In 2018, as cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology surged into the mainstream, a group of seasoned game industry veterans saw an opportunity to rethink how players interact with their favourite pastime.

Mythical Games emerged with a bold vision: to create high-quality games where players could own their in-game assets through blockchain. This meant players could collect, trade, and sell digital items—something previously difficult to implement in a meaningful way.

Founded in Los Angeles by former Activision executives and other industry leaders, Mythical quickly positioned itself at the forefront of web3 gaming, capturing the attention of a growing audience eager for the next evolution of play.

Key Insights

• Founded by ex-Activision leaders, Mythical Games empowers players to truly own in-game assets
• The company secured significant investments, quickly becoming a “unicorn” with a valuation over $1 billion
• The Mythical Platform abstracts blockchain complexity, letting players sign up with just an email
• Blankos Block Party became the first blockchain game on the Epic Games Store
• Titles like NFL Rivals and FIFA Rivals show Mythical’s strategy of combining blockchain with global brands

Industry Veterans with a Bold Vision

Mythical was founded by a powerhouse team. CEO John Linden was previously a studio head at Activision and founder of Seismic Games. Chief Creative Officer Jamie Jackson also held leadership roles at Activision, having worked on blockbuster titles like Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, and Skylanders.

They were joined by Rudy Koch (Business Development) and Chris Downs (Infrastructure), both of whom brought deep AAA development experience—critical in an industry where blockchain games were still finding their footing.

Over time, the leadership team expanded to include Arron Goolsbey (COO), Kasper Mai Jørgensen (CFO), and Jung Suh (CBO), helping guide the company through its next phase of growth.

Rapid-Fire Fundraising and Unicorn Status

Mythical quickly gained investor interest:

• 2018: $16M seed round
• 2019: $19M in additional funding
• 2021: $75M Series B
• 2021: $150M Series C led by Andreessen Horowitz, reaching a $1.25B valuation
• 2023: Another $37M raised during the crypto downturn, albeit at a slightly lower valuation

Their investor list is a who’s-who of traditional tech, crypto, and sports—featuring names like D1 Capital, Binance, Jonathan Kraft, and Michael Jordan. Hitting unicorn status in under three years signalled serious belief in their blockchain-enabled gaming model.

Reinventing Game Economics with the Mythical Platform

At the core of Mythical’s ecosystem is the Mythical Platform, which handles all blockchain operations behind the scenes—NFT creation, asset trading, wallet management—so developers can focus on gameplay.

The platform simplifies onboarding: players can start playing with just an email, whilst all blockchain transactions happen in the background.

In 2022, Mythical launched the Mythos Foundation to further decentralise governance. The $MYTH token powers marketplace transactions and gives holders voting rights in ecosystem decisions.

Originally built on Ethereum-based tech, Mythical migrated to Polkadot in 2023—aiming for faster, cheaper, and more scalable operations across networks.

Breaking Ground in Web3 Gaming

Blankos Block Party

Blankos Block Party marked Mythical’s first big move. Launching in open beta in 2020, the game let players collect, customise, and play as digital vinyl toy NFTs called Blankos.

In 2022, it became the first blockchain game featured on the Epic Games Store. Collaborations with Burberry and Deadmau5 boosted its visibility, turning certain Blankos into sought-after collectibles.

But sustaining long-term interest proved difficult. By late 2023, Mythical shut down the PC version and shifted its focus to mobile—highlighting both the promise and pitfalls of early web3 gaming.

NFL Rivals

Released in April 2023, NFL Rivals gave players the chance to act as General Managers, collecting and managing NFL players as NFT cards.

The game reinforced Mythical’s belief in seamless blockchain integration: users could play without understanding NFTs, but those who wanted to engage with ownership could do so. The result? Nearly 1 million downloads in its first month and #1 rankings in sports and action categories on the App Store.

By early 2024, the game had 5M+ players and over 1M active wallets, sustained by regular updates and seasonal drops—like Super Bowl-themed cards.

Nitro Nation: World Tour

In partnership with Creative Mobile, Mythical introduced blockchain mechanics to the Nitro Nation racing series. Launched in 2023, the game let players race and customise NFT-based cars.

With over 65 licensed vehicles from brands like Aston Martin and Jaguar, the game stood out by merging blockchain with a proven franchise.

It demonstrated how web3 elements could complement, not disrupt, established gameplay experiences.

Expanding the Ecosystem

Mythical continues to grow its portfolio with new games and collaborations:

• Epic Spell Wars: Magic Fight – A digital card battler based on Cryptozoic’s cult series, with NFT mechanics baked into card ownership.
• Pudgy Party – Set to release in 2025, this party game taps into the massive popularity of the Pudgy Penguins NFT brand.
• FIFA Rivals – Launched in early June 2025, the game expands on the NFL Rivals model to bring blockchain gaming to football (soccer) fans globally.

These projects underscore Mythical’s cross-sector strategy: from traditional sports to NFT-native communities, they aim to bridge mainstream culture with blockchain tech.

Challenges and Growing Pains

Web3’s volatility has not spared Mythical.

In late 2022, co-founder Rudy Koch and two other execs left to form Fenix Games—prompting Mythical to file a lawsuit alleging they took proprietary plans. The dispute was settled by early 2024, but it highlighted internal friction during rapid scaling.

The broader crypto downturn also hit hard with Mythical laying off around 15% of its workforce in 2023, shifting from an aggressive growth phase to a more sustainable trajectory.

The shutdown of Blankos’ PC version reflected another sobering truth: novelty alone isn’t enough to keep players engaged. Mythical’s quick pivot to mobile shows a willingness to adapt, but also the tough reality of sustaining web3 interest.

Can Mythical Games shape the future of gaming?

Mythical Games has made significant strides in pushing blockchain into mainstream gaming. With high-profile partnerships, major funding, and a growing game lineup, the company continues to champion digital ownership in gaming.

But challenges remain. Web3 tech must become even more invisible to users, gameplay needs to evolve past the “NFT novelty” phase, and regulatory uncertainty looms large.

Still, Mythical has already moved the needle. They’ve brought blockchain games to platforms like Epic, worked with brands like the NFL and FIFA, and built a fully-fledged ecosystem that others now look to as a model.

No one knows if web3 gaming will go fully mainstream—but if it does, Mythical will likely have played a defining role.

Web3 game developer Mythical Games has announced it has surpassed $650 million in total transaction volume across its platform, driven by more than 7 million registered players.

The news comes ahead of the global launch of two new mobile games—FIFA Rivals, developed in collaboration with FIFA, and Pudgy Party, a game based on the Pudgy Penguins brand.

Both are scheduled to release in 2025, marking an effort to extend Mythical’s footprint in the mobile gaming market.

What is Mythical Games?

Mythical Games is a US-based game development studio founded in 2018 by industry veterans formerly at Activision. The company focuses on developing games that incorporate blockchain infrastructure whilst maintaining a familiar experience for players. Its main titles include:

• Blankos Block Party: A PC-based multiplayer game focused on character collection, trading, and user-generated environments.
• NFL Rivals: A mobile game developed with the National Football League, featuring card-based team building and player-versus-player competition. The title has surpassed one million downloads.
• Nitro Nation World Tour: A drag racing game launched globally in October 2023, offering licensed vehicles and racing customisation.

Mythical has also developed the Mythical Platform, a backend system allowing game developers to integrate blockchain features like asset ownership and trading.

Transactions on the platform are supported by the $MYTH token, which is used for in-game purchases, governance, and access to the Mythical Marketplace. The marketplace received an upgrade in 2023 following Mythical’s acquisition of DMarket, a digital asset exchange.

The company is backed by investors including Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Animoca Brands, ARK Invest, and MoonPay.

What’s next to Mythical Games?

Mythical Games is set to launch FIFA Rivals in June 2025 for iOS and Android devices, with a limited pre-release planned for May in select regions. The mobile game features short, arcade-style football matches, digital trading cards of FIFA players, and in-game events.

In addition, Pudgy Party, developed in collaboration with Pudgy Penguins, is also scheduled for release in summer 2025. Whilst an exact launch date has not been confirmed, the game is positioned as a casual multiplayer title featuring stylised characters from the Pudgy Penguins brand.

Following the success of NFL Rivals and the upcoming launches of FIFA Rivals and Pudgy Party, Mythical Games plans to continue expanding its game library and platform capabilities. The studio has indicated that its long-term focus is to provide developers with infrastructure that enables blockchain functionality without compromising gameplay simplicity.

Mythical’s strategy avoids promoting crypto-specific elements to general audiences, instead embedding them within user-friendly interfaces and traditional mobile gameplay. As the company prepares for a wider rollout of new titles, it is also expected to scale its platform services and potentially form additional partnerships with IP holders.

Key Insights

• Mythical Games is a Web3 gaming pioneer founded by industry veterans (ex-Activision leaders) with a vision to let players truly own in-game assets through blockchain.
• The company secured significant investments, quickly becoming a “unicorn” with a valuation over $1 billion – demonstrating strong market belief in their blockchain-based gaming model.
• Their Mythical Platform streamlines blockchain integration for developers, hiding the technical complexities so that players can join games with just an email address.
• Blankos Block Party made headlines by being the first blockchain game on the Epic Games Store, yet its pivot from PC to mobile highlighted the challenges of keeping Web3 gamers engaged.
• Partnerships with major sports leagues and franchises – such as the NFL (NFL Rivals) and FIFA (FIFA Rivals) – show Mythical’s strategy of fusing blockchain with widely recognized brands.

A New Era of Gaming Dawns

In 2018, whilst cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology continued steamrolling their way into the mainstream, certain video game industry veterans saw a rising chance to change how players could interact with their favorite pasttime.

Mythical Games stepped forward with a vision to create quality video games where players could actually own their in-game items through the integration of blockchain technology. This ownership meant players could collect, trade, and even sell their digital assets, which had previously been tricky to implement in any meaningful way.

Founded in Los Angeles by former Activision executives and gaming industry leaders, Mythical Games quickly rose up as a leader in Web3 gaming, creating games that resonated with a growing audience of players searching for the cutting-edge.

Industry Veterans Champion a Potent Vision

Mythical Games was created by a formidable team with an impressive wrap sheet from all across the gaming industry. CEO John Linden was a studio head at Activision before founding Seismic Games. Chief Creative Officer Jamie Jackson was also from Activision as another studio head, bringing his experience working on massive franchises like Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, and Skylanders.

Other early team members included Rudy Koch, who led business development, and Chris Downs, who oversaw infrastructure. Together, this founding team’s experience with AAA game development gave Mythical Games solid credibility in an industry where blockchain games were still trying to gain a foothold.

The company’s leadership has changed over time, with executives like Arron Goolsbey (Chief Operating Officer), Kasper Mai Jørgensen (Chief Financial Officer), and Jung Suh (Chief Business Officer) joining to help develop Mythical as it furthers its reach.

Funding Success from Major Investors

Mythical Games have captured investor attention with their bold vision and potent team:

• 2018: Secured $16 million in early funding.
• 2019: Raised an additional $19 million.
• 2021: Landed a $75 million Series B.
  • Shocked the market with a $150 million Series C led by Andreessen Horowitz, lifting Mythical’s valuation to $1.25 billion.
  • Attracted a broad mix of investors, from traditional tech firms like D1 Capital to crypto-focused groups like Binance, plus sports-world heavyweights including the NFL’s investment arm, Patriots owner Jonathan Kraft, and Michael Jordan.
  • Unicorn Status: Hitting a $1 billion valuation milestone in under three years highlighted market confidence in Mythical’s blockchain gaming approach.
• 2023: Despite a down crypto market, Mythical still managed to raise another $37 million, though at a slightly reduced valuation, proving they could continue to attract capital even while many others struggled.

A Fresh Take on Gaming Economics

At the core of Mythical’s approach lies their Platform – a tech ecosystem powering their entire game portfolio. This system handles all the behind-the-scenes blockchain complexity that makes digital ownership possible, freeing up game creators to focus on what they do best: crafting engaging experiences instead of wrestling with blockchain technicalities.

The Platform offers everything developers need: tools to create and manage NFTs, marketplace capabilities for trading digital assets, and streamlined wallet management for players.

In the pursuit of adoption, Mythical have taken sensible steps to make sure blockchain gaming is accessible to everyone. Players simply sign up with an email, while all the technical blockchain mechanics occur unseen in the background.

Mythical met another milestone in 2022 by launching the Mythos Foundation to guide the ecosystem with more community input. They introduced the MYTH token, which pulls double duty as both a practical utility token for marketplace transactions and a governance tool, letting holders vote on important ecosystem decisions.

Their blockchain architecture has evolved significantly over time, too. Though initially built on Ethereum-based technology, Mythical announced in 2023 that they were switching to Polkadot – a strategic move to speed up transactions, cut fees, and better connect with other blockchain networks.

Breaking Into New Gaming Territory

Blankos Block Party

Mythical’s first big splash was Blankos Block Party – a vibrant multiplayer game built around digital vinyl toys called Blankos. When it hit open beta in December 2020, players could collect, personalise, and play as unique Blanko characters, each existing as an actual NFT that could be bought, sold, or swapped with other players.

Blankos made waves in 2022 by becoming the first blockchain game to land on the Epic Games Store – a massive step for Web3 gaming. To generate buzz, they teamed up with some unexpected partners: fashion house Burberry created exclusive Blankos, and electronic artist Deadmau5 designed limited-edition characters that quickly became collector’s items.

However, despite the initial excitement, Blankos struggled to keep players coming back. By late 2023, Mythical pulled the plug on the PC version and announced they were shifting focus to mobile instead. This move showed both sides of the coin – the game concept clearly had potential, but sustaining interest in the still-evolving Web3 gaming landscape proved tougher than expected.

NFL Rivals

NFL Rivals hit the App Store and Google Play in April 2023, marking a major win for Mythical. Created through a partnership with the NFL and Players Association, this arcade-style football game puts players in the General Manager’s seat, where they collect digital player cards as NFTs to build the ultimate dream team.

The game strengthened Mythical’s philosophy on Web3 gaming – allowing users to jump in and play without requiring any knowledge of blockchain. For those on the NFT side, the ownership of digital items held even greater appeal, greatly expanding the potential audience.
This balanced approach clearly worked – NFL Rivals racked up nearly a million downloads in its first month alone and even grabbed the #1 spot on App Store charts for sports and action games.

By early 2024, Mythical was boasting some impressive stats: over 5 million players and more than 1 million active wallets plugged into the game’s economy. They’ve kept the momentum going with regular updates and seasonal content drops (Super Bowl player cards were a massive hit), showing serious support for their games over the long haul.

Nitro Nation: World Tour

Mythical didn’t stop at their own games – they teamed up with Creative Mobile to bring blockchain features into the already-popular Nitro Nation racing series. When Nitro Nation: World Tour dropped in mid-2023, it let petrolheads collect, soup up, and race virtual cars – with many existing as tradable NFTs.

What made this stand out was the impressive lineup of over 65 licensed cars from brands car enthusiasts actually care about – Aston Martin, Jaguar, Lotus, and more.

By working with an established franchise that already had tens of millions of downloads under its belt, Mythical showed how blockchain could be woven into existing games without scaring off long-time fans, a smart play that bridged the gap between traditional and Web3 gaming.

Expanding the Ecosystem

Mythical’s game lineup keeps expanding, with exciting new titles in the works. They’re developing Epic Spell Wars: Magic Fight, a digital card game based on Cryptozoic’s cult favorite franchise. Beyond being fun, this game aims to show off how NFT ownership can add tangible benefits to trading card games better rather than just being a gimmick.

Two upcoming games showcase Mythical’s knack for teaming up with familiar brands.

There’s Pudgy Party, which they’re creating with the intensely popular Pudgy Penguins NFT crew, set to drop sometime in 2025. Then there’s FIFA Rivals, which builds on their sports game success but takes it to global soccer, developed with FIFA and aiming to launch around Summer 2025.

These partnerships are great examples of Mythical’s broad approach – whether they’re working with traditional sports giants like the NFL and FIFA or trending NFT projects like Pudgy Penguins, they’re finding ways to connect mainstream entertainment with blockchain tech that actually makes sense.

Challenges and Controversies

The Web3 roller coaster hasn’t been kind to many startups, and Mythical Games got its share of bumps along the way.

In late 2022, they faced some serious internal drama when three executives – including co-founder Rudy Koch – jumped ship to launch Fenix Games, a direct competitor. Mythical didn’t take this lying down and slapped them with a lawsuit, claiming they’d walked off with business plans. Though they eventually buried the hatchet in early 2024, the debacle exposed some growing pains they were experiencing during their rapid expansion.

Like many in the space, Mythical felt the sting of the crypto winter that stretched from 2022 into 2023. They had to make the tough call to trim their team through several rounds of layoffs, cutting around 15% of their staff. These painful belt-tightening moves showed how they were shifting gears from “grow at all costs” to “let’s actually survive” as investor excitement for blockchain gaming cooled considerably.

Perhaps most telling was their decision to pull the plug on the PC version of Blankos Block Party just a year and a half after its splashy Epic Games Store launch. This wasn’t just a minor pivot – it highlighted the real struggle of keeping players engaged in Web3 games beyond the initial hype. Their quick switch to mobile showed they weren’t afraid to change course when Plan A wasn’t panning out.

Can Mythical Games Shape the Future of Gaming?

Mythical Games has carved out a spot at the forefront of bringing blockchain into everyday gaming. They’ve locked down some seriously impressive partnerships with the NFL and FIFA, secured major backing from top investors, and built up a diverse game lineup spanning multiple genres. Through it all, they’ve stayed laser-focused on their vision of letting players actually own pieces of their gaming worlds.

The jury’s still out on whether Mythical will ultimately transform how we play games. They’re juggling some tough challenges: making blockchain simple enough for casual gamers, keeping players engaged beyond the initial “cool factor,” and navigating the regulatory minefield that seems to change every few months.

One thing can’t be denied, though – Mythical has forged crucial steps for the gaming industry. They’ve convinced established platforms like the Epic Games Store to welcome blockchain games, partnered with major sports leagues that wouldn’t give most crypto projects the time of day, and built out a complete ecosystem for digital ownership.

Whatever happens next, Mythical has helped legitimize Web3 gaming and pushed it into conversations where it wasn’t welcome before. As gaming continues to evolve, Mythical’s influence on our relationship with digital content is only going to grow stronger.