Blast Royale

Blast Royale is a free-to-play, mobile multiplayer Battle Royale game that integrates blockchain technology for a play-to-earn experience. It is developed by First Light Games, a London-based studio founded in 2018 by games industry veterans. The game features fast-paced, top-down player-versus-player (PvP) matches lasting three to six minutes, where up to 48 players compete to be the last one standing. Players can engage in various modes, including casual, ranked, and custom games, either solo or in squads.

The founding team of First Light Games includes Co-CEOs Neil McFarland and Anil Das-Gupta. McFarland previously founded the games team at ustwo, the studio behind the successful title Monument Valley. Das-Gupta has an extensive background in the gaming industry, with roles at Wargaming, NaturalMotion, Capcom, and Zynga. The team's collective experience from working on major titles like Tomb Raider, Fable, and Street Fighter informs the development of Blast Royale.

The business model incorporates both free-to-play and web3 elements. Revenue is generated through in-app purchases of non-NFT items and the sale of new NFT game assets like characters and animations. A 2.5% fee is applied to secondary market trading of NFT equipment, and a commission is taken from tournament buy-ins. The game utilizes a dual-token system on the blockchain. The primary token, $NOOB (formerly $BLST), is an ERC-20 token used for trading NFTs and crafting. The secondary in-game token, Craft Spice ($CS), is earned by playing matches with NFT equipment and is used for in-game actions like equipment repair and upgrades. In April 2022, First Light Games secured $5 million in a seed funding round co-led by Animoca Brands and Mechanism Capital, with participation from other notable investors like Dragonfly Capital and Polygon.

In Blast Royale, players equip their characters with items that can be standard in-game gear or NFTs, which affect performance and appearance. While the game is free to play, using NFT equipment allows players to earn rewards based on performance and time invested. Players can acquire NFT items, upgrade them, and trade them in the marketplace. The game has achieved over a million downloads and maintains a significant monthly active user base.

Keywords: mobile gaming, battle royale, play-to-earn, blockchain game, NFTs, PvP, First Light Games, free-to-play, web3 gaming, crypto gaming, Anil Das-Gupta, Neil McFarland, Animoca Brands, Mechanism Capital, multiplayer online game, top-down shooter, NOOB token, Craft Spice, game monetization, digital ownership.