Anichess, a subsidiary of Animoca Brands Corporation Ltd, has completed a successful seed funding round, pulling in US$1.5 million.
The core group of investors included GameFi Ventures, The Operating Group, Koda Capital, Bing Ventures, 708 Capital, and Asymmetry Capital.
Funding will be used to continue development of an “innovative” decentralised chess game, expand the Anichess team, and grow its community.
The game design aims to retain the spirit of chess while offering fresh, engaging gameplay elements.
Its novel spell mechanic – which consists of a range of offensive, defensive, and counter tactics – adds an extra strategic layer to the classic game, with E-sport-like features promising to make the experience more dynamic.
Partnership with major chess orgs
Animoca Games is developing Anichess in partnership with the Play Magnus Group (OTCQX:PMGMF) (PMG), headed by five-time world chess champion Magnus Carlson, and its Champion Chess Tour.
“The strong support expressed by investors validates Anichess’s vision of delivering unparalleled experiences for chess players, gamers, and fans,” Animoca Brands co-founder and executive chair Yat Sui said.
“Partnering with Chess.com is an incredible opportunity to work with some of the leading chess players and influencers across the world and to bring chess into the open metaverse.”
Since popular online platform Chess.com's acquisition of PMG in December 2022, the Champions Chess Tour's audience has grown.
The partnership offers an opportunity for Anichess to reach millions of chess enthusiasts and promote its innovative game concept, all while “empowering players through decentralisation”.
"We are excited about partnering with Animoca Brands to provide some of the top players and influencers in our ecosystem with a fun and different chess experience as part of our overall mission to grow the game by presenting chess in new ways to different audiences,” Chess.com chief strategy officer Grant Lee said.