Nyan Heroes Developer 9 Lives Interactive Raises $3M Funding to Support Global Launch of its Web3 Hero Shooter
In Brief
Nyan Heroes developer 9 Lives Interactive raised $3M funding to advance the Web3 hero shooter game’s ongoing development and expand the team.
Independent game studio behind the eagerly awaited IP-driven multiplayer shooter Web3 game Nyan Heroes, 9 Lives Interactive successfully raised $3 million in a new funding round led by Mechanism Capital, with participation from Sfermion, 3Commas Capital, Momentum 6, Kosmos Ventures, Devmons GG, and CSP DAO.
9 Lives Interactive intends to allocate the newly secured funds towards the continued development of Nyan Heroes, a next-generation hero shooter game featuring unique gameplay mechanics and a cat-inspired intellectual property (IP) aimed at driving mass adoption.
“The investment will be entirely allocated to developing Nyan Heroes, supporting our current global team, and growing where needed,” Max Fu, Creative Director and CEO of 9 Lives Interactive, told MPost. “As we move closer towards open beta and beyond, we’ll be carefully planning any new hires to align with the needs of our development roadmap.”
9 Lives Interactive’s objective in Nyan Heroes development is to offer a seamless abstracted experience to traditional gamers, enabling them to onboard and engage with the game in a manner identical to how they would approach a conventional non-Web3 game.
“We intend to offer custodial wallet solutions to players who are receptive to delving into Web3 and reaping the advantages of asset ownership. These players will have abstracted wallets linked to their player accounts, which they can utilize to transfer their assets outside of the game if they desire. They could use them in other applications that support those assets or trade them on secondary marketplaces—the decision rests with them,” stated Max Fu in an interview with MPost.
Nyan Heroes is a team-based, objective hero-shooter game that showcases quirky cats operating powerful mechs in competitive battles to safeguard the world. Players can choose from 8 guardian classes and employ both unique abilities and agile, feline-inspired movements to achieve objectives and defeat opponents. The mechs have extensive customization options through an innovative “augment weapon” system, offering a diverse array of play styles and opportunities for players to demonstrate their skills.
“Some of our most innovative elements come from our movement system, which is inspired by the agile movements of cats. We have crafted an incredibly smooth and responsive traversal system that allows players to chain together moves to get around the map and use them during combat. From wall-running to wall-climbing, super jumps and airdashing, players will be able to express their skill and creativity through more than just pure gunplay,” 9 Lives Interactive’s Max Fu told MPost.
Inspired by the old anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion, the game takes place during the not-so-distant future in the underground civilization of New Nekovia, a vibrant city full of optimism, hope, and holographic skies. “We fine-tuned the IP along the way, ensuring that the visual style and narrative was appealing and unique. We aimed for a blend of stylized art with some anime inspirations and a world that was bright and science-fantasy driven, instead of the cliched dark, gritty cyberpunk tone that we see in many games today,” said Max Fu.
Nyan Heroes Initiates Early Access on Epic Games Store, Introduces Airdrop Missions for NYAN Token Access
Currently in the pre-alpha stage, the game has garnered a significant social media following and has attracted over 11,000 sign-ups since announcing its upcoming early access release. Developed by a multi-award-winning team of industry veterans with extensive experience at gaming giants such as EA, Bungie, and Ubisoft, the game is presently accessible in early access on the Epic Games Store from March 26th to April 9th.
“We’re eager to observe players’ reactions to the game we’ve developed. We take pride in our achievements, boasting an exceptional core loop and a distinctive, memorable IP. We’ll be closely observing player feedback, noting what they appreciate, areas for improvement, and aspects they find disagreeable,” Max Fu told MPost. “By engaging openly with the community, we have the advantage of incorporating real-time feedback into our iterative process, ensuring that we deliver the best possible experiences to our players.”
In addition to launching on the Epic Games Store, Nyan Heroes has introduced Airdrop missions, providing the community with access to NYAN, the token that drives the Nyan Heroes Ecosystem. These Airdrop missions are the first opportunity for the game’s broader audience to acquire its NYAN ecosystem token, which will serve as the economic foundation of the game. By completing missions, participants will be able to earn MEOWS points. Accumulating more MEOWS will allow users to obtain additional NYAN tokens. The missions encompass various activities, including social engagement, content creation contests, and ownership of genesis collections.
“Finally, when we launch early access via Epic Games Store, players will complete missions in the game itself, so they’ll be able to continue collecting MEOWS just by playing! Everyone is welcome to play, but certain actions will result in huge bonuses that will grant more MEOWS than usual,” explained Max Fu to MPost.
Differing from numerous other Web3 projects, 9 Lives Interactive’s goal is to craft a gameplay experience and IP that stands out distinctly within both Web3 and Web2 spheres. The company deliberately avoids replicating existing strategies and aspires to develop a unique product that entices conventional gamers to explore it, thereby facilitating the onboarding of more users into the web3 realm.
“On the Web3 side, we’re putting a lot of thought into how to create a sustainable economy to support our player base,” explained Max Fu. “We’re learning from the mistakes of prior economic models and architecting ways to accrue true long-term sustainable value into our ecosystem.”
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Alisa is a reporter for the Metaverse Post. She focuses on investments, AI, metaverse, and everything related to Web3. Alisa has a degree in Business of Art and expertise in Art & Tech. She has developed her passion for journalism through writing for VCs, notable crypto projects, and scientific writing. You can contact her at alisa@mpost.io
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Alisa is a reporter for the Metaverse Post. She focuses on investments, AI, metaverse, and everything related to Web3. Alisa has a degree in Business of Art and expertise in Art & Tech. She has developed her passion for journalism through writing for VCs, notable crypto projects, and scientific writing. You can contact her at alisa@mpost.io
