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Delabs has closed another funding round, bringing its total raised to $12 million. The announcement follows the successful invite-only playtest for the studio's kart racing game, Rumble Racing Star. The team also released their whitepaper v1 and teased the upcoming $DELABS token launch.
Polygon Ventures, an investor in Delabs Games, stated: "The team is combining traditional gameplay with the dynamic potential of web3."
NFTs and tokens
Delabs, the web3 arm of South Korean game studio 4:33, is developing multiple projects beyond Rumble Racing Star. The company completed a successful NFT mint for the dystopian RPG Metabolts on February 26th. The studio is also working on Space Frontier, an Unreal Engine shooter.
Delabs plans to launch its $DELABS token in 2024, continuing the company's push into web3 gaming.
Gaming portfolio
Delabs previously raised $4.7 million in seed funding led by Hashed. The studio's portfolio now includes three titles in development: Rumble Racing Star, Space Frontier, and Metabolts, each targeting different player preferences.
The studio's design approach focuses on broad appeal, cross-platform support, and building an esports ecosystem. Web3 features are integrated without requiring players to download separate wallets.
The Delabs team includes veterans from Nexon's Kart Rider, and the studio aims to recreate that game's appeal in their upcoming titles. Rumble Racing Star features expressive characters, comedic weapons, and a lighter visual style compared to games like Mario Kart.
In Rumble Racing Star, players race with NFTs that have unique abilities. Space Frontier and Metabolts give players creative control over items, modes, and levels.
Metabolts
Delabs held its first public playtest for Metabolts from January 22nd to January 26th. The week-long test was available only to Delabs Adventure Pass holders and players in Canada, Thailand, and Vietnam. The playtest aimed to collect player feedback, measure retention rates, and gauge initial reactions to the gameplay.
Metabolts is a narrative RPG set in a collapsing future world. The story centers on a central bank collapse that forces survivors to adopt an alternative currency, which the developer frames as a stand-in for decentralized currencies challenging traditional financial systems.
Delabs CEO Joonmo Kwon said: "This playtest is a crucial step in gathering valuable insights for enhancing the overall gaming experience." Delabs Adventure Pass NFT holders got early access, while players in the designated regions could download the game via Google Play or the App Store.
Web3's future in gaming
In a recent interview, Kwon discussed the potential for web3 games to disrupt the industry, pointing to the success of the Delabs Adventure Pass as the company's first mint. The pass connects all Delabs games and provides benefits across titles.
Kwon sees web3 games as a way to address problems in traditional gaming by giving players lasting digital assets, building loyalty, and creating sustainable relationships between players and developers.
As a flagship partner of Polygon, Delabs is working to advance web3 gaming. Urvit Goel, head of global business development at Polygon Labs, said the collaboration positions Delabs to attract millions of new players and build a community around secure and immersive gaming experiences.
