Planetside Dev’s ‘Reaper Actual’, What’s Next for ‘MapleStory Universe’

It’s tough to keep tabs on the ever-changing crypto gaming space, thanks to the constant flow of news: everything from big game launches and fun degen experiments to token price swings and occasional project collapses. It’s a lot to follow.

Luckily, we’re plugged in at Decrypt‘s GG. We cover the biggest happenings throughout the week, and then this weekly roundup provides a quick way to catch up, as well as find a bunch of other little bits of news from throughout the week.

Top stories

Reaper Actual revealed: Game industry veteran John Smedley has launched Distinct Possibility Studios with a new blockchain-integrated first-person shooter called Reaper Actual. The PC-based open-world multiplayer game features what Smedley said is the largest FPS map ever created—four times larger than Call of Duty: Warzone’s Al Mazrah.

Set on the war-torn island of Marova, players become “Reapers” who upgrade and defend bases while navigating conflicts between five AI-controlled factions. The game combines elements from Call of Duty: DMZ, Escape from Tarkov, and Rainbow Six Siege, Smedley told Decrypt.

Following a $30.5 million funding round, the pre-alpha Foundation version is set to release soon, requiring players to purchase a limited-edition base—either as an NFT on Tezos layer-2 network Etherlink, or via supporting Web2 platforms. The full release arrives early next year with a similar access scheme, before going free-to-play approximately six months later. Items will be tradable on both Web3 and Web2 marketplaces.

“This is the type of game that can bring millions and millions of people in, if the history of the games I’ve worked on are any evidence,” said Smedley. “We’re going to be able to sell Web2 players on this idea of Web3 done right.”

MapleStory moves ahead: MapleStory Universe is the crypto-powered evolution of the beloved 20-year-old MMORPG franchise. The ecosystem centers around MapleStory N, a PC-based game that recreates the original side-scrolling experience for its 260 million-strong player base, with in-game items as NFTs on the Avalanche-based Henesys L1 network.

Developer Nexpace plans to release over a dozen mobile and web experiences by Q1 2026 to complement the core game, Nexpace Head of Strategy Keith Kim told Decrypt. These lighter applications will allow players to grind, level up, and enhance items during commutes or breaks, addressing the reality that the original fanbase has grown up and has less time for intensive PC gaming.

The vision mirrors EA FC’s Ultimate Team model, where mobile apps support console gameplay. A web app for item enhancement launches in late July/August, followed by a character rental system by Q1 2026. Kim said that third-party developers will help build some of these experiences using API keys, with the game eventually transitioning to a permissionless system with NXPC token rewards.

ICYMI

• Ubisoft added AI agents to its Arbitrum-based blockchain game Captain Laserhawk: The G.A.M.E., in a team-up with developer LibertAI. Tied to NFTs, the agents can vote on behalf of players in the game’s governance matters.

• Major esports team Ninjas in Pyjamas has established a Bitcoin mining unit, and expects to mine upwards of $6.5 million worth of BTC monthly based on its total hashrate.
• Bitcoin layer-2 network Botanix launched its mainnet last week, along with an educational game called Bitcoin 2100 that pays out real BTC rewards to players.
• Token Yugijo, a coin-flipping betting game, launched on Ethereum layer-2 network Optimism. Bella Protocol’s game features an AI companion.

• Scor on Sweet, a Telegram gaming app, has launched Flappy Racquet—a Flappy Bird-inspired tennis game featuring real-world tennis stars like Naomi Osaka and Nick Kyrgios. The SCOR token airdrop is on the horizon.
• Ronin game Realms of Alurya has shut down for good, just weeks after developers said they’d lost funding and were looking for ways to keep building.
• Meme coin project Floki launched its long-awaited Valhalla metaverse game last week.

• Off the Grid launched its latest battle pass expansion, with Fourth of July-themed in-game items.
• FIFA Rivals has racked up over 500K downloads on Android since releasing in June.
• Moonray will hold an invitational tournament this month.
• Frontiers, an MMORPG built on the Minecraft-like Hytopia, launched in alpha last week.

• The upcoming Steam launch of Off the Grid will begin on the GUNZ testnet, offering a similar level of behind-the-scenes blockchain integration as the Xbox and PlayStation versions. Steam has limitations on crypto and NFTs, however, so Gunzilla says it will “work with Valve to meet platform guidelines.”
• Endless Clouds launched its END token airdrop tied to Treeverse, with token claims opening up Friday.
• The Xai gaming network handed out about $1.25 million worth of XAI tokens to NFT holders.
• The Echelon Foundation burned 11 million PRIME (about $26 million worth) to try and “right-size the PRIME ecosystem” PRIME is the token behind card game Parallel.

Weekend reads