John Smedley enters Web3 gaming with $30.5 million funding for Reaper Actual

John Smedley, a veteran in the gaming industry and former CEO of Daybreak Game Company, is entering the Web3 gaming space with a new AAA shooter game built on the Tezos layer-2 blockchain, Etherlink. This marks his first venture into Web3 gaming, highlighting the convergence of traditional gaming and blockchain technology.

Smedley's studio, Distinct Possibility Studios (DPS), has secured $30.5 million in a funding round. The round was co-led by Bitkraft, a venture capital firm focused on gaming, and Brevan Howard, a hedge fund management company. The funds will be used to develop Reaper Actual, an open-world massively multiplayer online first-person shooter (MMOFPS) that integrates Etherlink. This integration will enable tradeable Web3 components such as characters, bases, skins, and more, with the game's development prioritizing the gaming experience while leveraging blockchain for ownership and trade.

Smedley is well-known in the gaming industry for his work on EverQuest, a 3D fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) released by Sony Online Entertainment in March 1999, and PlanetSide 2, a free-to-play MMOFPS featuring large-scale battles with up to 2,000 concurrent players. His extensive experience in creating high-quality, immersive gaming experiences is expected to translate into a similarly excellent product with Reaper Actual.

The latest funding round will support the accelerated development of Reaper Actual, which is set to be available on Steam, the Epic Games Store, and via reaperactual.com upon launch. Smedley hinted at the new game in a post, featuring a photo with Matt Higby, the creative director of PlanetSide 2, and Tramell Ray Isaac, an artist known for his work on Fallout. This collaboration suggests high production values and innovative gameplay mechanics for Reaper Actual.

In the coming weeks, DPS will announce its "Foundation" Alpha release, offering early access to the game and onchain tradeable assets. This move is part of the studio's strategy to engage with the gaming community and gather feedback to refine the game before its full launch. The integration of Etherlink into Reaper Actual signifies a notable advancement in gaming, merging the immersive experiences of traditional gaming with the ownership and tradeability of blockchain technology.