Published on: 02/09/2022

Laguna Games announces four new mobile titles

Laguna Games, blockchain research and game development studio, will expand its Crypto Unicorns franchise with four mobile game titles designed to introduce Web3 games to the hyper-casual mobile crowd.

The team will be developing the games in-house with the help of three strategic partners to introduce popular characters from the Crypto Unicorns franchise to the mobile market.

According to Laguna Games chief executive officer Aron Beierschmitt, the main reason the studio is interested in the hyper-casual market is the sheer size of the audience.

“We are working with an incredible group of global developers to build generational IP together on Crypto Unicorns,” Beierschmitt said in a statement.

“The hyper-casual gaming market is a huge untapped opportunity that we are very excited to begin pursuing. We look forward to bringing our Crypto Unicorn collectables to mobile devices worldwide by the end of next year.”

Moreover, according to machine learning and digital performance solutions company Moloco, hyper-casual games make up nearly half of all mobile game downloads. Currently, the industry is generating $3 billion in revenue per year.

Upcoming new games

The first game announced was Unigatchi, the Crypto Unicorns’ version of the Tamagotchi. Players will have to work to keep their Unicorn happy and healthy and can use gestures and voice commands to interact with their Unicorn. This game will be created in collaboration with software development company Multiversal Ventures.

Coda Labs will be working with Laguna Games to create two multiplayer-focused titles. The first is Bumper Corns, a game where players compete for space by knocking rival Unicorns out of an arena. The game uses a free-for-all format where the last player left is the winner. Coda Labs’ second title, Mob Run, will see players compete to create the largest mob of unicorns.

Finally, Rainbow Rumble is a battle royale-style game that will be developed in partnership with Chilean indie developer IguanaBee.

Despite the fact that the games are blockchain-based, players will not need to use NFTs or cryptocurrency to access and enjoy them.

Laguna Games’ plan for “hyper-casual market”

Chief executive officer of Coda Labs Sekip Can Gokalp expressed his praise for the Laguna Games team. He said that the studio’s initiative to bring Web3 games to an audience outside of hardcore gamers was very exciting and highlighted the team’s creativity.

“Laguna is one of the best studios out there,” Gokalp said. “We share a vision for using games to bring web3 to the masses and working together on expanding the Crypto Unicorns multiverse was the perfect opportunity to do that.”

Gokalp also asserted that the Laguna Games team is “innovating more than most,” and that his party is eager to “learn” from them.

The mobile titles are designed to tie into the company’s main game, Crypto Unicorns. The company views that having a rich variety of experiences will help grow the community by bringing in people from all over the gaming sphere.

“Leveraging multiple game types builds additional utility into the NFT assets overtime… Ultimately, we envision an ever expanding universe of game loops interconnected with the original farming loop,” wrote the Laguna Games on its white paper last year.