In 2018, as cryptocurrencies and blockchain expertise surged into the mainstream, a bunch of seasoned sport business veterans noticed a possibility to rethink how gamers work together with their favorite pastime.
Legendary Video games emerged with a daring imaginative and prescient: to create high-quality video games the place gamers may personal their in-game property via blockchain. This meant gamers may accumulate, commerce, and promote digital objects—one thing beforehand troublesome to implement in a significant method.
Based in Los Angeles by former Activision executives and different business leaders, Legendary rapidly positioned itself on the forefront of web3 gaming, capturing the eye of a rising viewers longing for the subsequent evolution of play.
Key Insights
Based by ex-Activision leaders, Legendary Video games empowers gamers to actually personal in-game assetsThe firm secured important investments, rapidly turning into a “unicorn” with a valuation over $1 billionThe Legendary Platform abstracts blockchain complexity, letting gamers join with simply an emailBlankos Block Get together turned the primary blockchain sport on the Epic Video games StoreTitles like NFL Rivals and FIFA Rivals present Legendary’s technique of mixing blockchain with world manufacturers
Supply: Blankos Block Get togetherTrade Veterans with a Daring Imaginative and prescient
Legendary was based by a powerhouse staff. CEO John Linden was beforehand a studio head at Activision and founding father of Seismic Video games. Chief Artistic Officer Jamie Jackson additionally held management roles at Activision, having labored on blockbuster titles like Name of Responsibility, Guitar Hero, and Skylanders.
They have been joined by Rudy Koch (Enterprise Growth) and Chris Downs (Infrastructure), each of whom introduced deep AAA growth expertise—vital in an business the place blockchain video games have been nonetheless discovering their footing.
Over time, the management staff expanded to incorporate Arron Goolsbey (COO), Kasper Mai Jørgensen (CFO), and Jung Suh (CBO), serving to information the corporate via its subsequent part of progress.
Fast-Hearth Fundraising and Unicorn Standing
Legendary rapidly gained investor curiosity:
2018: $16M seed round2019: $19M in further funding2021: $75M Sequence B2021: $150M Sequence C led by Andreessen Horowitz, reaching a $1.25B valuation2023: One other $37M raised through the crypto downturn, albeit at a barely decrease valuation
Their investor checklist is a who’s-who of conventional tech, crypto, and sports activities—that includes names like D1 Capital, Binance, Jonathan Kraft, and Michael Jordan. Hitting unicorn standing in underneath three years signalled severe perception of their blockchain-enabled gaming mannequin.
Supply: Nitro Nation: World TourReinventing Recreation Economics with the Legendary Platform
On the core of Legendary’s ecosystem is the Legendary Platform, which handles all blockchain operations behind the scenes—NFT creation, asset buying and selling, pockets administration—so builders can give attention to gameplay.
The platform simplifies onboarding: gamers can begin taking part in with simply an e-mail, while all blockchain transactions occur within the background.
In 2022, Legendary launched the Mythos Basis to additional decentralise governance. The $MYTH token powers market transactions and offers holders voting rights in ecosystem choices.
Initially constructed on Ethereum-based tech, Legendary migrated to Polkadot in 2023—aiming for sooner, cheaper, and extra scalable operations throughout networks.
Breaking Floor in Web3 Gaming
Blankos Block Get together
Supply: Legendary Video gamesBlankos Block Get together marked Legendary’s first massive transfer. Launching in open beta in 2020, the sport let gamers accumulate, customise, and play as digital vinyl toy NFTs referred to as Blankos.
In 2022, it turned the primary blockchain sport featured on the Epic Video games Retailer. Collaborations with Burberry and Deadmau5 boosted its visibility, turning sure Blankos into sought-after collectibles.
However sustaining long-term curiosity proved troublesome. By late 2023, Legendary shut down the PC model and shifted its focus to cellular—highlighting each the promise and pitfalls of early web3 gaming.
NFL Rivals
Supply: Legendary Video gamesLaunched in April 2023, NFL Rivals gave gamers the prospect to behave as Common Managers, accumulating and managing NFL gamers as NFT playing cards.
The sport strengthened Legendary’s perception in seamless blockchain integration: customers may play with out understanding NFTs, however those that needed to interact with possession may accomplish that. The end result? Almost 1 million downloads in its first month and #1 rankings in sports activities and motion classes on the App Retailer.
By early 2024, the sport had 5M+ gamers and over 1M lively wallets, sustained by common updates and seasonal drops—like Tremendous Bowl-themed playing cards.
Nitro Nation: World Tour
Supply: Legendary Video gamesIn partnership with Artistic Cellular, Legendary launched blockchain mechanics to the Nitro Nation racing collection. Launched in 2023, the sport let gamers race and customise NFT-based vehicles.
With over 65 licensed automobiles from manufacturers like Aston Martin and Jaguar, the sport stood out by merging blockchain with a confirmed franchise.
It demonstrated how web3 parts may complement, not disrupt, established gameplay experiences.
Increasing the Ecosystem
Legendary continues to develop its portfolio with new video games and collaborations:
Epic Spell Wars: Magic Struggle – A digital card battler based mostly on Cryptozoic’s cult collection, with NFT mechanics baked into card possession.Pudgy Get together – Set to launch in 2025, this celebration sport faucets into the large reputation of the Pudgy Penguins NFT model.FIFA Rivals – Launched in early June 2025, the sport expands on the NFL Rivals mannequin to carry blockchain gaming to soccer (soccer) followers globally.
These tasks underscore Legendary’s cross-sector technique: from conventional sports activities to NFT-native communities, they intention to bridge mainstream tradition with blockchain tech.
Supply: Legendary Video gamesChallenges and Rising Pains
Web3’s volatility has not spared Legendary.
In late 2022, co-founder Rudy Koch and two different execs left to type Fenix Video games—prompting Legendary to file a lawsuit alleging they took proprietary plans. The dispute was settled by early 2024, nevertheless it highlighted inner friction throughout speedy scaling.
The broader crypto downturn additionally hit exhausting with Legendary shedding round 15% of its workforce in 2023, shifting from an aggressive progress part to a extra sustainable trajectory.
The shutdown of Blankos’ PC model mirrored one other sobering fact: novelty alone isn’t sufficient to maintain gamers engaged. Legendary’s fast pivot to cellular reveals a willingness to adapt, but in addition the robust actuality of sustaining web3 curiosity.
Supply: Legendary Video gamesCan Legendary Video games form the way forward for gaming?
Legendary Video games has made important strides in pushing blockchain into mainstream gaming. With high-profile partnerships, main funding, and a rising sport lineup, the corporate continues to champion digital possession in gaming.
However challenges stay. Web3 tech should develop into much more invisible to customers, gameplay must evolve previous the “NFT novelty” part, and regulatory uncertainty looms giant.
Nonetheless, Legendary has already moved the needle. They’ve introduced blockchain video games to platforms like Epic, labored with manufacturers just like the NFL and FIFA, and constructed a fully-fledged ecosystem that others now look to as a mannequin.
Nobody is aware of if web3 gaming will go totally mainstream—but when it does, Legendary will possible have performed a defining position.
