Game development studio Curio announced today that it has raised $5.7 million in its latest round of funding. The studio simultaneously launched the first season of its new game, an onchain social strategy game called Duper, and some of the funding will go towards its development and expansion. Duper’s first season offers a month-long tournament with large prize pools.
Curio developed Duper to be a similar to real-money skill-based games such as poker. It’s a five-player PvP title in which players attempt to outmaneuver each other and be the last player standing. The game has been available for preseason play up to now, and players have been able to claim loot boxes. These yield emblems, a currency in Duper’s ecosystem.
Bain Capital Crypto and SevenX Ventures led the round, with OKX Ventures participating. This round builds on the $2.9 million the studio previously raised (Bain Capital also led that round). Alex Evans, partner at Bain Capital Crypto, said of the funding, “We’re extremely impressed with Curio’s integration of blockchain technology into game design. By focusing on emergent social dynamics and skill-based wagering, Curio combines the best elements of classic games like Poker and Mahjong with the immersive nature of video games.”
Yijia Chen, Curio’s other co-founder, said in a statement, “Our goal for Duper is to become the best digital-native, skill-based wagering game. The most enduring skill-based wagering games today, Poker and Mahjong, were created decades ago, long before video games existed. Duper is the best of both worlds — combining the thrilling mechanics of a skill-based wagering game together with the immersive medium of a video game.”
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