In the competitive world of video game development, new studios regularly appear, but few make the impact that Gunzilla Games has since its founding in 2020.
This independent AAA game developer has quickly become well-recognized in the gaming industry thanks to a bold approach which combines traditional gaming with blockchain technology.
This guide explores everything you need to know about Gunzilla Games: origins and founders, its landmark game “Off The Grid,” the controversies surrounding its business model, and where the company could be headed next!
Gunzilla Games: Key Takeaways
- AAA Studio with Blockchain Integration: Founded in 2020 by industry veterans, Gunzilla Games creates high-quality games that include blockchain technology for digital asset ownership.
- Successful Debut – Off The Grid: Flagship title blends battle royale and narrative gameplay, quickly gaining popularity and significant esports attention on its release.
- Strong Financial Support: Gunzilla secured over $100 million from leading investors, showing strong market confidence in an innovative approach.
- Future-Focused Expansion: Gunzilla aims to expand the GUNZ blockchain ecosystem, develop strategic partnerships, and put more Web3 gaming into mainstream platforms.
When and How Was Gunzilla Games Founded?
Gunzilla Games was officially established in March 2020, during the early months of the global COVID-19 pandemic. In a novel twist, though, the leadership team at Gunzilla Games brings together expertise from both the gaming and entertainment industries.
At the helm is Vlad Korolev, who serves as the company’s CEO. Before founding Gunzilla, Korolev built his career in fintech and gaming, co-founding a social network for gamers called PLINK and working on the development of the popular game Warface.
Alongside him is Alexander Zoll, who takes on the role of Chief Strategy Officer. Zoll brings significant gaming industry experience, having previously served as the studio leader at Crytek Kyiv.
According to company narratives, the idea for Gunzilla Games was born from Korolev’s personal passion for video games and his desire to create the game of his dreams. He understood that such an ambitious project would require the right partner and approached Zoll, who shared his vision for creating next-generation gaming experiences.
A further boost n to the leadership team is Neill Blomkamp, who serves as Chief Creative Officer. Blomkamp is a renowned filmmaker known for directing science fiction films like “District 9,” “Elysium,” and “Chappie.” His involvement brings Hollywood-level storytelling and visual aesthetics to Gunzilla’s projects.
Other key personnel include Timur Davidenko as CTO, writers Richard K. Morgan and Olivier Henriot, and Grammy Award-winning composer Lorne Balfe.
Where does Gunzilla Games Operate?
Gunzilla Games maintains a global presence with studios in three key locations:
- Frankfurt, Germany: Serving as the company’s headquarters, focusing on art, design, and marketing.
- Kyiv, Ukraine: Handling operations, programming, support, and backend roles.
- London, United Kingdom: Operating as the strategic base of operations.
How did Gunzilla Games get funded?
Gunzilla Games has secured serious funding since it was created, showing strong investor confidence in where it’s headed.
The company’s financial journey began with initial funding of $25 million from GameGroove, a holding entity co-founded by Zoll and Korolev. In August 2022, Gunzilla raised an additional $46 million in a round led by Republic Capital, with participation from Griffin Gaming Partners, Animoca Brands, and Jump Crypto, among others.
The company continued to strengthen in 2023 with a $30 million investment co-led by CoinFund and Avalanche’s Blizzard Fund, containing backing from institutions like Coinbase Ventures and VanEck.
Put together, this funding has allowed Gunzilla to pursue its ambitious development goals while building its blockchain infrastructure.
The Flagship Game: Off The Grid
What kind of Game is Off The Grid?
Off The Grid (OTG) is Gunzilla Games’ debut title, released on October 8, 2024. It combines several popular genres:
- Extraction Royale: Players compete to extract valuable resources
- Third-Person Shooter: Uses a third-person perspective for shooting mechanics
- Battle Royale: Features large-scale matches with up to 150 players
Set in a dystopian cyberpunk future on a fictional location called Teardrop Island, the game mixes together futuristic technology with dark, gritty aesthetics.
Where can players access Off The Grid?
Off The Grid is available across multiple gaming platforms, so it’s available to a wide audience. As such, the game can be played on PC via the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Through a partnership with NVIDIA’s GeForce NOW cloud gaming service, players can also play the game on iOS, Android, Mac, older PCs, and smart TVs without needing high-end hardware.
It’s a broad-brush approach that potentially opens the game to millions of additional players worldwide.
What makes Off The Grid unique?
Unlike many battle royale games that focus solely on gameplay mechanics, OTG incorporates a substantial 60-hour narrative campaign directed by Neill Blomkamp.
This story-driven lore gives crucial context to the competitive gameplay and allows player choices to impact the game world in meaningful ways.
The game’s cyberpunk setting extends to gameplay through cybernetic upgrades that players can apply to their characters, affecting gameplay dynamics and providing strategic customization options. This system ties into the game’s most controversial feature: optional blockchain integration through the GUNZ platform, which allows players to own in-game items as NFTs.
OTG’s gameplay revolves around extraction mechanics, where players compete to collect “hexes” to receive in-game items, adding a layer of strategic depth beyond typical battle royale gameplay.
How has Off The Grid been received?
Since its launch, Off The Grid has achieved remarkable success as one of the top shooter games, with over 12 million user sign-ups, 120,000 concurrent viewers on Twitch during peak periods, and more than 500,000 daily active users in its first month.
The game has received critical recognition, winning multiple awards at the 2024 GAM3S.GG Awards, including Best Shooter Game, Best Action Game, Best Multiplayer Game, and Game of the Year.
It was also named Game of the Year by GGDecrypt and made Rolling Stone’s top 10 list of best games to play during the holidays.
What is the GUNZ blockchain platform?
GUNZ is Gunzilla’s custom blockchain platform built on the Avalanche subnet. It’s the core foundation for the optional blockchain features in Off The Grid, enabling:
- Digital Asset Ownership: Players can own in-game items as NFTs
- Player Trading: A marketplace for buying and selling in-game assets
- $GUN Token: The native cryptocurrency that functions as currency within Off The Grid
Gunzilla has designed GUNZ as a ‘gamer-first’ ecosystem with optional blockchain integration, aiming to build a supportive NFT community while ensuring players can fully enjoy Off The Grid even without having to engage with these features.
The company has pledged not to hide game progression or features behind monetized barriers, maintaining that blockchain elements add value rather than restrict gameplay. Instead of direct NFT sales from the developer, GUNZ focuses on facilitating a player-driven economy through player-to-player trading, with integration into OpenSea Marketplace to simplify transactions.
Gunzilla Games Controversies and Criticisms
Despite its rapid growth, Gunzilla Games has faced several controversies along the way:
Blockchain and NFT Integration
Many players and content creators have accused the studio of downplaying the extent of NFT and crypto integration in Off The Grid during early marketing.
This apparent lack of transparency has created some understandable trust issues for some players in the gaming community. As well as transparency concerns, there’s some skepticism about how sustainable or fair a model can be when the studio takes a cut of player-to-player transactions.
Environmental concerns have also been raised, though Gunzilla generally refers to Avalanche’s efficient consensus mechanism in response to this.
Legal and Content Creator Issues
Reports have come to light that the studio threatened content creators with Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notices, raising concerns about attempts to control coverage of their games.
The company’s community management has also been criticized, with some players unhappy about how Gunzilla handles feedback, particularly regarding blockchain elements.
Leadership Controversies
More seriously, there are some allegations egarding the company’s co-founders that extend beyond business practices. Reports have claimed that Vlad Korolev and Alex Zoll have been involved in incidents of intimidation and physical violence.
These leadership issues are just some of the challenges faced by projects in the space, where controversy can significantly impact community trust, similar to what happened with the $ANIME Token facing struggles after its high-profile launch.
Additionally, accusations of financial misconduct have emerged, though specific details remain limited. Some reports have also linked the founders to pro-Russian propagandist Igor Berkut, creating controversy given Gunzilla’s studio presence in Kyiv.
What does Gunzilla Games have planned?
In the near term, Gunzilla appears focused on expanding the Off The Grid ecosystem through regular updates and growing its esports presence with events like the “ALL-STARS Invitational”, featuring a $600,000 prize pool, and the “Clash for Cash” tournament, offering daily prizes of $3,000.
The company has also talked about plans for its GUNZ platform, including:
- Expanding support to other game developers through a Software Development Kit
- Growing the ecosystem through partnerships with crypto venture capital firms
- Further developing the $GUN token economy within and potentially beyond Off The Grid
Perhaps most significantly, Gunzilla seems to be putting itself in a position to help bridge traditional gaming (Web2) with blockchain-based gaming (Web3).
It’s likely the company hopes the success of Off The Grid will advance blockchain adoption in gaming by demonstrating that these features can enhance rather than detract from core gameplay experiences when implemented thoughtfully.
Where will Gunzilla Games go next?
Gunzilla Games is undoubtedly one of the most ambitious attempts to combine AAA game development with blockchain technology. Despite only being founded in 2020, the company has quickly pulled in significant funding, a high-profile development team, and made a successful launch of its debut title.
While the company’s approach to integrating blockchain technology with traditional gaming has generated both excitement and controversy, its impact on the gaming industry is clear. The success of Off The Grid and the ongoing development of the GUNZ platform suggest that Gunzilla will remain a key player in blockchain gaming in the coming years.
As the boundaries between traditional gaming and blockchain technology continue to meld, Gunzilla is a company which even large AAA developers are likely watching closely.
Whether the company’s vision represents the future of gaming or just one possible path forward, its bold approach ensures it will remain a fascinating case study.
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