Twitch Co-Founder’s Gaming NFT Marketplace Raises $35M

Fractal is ramping up development with the help of big-name backers.

AccessTimeIconApr 1, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. UTC
Updated May 11, 2023 at 5:56 p.m. UTC
10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

Against stiff headwinds of distrust, one project is building a town square for gaming NFTs – with a bevy of big-name backers.

Fractal, the platform for game-related non-fungible tokens (NFT), has raised $35 million in a seed round led by Paradigm and Multicoin Capital. Other investors include Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Solana Labs, Animoca Brands, Coinbase Ventures and Terraform Labs CEO Do Kwon, among others.

  • Earn Alliance CEO on Helping Gamers Discover Web3
    17:22
    Earn Alliance CEO on Helping Gamers Discover Web3
  • Web3 Gaming Market Still Growing in 2023: Game7 Data
    01:21
    Web3 Gaming Market Still Growing in 2023: Game7 Data
  • State of Web3 Gaming in 2023
    08:11
    State of Web3 Gaming in 2023
  • Metaverse-Focused Gala Games to Airdrop Version 2 Tokens in May
    05:55
    Metaverse-Focused Gala Games to Airdrop Version 2 Tokens in May
  • The platform, launched in December by Twitch co-founder Justin Kan, functions as a marketplace for players to buy Solana-based NFTs directly from game companies as well as a secondary marketplace for peer-to-peer trading.

    Kan told CoinDesk that since the platform’s launch, every game to partner with Fractal’s new “Launchpad” has sold out its NFT drop, with one collection reaching 33,000 unique buyers. Tiny Colony clocked in with the platform’s largest raise, selling $2 million of its NFTs at launch.

    “There’s always been lots of hype around NFTs, but what investors are now seeing is that it’s actually durable,” Kan told CoinDesk in an interview. “Even if it’s a bear market, even if the prices might go down, the idea that people want to collect digital assets on the internet, that's going to stay. Digital items in gaming, it’s like a new category of e-commerce basically.”

    While some of the hype around play-to-earn gaming has cooled in recent months on the side of institutional investment, money has continued to flow into the growing space in generous amounts.

    Notable investments in March alone included a $25 million raise for Terra-based gaming platform C2X, a $4.8 million raise for blockchain gaming startup Battlebound and a $6 million raise for the Polygon-based Crypto Raiders NFT game.

    Even more novel play-to-earn titles like the Solana-based “move-to-earn” app STEPN are beginning to find their feet in the market.

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.

    Eli Tan

    Eli was a news reporter for CoinDesk. He holds ETH, SOL and AVAX.


    Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.