Image credits: CLUB
London-based CLUB, the studio behind the free-to-play (F2P), play-and-earn (P2E) football game CLUB Game, announced on Thursday that it has raised $3.1M (approximately €3M) in a Seed round of funding.
The funding was led by Zee Prime Capital with over 20 other backers, including ATKA, Merit Circle, CitizenX, Moonlanding Ventures, and Petrock Capital. Several high-profile angel investors in GameFi, football, and media, backed the company.
Investors in the company’s pre-seed round include football club owners, top video game executives, and media production companies.
“Millions of soccer fans dream of owning their own club. Very few get a chance to realise that ambition. With CLUB Game, we are creating the ability for everyone to live the experience – everything from signing real players, developing their club infrastructure through to climbing the leagues,” said Alex Horne, Chair of CLUB and former CEO of the English Football Association
He adds, “We are democratising ownership by making this F2P and introducing Web3 digital ownership to enhance the gameplay experience, allowing players to realise the value in what they’ve created and shared in their team’s success. I am delighted that we have been able to attract Jonty and Pavel to join us on this exciting journey.”
Fund utilisation
The company will use the funds to further develop its inaugural game, its marketplace, and community. The company will also expand its team. CLUB says the game development with the community will start in Q3 2022.
The CLUB Game, in its early testing stage, has already garnered 25K sign-ups. The company has started rolling out its first phase of founding clubs for players wanting to get in early on the action.
CLUB: What you need to know
The UK company has developed CLUB Game, a free-to-play (F2P), play-and-earn (P2E) football ownership game that allows players to build, own and sell real-player football clubs.
In this game, players have to step into the shoes of a football Club Owner (CO) and build their dream club based on the real-world performances of the biggest stars on the planet.
The platform enables COs to build their club by buying and selling players in real-time through the live transfer market. The company says the game’s integration of real-world players and their real-world performances truly tests a Club Owner’s knowledge and strategy.
Besides creating, players can grow their club, and if they choose, sell it or its assets to the highest bidder on the platform’s marketplace.
“CLUB taps into the massive soccer market with a long-term, socially driven F2P game, where players get a true sense of club ownership,” says Pavel Stehno, Partner in Zee Prime Capital.
“I believe games like CLUB Game and Aurory will lead the trend of GameFi 2.0 by putting players first and optimising long-term sustainable in-game entertainment,” Stehno adds.
Former Bungie Executive, Jonty Barnes, says, “CLUB has a great team and a very marketable proposition. The space is ripe for developing innovative entertainment. We’re looking forward to delivering a compelling game that amplifies real-world soccer.”
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