Anichess, a subsidiary of blockchain gaming giant Animoca Brands, has completed a $1.5 million seed round to fund the development of a decentralized chess game. The round was backed by GameFi Ventures, The Operating Group, Koda Capital, Bing Ventures, 708 Capital, and Asymmetry Capital. The capital will be used to expand the team and further develop the game ahead of its alpha launch in the first quarter of 2024.
Anichess is a community-driven, free-to-play game that combines the classic rules of chess with a spell mechanic that includes a range of offensive, defensive, and counter tactics. It also features esports-like elements through challenges. The game is a joint venture between Animoca Brands and Chess.com-owned Play Magnus Group (PMG) and its Champions Chess Tour.
Grant Lee, Chief Strategy Officer of Chess.com, said in the press release: We are excited about partnering with Animoca Brands to provide some of the top players and influencers in our ecosystem with a fun and different chess experience as part of our overall mission to grow the game by presenting chess in new ways to different audiences. Chess.com has more than 100 million registered users.