Eyeball Games raises $1.5M for blockchain pool game

Eyeball Games has raised $1.5 million in pre-seed funding to develop its upcoming mobile game, Eyeball Pool.

Singapore-based Eyeball Games said the funding round was led by White Star Capital, which invested from its Ubisoft-backed Digital Asset Fund, and included participation from Polygon Ventures, Immutable, Ocular, Great South Gate Ventures, and prominent angel investors.

Eyeball Pool is a modernized pool game experience that incorporates Web3 elements to enhance the user experience, including full ownership of assets. The game is being developed by the creators of 8 Ball Pool, the world’s most popular pool game for mobile devices with over one billion downloads.

Eyeball Games plans to release Eyeball Pool in phases, starting with a closed beta test on the web exclusively for holders of the game’s non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The full launch of the game on mobile is planned for the first quarter of 2024, after which the NFTs will convert into game starter packs with exclusive and unique items for the game.

The game will first launch on Polygon x Immutable zkEVM chain, a platform built specifically for games, where it will be one of the first featured projects. Eyeball Pool successfully completed a 30-minute sellout mint of 4,001 genesis NFTs called Balldroids in January 2023, but those who missed out will have another shot. A white list for the Eyeball Pool expanded NFT series will open soon.

“We are delighted to gain the backing of prestigious investors for our first round of funding. We look forward to tapping into their knowledge and support to build a world-class game that gives players true ownership of their assets and pioneers a new approach to valuation creation,” said Jonathan Ivarsson, Eyeball Games CEO, in a statement.

White Star Capital’s general partner, Eddie Lee, said in a statement, “We believe that Web3 has so much potential to improve gameplay experience beyond what’s possible today. We’re excited to partner with the Eyeball team and create a game that will be enjoyed by millions of people one day.”

The Original 8 Ball Pool creators are Karsten Niemer and Thomas Elgaard and they worked with Jonathan Ivarsson, founder of Eyeball Games on the new game. The team came together on a vision for a blockchain-based challenger to 8 Ball Pool, which gives gamers full ownership of their assets as part of a cutting-edge gameplay.

Hoping to repeat its success in pool a decade ago, Eyeball Games designed Eyeball Pool from the ground up with its own physics engine and graphics. It has a player-vs-player mode and a range of tournament modes which include an AI skill-matching engine.

Eyeball Games has 13 employees and the newest entity was founded in July 2022.