Party Icons, a mobile-first gaming platform with three fully playable modes, said it has raised $9 million in funding despite market headwinds.
This significant investment underscores strong institutional confidence in Party Icons’ potential to revolutionize the gaming landscape with its innovative gameplay design and open ecosystem, powered by its unique “Party-as-a-Service” live operations model and integrated Web3 infrastructure, the company said.
Bitkraft Ventures led the round, bringing Party Icons’ total funding to $20 million. Other investors include IDG Capital, Gam3Girl Ventures, Leap Capital, Mantle Network, King River Capital, Mask Network, Yield Guild Games, Zentry, 32-Bit Ventures, Ed3n Ventures, Palm Drive Capital and individual investors Sebastien Borget, cofounder of Sandbox, and Cristian Manea, a Web3 angel.
“Party Icons is designed to offer more than just traditional gameplay,” said Claire Lin, Party Icons cofounder, in a statement. “Our vision is to create a space where players can not only enjoy compelling game mechanics but also participate in a thriving, player-driven economy. This funding round will enable us to push the boundaries of what’s possible in gaming today.”
The money from this round will accelerate the development of Party Icons’ diverse gaming and social experiences, expand Web3-enabled functionalities and infrastructure, and fuel its global expansion into key markets in 2025.
Bitkraft principal Jonathan Huang said in a statement, “Party Icons is on an ambitious mission to blend the social glue of party games with the intensity of extraction shooters, creating a next-gen, verticalized UGC
platform made possible only through clever integration of Web3 technology. We have been highly impressed with the team’s masterful ability to dual wield Web2 game design with Web3 token-unlocked features, and we couldn’t be more excited to lead this round.”
Quick sessions and deep progression
The company said it designed its games for the modern player. When players first enter Party Icons, they arrive on Miragio, a fully customizable interactive island that serves as the lobby of the Partyverse.
Miragio is home to entertainment facilities, social hubs, marketplaces, and portals to the various game modes. Currently, three distinct modes are available, with more on the way, each offering a unique experience tailored to different styles of gameplay.
The core game mode, Party Heist, pits four teams of two against each other in whimsical maps for a high-
stakes party royale experience with an extraction shooter mechanism. Extraction gameplay offers multiple
paths to victory and strategic depth—whether securing treasures and extracting early, hunting down
enemies and bosses for bigger rewards, or ambushing others at extraction points.
“It’s important to note that our approach to Party Heist is not about competing with the heavily tactical shooters in the market right now; the key word here is ‘party’,” said Quinn Campbell, Party Icons vice president of growth, in a statement.
Party Brawl shifts the pace to a 3v3 team deathmatch, where action and teamwork unfold rapidly across
new maps, delivering intense, adrenaline-fueled shootouts. Meanwhile, Carnival Clash offers a more
lighthearted experience, featuring over 25 familiar party games that are easy to pick up for quick, casual
fun.
Players take on the roles of Hero Icons, characters inspired by art toys and pop culture, equipped with narrative-driven combat abilities and upgradeable Party Talents and weapons.
“All game modes are designed with modern gaming habits in mind, with most sessions lasting under 12
minutes, reflecting today’s ‘bite-sized’ entertainment trend,” said Campbell.
Higher-rarity Hero Icons and weapons, earned through gameplay and minted on-chain, also serve as key assets for mining within the Partyverse. This combination of fast-paced gameplay and character progression delivers both instant gratification and long-term depth for modern gamers.
God mode
Beyond the three game modes lies a fourth, secret mode—God Mode. Accessible only to OGX̅ NFT
holders, God Mode introduces a twist.
Inspired by Squid Game, Hunger Games, and the original Japanese film Battle Royale, OGX̅ holders—Partyverse’s genesis PFP collection—assume the role of all-powerful game masters who exist beyond the arena.
These gods wield immense power to alter the course of gameplay, dropping valuable loot, reshaping the battlefield, and influencing outcomes with strategic precision or reckless abandon. Their unpredictable nature keeps the competition thrilling and dynamic, giving all players—regardless of skill level—a chance at victory.
“OGX̅, or Orsus Grandis X̅, is Latin for ‘ten thousand great beginnings.’ They are up to no good and lie at
the heart of Partyverse lore,” Lin said. “With God Mode, we challenge gamers with the idea of ‘Play, or
Be Played.’ This mode lends itself perfectly to interactive live-stream content, bringing a new dimension of
engagement for players and spectators alike.”
In Party Icons, players can step into the role of the hero, the familiar protagonist in battle royale games, or embrace the power of the God. The game also introduces a third, innovative role—the Spectator.
Spectators will have the ability to actively engage during live streams, interacting with both Gods and the
game world itself. Using cutting-edge technology, Party Icons will enable spectators to influence
gameplay in real time, adding a new layer of interactivity and immersion. This feature is expected to roll
out in 2025, with testing already underway in collaboration with select streaming platforms.
Party-as-a-Service
Party Icons introduces Party-as-a-Service (PaaS), an evolution of the traditional game-as-a-service model that decentralizes live operations and economic interest. Instead of developers controlling every aspect of the game, Party Icons empowers guilds, streamers, whales, and players to engage with the game in ways that best suit their needs.
Mirship NFTs, available by invitation or application, enable holders to create Mirship Clubs within Party
Icons, giving them access to a dashboard that allows them to organize events and tournaments, leverage
player data and manage their club members’ in-game experiences. With built-in tools and data analytics,
guilds can tailor experiences to their community’s needs, democratizing e-sports and allowing more
players—not just the elite few—to engage in competitive gaming.
Gabby Dizon, founder of YGG, said in a statement, “As we bring more users and communities on-chain, platforms like Party Icons are a great way to show how they can own part of an economy while having fun in a game with their friends. Through the YGG Mirship, the guilds in YGG can have a new meeting place in the metaverse to play together and share rewards.”
By fully integrating Web3 technology into gameplay, Party Icons creates a safe, open ecosystem where
digital assets have real-world value. From in-game loot airdrops to the influence of God Mode, every
player has a meaningful role in the ecosystem. This decentralized live ops model transforms players from
passive consumers into active operators, empowering them to take ownership of the game’s success.
A future vision for gaming
As the gaming industry continues to evolve, Party Icons stands at the forefront, pioneering a new era of player-driven economies and decentralized live operations. Bolstered by this recent funding round, the team will continue to innovate in both gameplay and monetization, guided by their faith in the impact of
decentralized ownership.
IDG Capital, an early investor in Coinbase and a leading international VC, said in a statement, “We fully believe in the future of gaming, and we’re confident in Party Icons’ ability to lead this revolution.”
The company has 85 employees and it has raised $20 million to date. It started in 2021.
Asked whether it was a platform or a game, Lin responded, “When we refer to Party Icons as a gaming platform, we mean that it’s not just a single game, but a multi-game platform and gaming metaverse. It’s designed to host a variety of games and social experiences, all accessible on mobile & PC (iOS, Android & PC). Other games are in development, including a Telegram mini-game, it’s a dynamic and evolving ecosystem.”
I also asked what was the inspiration for it.
“As veterans of the traditional gaming industry—not just as developers and operators, but also as passionate players—we witnessed firsthand how the biggest contributors to a game’s ecosystem, like collectors, streamers, and community organizers, were often left behind,” Lin said. “They invested their time, creativity, and effort, yet rarely reaped the rewards of the game’s growth that they helped build.”
Lin added, “There was no fair, transparent, or automated way for them to share in the success they had a hand in. This gap forced them into black market trading or to monetize on third-party platforms, where their contributions were often undervalued and unprotected. We created Party Icons to change that, because our team is made up of gamers, streamers, collectors, and community-builders who deeply understand these pain points.”
And Lin said, “In 2021, we recognized the potential of Web3 technology to provide real solutions and designed Party-as-a-Service and God Mode to tackle these challenges. The more you give, the more you get—this is one of our founding principles. We believe there’s a bigger victory to be had when we allow more people to win. “
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