Unagi

Unagi is a Paris-based Web3 gaming studio established in 2021 by co-founders and co-CEOs Charlie Guillemot and Rémi Pellerin, along with Matthieu Hocquart and Pierre Mattei. The leadership team leverages extensive experience from the traditional gaming sector, with both Guillemot and Pellerin being veterans of the gaming giant Ubisoft. Charlie Guillemot, son of Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot, previously managed Ubisoft's Owlient studio, which focused on free-to-play games, while Rémi Pellerin studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science. This background informs the company's strategy of bridging the gap between conventional gaming and the emerging Web3 space.

The studio focuses on developing free-to-play, accessible Web3 experiences designed to onboard mainstream audiences. Its business model operates on a B2C basis, generating revenue through in-game transactions and an NFT marketplace. The core of Unagi's ecosystem is the UNA token, which functions as a universal currency across its games for transactions, staking, and rewards. The company's debut title, "Ultimate Champions," is a fantasy sports platform that began with football and has since expanded to include basketball through a licensing deal with Euroleague Basketball. In this game, players collect digital cards of athletes as NFTs, build teams, and compete for rewards based on the real-world performance of those athletes. Unagi has secured over 150 partnerships with sports clubs, including a notable long-term agreement with Arsenal.

Beyond fantasy sports, Unagi has broadened its portfolio with the "Persona" project, an anime-inspired PFP (Profile Picture) NFT collection launched in February 2024 that serves as a foundational element for its expanding gaming universe. The Persona collection, which sold out for approximately $5 million, grants holders unique digital identities and access to exclusive in-game benefits and community events. The company is also exploring AI-driven entertainment, integrating AI agents into its experiences. To fuel its growth, Unagi has successfully raised a total of $12.3 million through multiple funding rounds, including investments from Binance Labs, Sisu Game Ventures, Signum Capital, and Sfermion.

Keywords: Web3 gaming, fantasy sports, NFT collectibles, blockchain games, free-to-play, Ultimate Champions, Persona NFT, UNA token, Charlie Guillemot, Rémi Pellerin, play-to-earn, digital collectibles, crypto gaming, sports collectibles, Euroleague Basketball, decentralized gaming, AI entertainment, PFP NFT, virtual assets, multi-chain gaming