nyan Heroes has amassed a large social following and has seen over 13,000 signups following a recent announcement of its early access launch.
“We’re thrilled to lead an investment round for Nyan Heroes, a project that will redefine standards for web3 shooters,” said Andrew Kang from Mechanism.
“The creativity of the IP and the unique gameplay mechanics are what we believe sets it apart from other projects not just in web3 but also the traditional gaming space,
“Max and his team have shown incredible resilience and commitment during the bear and we’re excited to double down on the team’s ability to execute their vision,” he added.
Nyan Heroes is currently available in early access from March 26th to April 9th.
The game has also introduced Airdrop missions, which allow the community to access NYAN, the token that powers the Nyan Heroes Ecosystem.
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