Crypto Unicorns cuts team by 80% and sunsets core land gameplay

Following on from the news that Laguna Games and the Crypto Unicorns DAO are sunsetting its Unicorn Party game, the US developer has now also shut down Crypto Unicorns‘s core land game.

In terms of the practical impact for players, they’re no longer able to breed or evolve their unicorn NFTs, a main part of the Crypto Unicorns gameplay.

In an official statement following a recent community meeting with CEO Aron Beierschmitt, the reason given for ending land gameplay is that “our current structure has become unsustainable after the recent liquidation event.”

It continues, “To ensure the longevity and success of the Crypto Unicorns ecosystem, we are (…) 

• Reducing team size from 80 to 15,
• Pivoting the core game: The core Crypto Unicorns game will transition into a fully on-chain experience”. 

Exactly what pivoting to a fully onchain experience entails is not yet decided, but the statement says that “we will be able to expose all data to the community, allowing them to build out tools, projects, and interfaces as desired.” Furthermore, Crypto Unicorns will open-source its smart contracts, in the hope of providing an easier process for creators building within its ecosystem.

The team also hopes to launch a war event that will see existing NFTs destroyed to reduce the supply and highlight the value of the most rare items.

Continuing the project in this scaled down format is only possible due to the evolving web3 technology, and notably the migration from Polygon to Xai earlier in 2024.

Moving forward, the team looks to involve the community and DAO more. It also affirms that Rainbow Rumble is already maintained by a second-party studio and the title will continue to explore future opportunities in esports.

Backed by Delphi, Bitkraft, TCG, BACKED, Polygon Ventures, and more, Laguna Games has raised a total of $31 million for Crypto Unicorns. The last public funding round was announced in March 2022.