Will Wright, creator of the highly-popular simulation game “The Sims,” has just raised $6 million in funds to develop simulation games utilizing blockchain technology.
Legendary game designers Will Wright and Lauren Elliott have raised $6 million in funding to help develop blockchain games. The funds were coursed through Gallium Studios, the independent game studio founded by Wright and Elliott.
The duo founded Gallium Studios in 2015. Nevertheless, in this age of the Web3, NFT, and Metaverse spaces, they intend to make creator-oriented simulation games that flawlessly incorporate the latest Web3 and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.
Incidentally, Wright is the brains behind highly-popular simulation games such as The Sims and Sim City. He created those groundbreaking games for Maxis, a company Wright spent 20 years in but left in 2009.
On the other hand, Elliott is known for the video game “Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?” The game has since been adapted into a show on Netflix.
$6 Million for Blockchain Games
Venture capital firm Griffin Gaming Partners, one of the world’s most prominent venture funds specializing in gaming, provided the $6 million financing. With the funding, Gallium Studios will develop simulation games backed by blockchains and NFTs.
It isn’t the first time Gallium Studios is dipping its feet into Web3 games. The studio’s first projects include Voxverse, an upcoming NFT-powered Metaverse game Wright helped design for Gala Games, and Proxi, a memory simulation mobile game. Proxi is considered Gallium’s flagship product. Both are blockchain games, using the famous technology in one way or another.
According to Wright, this collaboration with Griffin would give Gallium the freedom to focus on core entertainment experiences that it has always been passionate about building. He says the company is thrilled to operate at the forefront of new technologies. The partnership is expected to develop blockchain games that would resonate with gamers.
“It is a privilege to work with this level of gaming expertise and creative genius,” said Peter Levin, Managing Director at Griffin Gaming Partners, in a statement. “We are thrilled to be working with Lauren and Will on their new vision for experiences that explore a player’s sense of self and subconscious; a natural evolution from the team’s prior successes with such iconic franchises as The Sims, Spore, and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?”
“This is a great time to be designing and publishing the next generation of simulation games, and we’re happy to be partnering with Griffin to make that happen,” said Elliott, Gallium Studio’s CEO. “We’re at a point where advanced AI and the core features of blockchain technology can combine to support Will’s vision to keep players at the center of the development process. Whether it’s talking with the latest AI or owning everything you create, game design should always put players first.”
For this endeavor, Gallium has teamed up with Forte.io, a leading blockchain technology company, to power player ownership in their games and economies. Through this partnership, players will have seamless access to blockchain and Web3 technologies, including embeddable token wallets and NFT marketplaces.
Gallium has a growing team composed of industry veterans who have previously worked for well-established companies in the entertainment space, including Pixar, Blizzard Entertainment, WB Games, Second Life, Electronic Arts, and more. Hence, players can expect blockchain games par excellence.
The $6 million funding for Gallium Studios will help expand its team, establish partnerships, and deliver users more simulation experiences and blockchain games. Nevertheless, Wright purportedly believes that the gaming studio doesn’t need a big group to be productive.
Twenty to sixty team members would probably be enough to realize the visions of Gallium for the blockchain games, per Wright.
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