Sonzai launches AI-driven social Telegram game TeleMafia
Founded in 2024 but only recently revealed, new game developer Sonzai Labs has launched Telegram-based social mafia game TeleMafia.
Among the multiple games currently rolling out via the messaging platform, this is bound to gain attention simply based on its prominent founding team, investors, and broader vision.
The founders include:
- ex-Limit Break game designer Ryan Foo,
- ex-Tiltyard engineering lead Ian Leck
- head of Machine Learning Operationalization at DBS Nasrudin Salim,
- the ex-VP of engineering at Almanak, and
- the lead AI architect at OCBC.
Sonzai is also backed by a stack of well-known crypto angels such as Gabe Leydon (Limit Break), Gabby Dizon (YGG), Jeff Zirlin (Sky Mavis), Aleksander Larsen (Sky Mavis), Piers Kicks (Delphi), and more.
As for its vision, the company aims to create social experiences in the convergence of AI, gaming and web3. In essence, it uses AI technology to simplify the complexities of web3 gaming.
The first product it’s shipping is TeleMafia, which is an AI-based social mafia game purpose-built for social messaging platforms such as Telegram.
Set in a digital underworld of family wars, the game is underpinned by the currency Respect. It also uses its own developed Souls Protocol to power “self-modifying” AI agents, of which its first one is Valentina. Valentina operates as “more than just an NPC – she’s an adaptive, evolving AI Soul that will continue to gain functionality as the game and the on-chain world matures.”
