NPC Labs, an onchain product distribution platform founded by former members of Base, has secured an $18 million Seed Round led by Pantera Capital, for gaming projects.
The round saw participation from prominent investors such as Makers Fund, Hashed, Collab+Currency, Sfermion, Mirana Ventures, Bitscale Capital, and Mantle EcoFund.
In an announcement, the firm said this latest funding round brings the total investment to $21 million, including prior Pre-Seed funding. The company, founded by former members of Base’s business and ecosystem development team.
NPC Labs said it is speeding up the onboarding and development of onchain gaming as a key contributor to B3.fun, a horizontally-scaled gaming ecosystem built on Coinbase’s Layer 2 network, Base.
Daryl Xu, Co-founder and CEO of NPC Labs, explains the number of challenges faced by game developers in today’s competitive landscape.
Build Fun Games Accessible to Everyone
“Developers often struggle to bring their games to market, depending heavily on publishers for support, marketing, and distribution. These publishers take a significant share of the proceeds and can pull the game if it doesn’t generate enough revenue,” said Xu.
In the meantime players risk losing their investments in consumables and cosmetics if a game is discontinued.
“Our mission is simple: build fun games accessible to everyone, from the mom in Nebraska to the avid gamer, while making it easy for developers to benefit from being onchain. We aim to put control back in the hands of developers and gamers,” sais Xu.
Web2 game developers are keen on the promise of onchain gaming but often underestimate the complexities involved.
“Building a protocol with sufficient liquidity and user base while managing infrastructure for seamless gameplay is a daunting task,” said Viktoriya Hying, co-founder and COO of NPC Labs.
“Game-specific app chains isolate users, creating a fragmented experience. Imagine if each game required its own console and infrastructure—it’s impractical. B3 is the universal console where players can access multiple games, solving these fragmentation issues by running the chain and providing necessary infrastructure,” said Hying.
B3.fun has built-in chain abstraction, eliminating the need for users to bridge or switch networks, said the team.
Currently in testnet, B3 initially supports games built on Ethereum, Base, and other Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) chains, with plans to easily onboard games from other chains like Solana. This results in a seamless user experience—players can simply log in and start playing.
B3’s Infrastructure and Tools to Improve Base
Franklin Bi, general partner at Pantera Capital, expressed excitement about partnering with NPC Labs.
“Daryl and Viktoriya, during their time at Base, deeply understood the needs of developers, particularly in gaming and consumer applications. B3’s infrastructure and tools will enhance Base, empowering developers to create exceptional games and onchain experiences for users,” sais Bi.
NPC Labs said it wants to redefine the onchain gaming landscape, providing both developers and players with unprecedented freedom and opportunities.
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