A few years ago, Laguna Games found itself at a pivotal juncture that many studios can relate to—should they opt for the relative security of being bought out by a large corporation and work on a massive IP, or maintain their independence and gamble on an entirely new concept. In this instance, the decision was between dragons or unicorns.
Laguna chose the latter, creating the NFT game Crypto Unicorns. In a recent interview at the 3XP conference, company leaders revealed to Decrypt that they had turned down an offer to develop a "Game of Thrones" licensed game and join Warner Bros. Games.
Aron Beierschmitt, co-founder and CEO of Laguna Games, shared with Decrypt that before Crypto Unicorns, they were working on the next 'House of the Dragon' mobile MMO using the 'Game of Thrones' IP. "We shifted away from WB to start building Unicorns," he said.
Beierschmitt mentioned that WB attempted to "acqui-hire" Laguna Games—meaning, buy the studio with the intention to incorporate the development team—but the offer was unsatisfactory.
While joining WB would have given Laguna the chance to work on a major IP, it would have meant losing their independence. The gaming industry is rife with tales of studios being bought out only to be closed down within a few years. Warner Bros. Games did not comment on this story when approached by Decrypt.
Beierschmitt described the decision as tough, but ultimately, the team was more captivated by the potential of building within the Web3 world and wanted to try something new. "We didn't establish this company, and endure all the associated challenges, just to end up working at WB," he said.
The "Game of Thrones" franchise has ventured into the NFT world with a collectibles series titled "Build Your Realm," in collaboration with marketplace Nifty’s and startup Daz3D. However, the project was met with overwhelmingly negative feedback regarding its artwork.
Crypto Unicorns is a browser-based game where players collect digital unicorns as pets and participate in activities like jousting, racing, and farming to improve their abilities. Laguna's shift to Web3 also happened amidst broader struggles to carve out a space in the crowded video game market.
Beierschmitt discussed the challenges of creating and launching an entertaining game, along with the substantial financial budget needed to compete with industry giants. He noted that the top-grossing mobile gaming charts have remained largely unchanged over the past five years.
After discussions with Laguna’s senior team in 2021, Beierschmitt realized that the Web2 space was heavily saturated with established gaming titles. They concluded that it would be extremely challenging for a startup to survive in that environment.
On the other hand, the emerging Web3 space seemed to offer more opportunities, with the success of Axie Infinity serving as proof of the industry's future potential.
Beierschmitt described Crypto Unicorns as an experiment.
Andrew Campbell, who joined Laguna as its product and growth lead in February after working with Axie Infinity creator Sky Mavis, referred to Crypto Unicorns' DAO community and the integration of the community within the game design process as "a risky experiment." However, he is hopeful that the risk will yield a substantial reward.
As Crypto Unicorns introduces new types of games that utilize its existing NFTs, providing more utility to holders, Beiersschmitt believes that Laguna's emphasis on quickly prototyping and testing features could give it an advantage over more established Web3 gaming companies.
