Bazooka Tango – a game studio led by former creators of Vainglory, Bo Daly and Stephan Sherman – recently announced that it has successfully raised $5 million USD in a funding round led by BITKRAFT Ventures, with participation from RW3 Ventures, Sfermion, 1Up Ventures, and others. The funding will be used to help grow the Bazooka Tango team, with strategic hires meant to bring to market new, in-development titles, as well as double down on the development of Shardbound, an immersive, multiplayer collectible tactics game built in collaboration with Immutable Games.
With the already booming trading card game (TCG) market slated to hit $11.57 billion by 2030, games such as Shardbound — which combines classic TCG elements with the ethos of digital ownership — are set to take center stage. And Shardbound is the upcoming project from Bazooka Tango – which was founded in March 2019 by Bo Daly and Stephan Sherman, veterans with extensive experience in AAA gaming heralding from Rockstar Games, Riot, Blizzard, and Activision.
They previously co-founded Super Evil Megacorp and created the award-winning game Vainglory. Their new venture, with leading web3 publisher Immutable Games, aims to deliver a next-generation, collectible tactics game filled with rich lore, deep strategy, and intense competition that integrates web3 technology to deliver true digital ownership to players.
Bazooka Tango has used funds to support a strategic round of new hires, including the appointment of Vice President of Operations Kellen Smalley, an experienced leader who taps into more than 18 years of experience working with gaming and entertainment companies, including Apple, Disney, Twitch, Kabam, Electronic Arts, as well as web3 companies Forte and Rally. Plus, experienced game developers from 2K, Sledgehammer Games, Rainbow Studios, and Pocket Gems have joined the Bazooka Tango team.
Shardbound’s initial Alpha playtest has already seen significant interest from gamers, attracting 1,000 participants and generating positive reviews from notable content creators, including Kripparian, BruceGreene, YellowPanther, and others. Today, the game boasts over 50,000 pre-registrations and more than 10,000 hours watched as part of the Shardbound Creator Campaign.
KEY QUOTES:
“We are honored and humbled by the recognition Shardbound is receiving from gamers and investors alike. We have already received overwhelming support with our latest Alpha playtest maxing out at our 1,000 player cap. We believe that web3 has the potential to unleash some really cool ideas, and we’re excited to see so much enthusiasm from our community as we continue on this journey together.”
“Amid an incredibly challenging year for VC funding, it speaks volumes to the quality of our games – like Shardbound and the team we have built here at Bazooka Tango. With the help of this additional funding, we are focused on expanding our team in critical disciplines essential for launching and growing the Shardbound universe.”
- Bo Daly, Founder and CEO at Bazooka Tango
“Bo and Stephan were some of the first video game founders to bring high-quality core multiplayer games to mobile devices, setting a new standard for a new platform. They are the perfect team to raise the bar again to bring core web2 gamers into the web3 space.”
- Scott Rupp, Founding General Partner of BITKRAFT Ventures
