A significant aspect of Opti Games’ $2 million seed funding round earlier in October is the support from developer of Monad blockchain, as Chandler Tomlinson’s gaming venture develops Sparkball 2.0. Monad developer Purple and Monad CEO Keone Hoe were among the dozen investors, including Ajapte, who joined the seed round.
Sparkball 2.0, to be developed on the Monad blockchain, is expected to be released on PC and Xbox in the third quarter of 2025. Hoe expressed enthusiasm for Sparkball.
“Not only am I thrilled to see Sparkball building on Monad, I’m personally excited to support their growth,” he said. “The response from the Monad community after the first game night has been phenomenal and we’re all eager to cheer on Sparkball as they head into Season Zero and integrate the Monad Protocol.”
So far, Tomlinson has been cautious associating gaming with Web3 — an emerging iteration of the World Wide Web that incorporates blockchain, decentralization and other features, apparently because of some “negative stigma.”
“We firmly believe that in order for mass adoption to happen, Web3 shouldn’t exist in the game until it’s actually a game, and people are actually playing it for fun,” he told Decrypt last year. “Given the negative stigma around Web3 in gaming, we want to be abundantly clear to potential players that this is just a game — and not a ‘Web3 game.’”
At Opti Games, Tomlinson has brought together stars from Riot Games and Blizzard Entertainment, including art director Alvin Lee. Sparkball focuses on creating so-called “Golden Retriever” games that foster “endlessly optimistic experiences.” The free-to-play game, released last year, has been widely described by game aficionados as “League of Legends meets Rocket League.” It is said to blend “ballin’” or scoring, and “brawlin” or combat.
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“Sparkball masterfully blends elements from various games, providing an enjoyable experience for MOBA [multiplayer online battle arena] enthusiasts and newcomers,” a review on Gam3s said. Even though Gam3s cited some minor issues, Sparkball’s “faster-paced gameplay, smaller map, and additional features keep players engaged,” it added. “With upgraded art, characters, and design, Sparkball offers a delightful experience for players and spectators alike.”
Sparkball 2.0 is eyeing the so-called “Season Zero.” Starting late November, Opti Games plans to introduce players to the game’s new version. A key feature will be Sparkadia, a new platform designed to enhance the player experience. The new game will initially become available on Steam. By the fall of 2025, it is expected to be available on PC and Xbox platforms.
Tomlinson has degrees in computer science, economics and an MBA, and bring significant business smarts, in addition to experience in the industry. Previously he has held leadership positions at Avanade and 3Cloud. Opti Games was previously known as Worldspark Studios.
