📺 Stream EntrepreneurTV for Free 📺

"We Got Funded!" Dubai-Based Gaming Studio Farcana Raises US$10 Million Seed Round Farcana combines traditional competitive games with an inbuilt tournament system that guarantees Bitcoin rewards to the top 10% gamers.

You're reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Ilman Shazhaev, founder and CEO of Farcana. Source: Farcana

Dubai-based gaming studio Farcana has raised US$10 million in a seed funding round from a number of investors, including Animoca Brands, Polygon Ventures, Fenbushi Capital, Merit Circle, Rarestone Capital, MMPro Trust, Unpopular Ventures, Kapo Capital, Emchain, Hasu Capital, and Dravus Investment.

Farcana combines traditional competitive games with an inbuilt tournament system that guarantees Bitcoin rewards to the top 10% gamers. This system makes esports a commodity, allowing anyone to join and play games. In doing so, the gaming studio is committed to building games that introduce a new, tactical approach to typical shooter games.

"Games have created one of the biggest economic contributors to our society, and the combination of esports with up and coming technologies, like blockchain, is something we're trying to achieve," said Ilman Shazhaev, founder and CEO of Farcana. "At Farcana, our goal is to enable an unparalleled combination of Web3 gaming and esports, whereby all players globally can for the first time access limitless gaming and competitions without the typical blockchain-based complications. It's a revolution that will change the fundamental role of gamers from 'time wasters' to value creators and distributors."

Source: Farcana

Yat Siu, co-founder and Executive Chairman of Animoca Brands, added, "We have been working with Farcana over the past year, and we've been impressed with the development and traction it's received so far. Our strategic investment into Farcana is part of the vision of Animoca Brands to drive Web3 development in the MENA. The region is rapidly modernizing and adopting emerging technologies, and we're excited to support partners such as Farcana as they actively lead the sector, and bring exciting products to market."

Farcana had launched the pre-alpha playtest of its new game -a multiplayer third-person hero shooter game that features a wide range of stars, each with unique abilities and weapons- back in June 2023 at the Dubai Esports Festival, in partnership with Dubai Economy and Tourism Department and sponsored by Alienware and Dell.

Related: Here's Why The Middle East Is Key For The Rapidly Developing World Of Gaming

Side Hustle

3 Secrets to Starting a Small Business Side Hustle That Gives Your Day Job a Run for Its Money, According to People Who Did Just That — and Made Millions

Almost anyone can start a side hustle — but only those ready to level up can use it to out-earn their 9-5s.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

News and Trends

RAKBank Launches Its Inaugural SME Confidence Index Report In Collaboration With RFI Global

With SMEs contributing over 50% to the UAE's gross domestic product (GDP), the report also forecasts a strong economic outlook for the nation in 2024.

Starting a Business

Don't Start a Business Until You Consider These 5 Things

Thinking about starting a business? Here's what you need to know before you get registered, invest in your startup costs or make your first sale.

Marketing

9 Ways Memes Can Rev Up Your Business Marketing

Memes are here to stay. Brands are growing engagement with well-timed meme-marketing strategies.

Starting a Business

Top 25 Websites, Tools and Resources for Hardware Startups

Challenges are sure to follow when an entrepreneur jumps into the world of hardware production but the right tools will help your startup succeed.