"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

Business News

How to Write a Business Plan

Learn the essential elements of writing a business plan, including advice and resources for how to write and conduct each section of your business plan.

Marketing

April 21 Is Your Last Chance for Mobile Optimization Before 'Mobilegeddon'

The search giant is currently working on a major algorithm change that will revolutionize the way mobile friendliness is determined.

Leadership

Revolutionizing Proptech: Haider Ali Khan, CEO of Bayut and dubizzle, and CEO of Dubizzle Group MENA

Born from a mission to redefine real estate through technology, Bayut sparked a movement that evolved into the global proptech and classifieds leader, Dubizzle group — and today, we go back to understanding the homegrown powerhouse that started it all.

Marketing

The Quickest Way to Deliver Your Message? Make It Visual.

Infographics, dashboards and mobile apps provide a direct avenue to our brains. Use them to your advantage.

Starting a Business

College Startup Offers a Creative Approach to Banish Boring Presentations

Instead of boring slides with bullet points and clip art, Big Fish creates presentations that tell stories and resonate emotionally with viewers.

News and Trends

International Fashion Brand Maison D'AngelAnn Secures US$2 Million Investment From A Private Family Office In The UAE

The newest round of funds follows Maison D'AngelAnn's $7 million investment in November 2020 from The Gate Business Services, a UAE-based investment and real estate consultancy, which also saw it also acquire a majority stake in the business.