Playdarktimes
3 known investors
DARKTIMES is a medieval dark-fantasy "Brawler Royale" video game blending ARPG-style character progression with competitive PvP multiplayer combat. Featuring top-down, skill-driven battles in a gritty humor-laced world, it targets players of online multiplayer action games.
Also known as DARKTIMES Β· Play DARKTIMES
Investors Β· 3
Company profile
researched Aug 2026DARKTIMES is a free-to-play, Nordic-inspired medieval dark-fantasy "Brawler Royale" video game that combines ARPG-style character progression and skill trees with fast-paced multiplayer PvP. Gameplay uses a top-down camera and a physics-based combat system, mixing dark fantasy tone with British pub humor and exaggerated violence, and positions itself further toward RPG mechanics than typical hyper-casual battle royale titles.
Players enter free tournaments of up to six participants and pick one of five character classes β The Mammoth, The Huntress, The Old Man, The Exotic and The Noble β each with its own skill tree. Defeating opponents earns an in-game currency called TIMES, which fuels progression; players can enter larger-stakes tournaments and climb leaderboards. The narrative frame centers on The Blood Queen, who rewards players for combat in her arena. The website also promotes a forthcoming premium membership tier, the Slayer's Circle, offering rewards, rare items and exclusive access, alongside anime and cinematic trailers, a comic series and a "Behind the Code" development series distributed via Discord.
The game is developed in partnership with Blowfish Studios, the flagship game studio of Animoca Brands, and has selected Sui as its blockchain platform through a partnership with Mysten Labs. Blockchain elements are abstracted away β removing wallet creation and gas fees from the player experience β to make onboarding comparable to traditional games for non-crypto-native players.
Founding story
Development of DARKTIMES began in stealth in late 2021 at Blowfish Studios, Animoca Brands' flagship game studio. Lucien Dorman is founder and CEO.
Business model
Free-to-play game with tournament-based competitive play. Monetization elements referenced include a planned premium membership tier (the Slayer's Circle) offering rewards, rare items and exclusive access, and Genesis DARKTIMES NFTs that grant early access and entry to advanced levels with larger prize pools.
Traction
As of August 2024 the game was pre-launch, with a first playtest at Korea Blockchain Week, an alpha launch to select users planned for late 2024, pre-registration open on the company website and a Genesis NFT campaign run with multiple web3 gaming communities.
Latest developments
In August 2024 DARKTIMES announced Sui as its blockchain of choice via a partnership with Mysten Labs, began the Rune Run campaign on August 30, 2024 and outlined an alpha launch for late 2024. The company website subsequently offers a game download/pre-registration flow and advertises an upcoming Slayer's Circle premium tier.
βΈFull profile β market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Positioned as a web3 game aiming for parity with traditional gaming experiences, differentiated from hyper-casual battle royale titles by RPG-style progression and skill trees, and backed by Animoca Brands via its studio Blowfish Studios.
Combines battle-royale social chaos with ARPG progression and a physics-based, ragdoll-driven combat system; blockchain infrastructure is hidden behind a conventional gaming onboarding flow so that players do not need wallets or gas.
Technology
Physics-based combat system with top-down, skill-driven battles and per-class skill trees. The game is built on Sui, a Layer 1 blockchain and smart contract platform using an object-centric model based on the Move language, via a partnership with Mysten Labs; blockchain mechanics such as wallet creation and gas fees are abstracted away from players. An in-game currency, TIMES, is earned through combat and drives progression.
Go-to-market
Direct-to-player distribution through playdarktimes.com with an email-gated download and pre-registration flow, community building on Discord (news, a Behind the Code development series and weekly comic releases), trailers and comics, event-based marketing (first playtest at Korea Blockchain Week), and the Rune Run "play-to-play" campaign run with web3 gaming and crypto communities including Mocaverse, GAM3S.GG, MON Protocol and W3GG, which distributed Genesis DARKTIMES NFTs.
Players of online multiplayer action, battle royale and ARPG games, including traditional gamers who are not crypto-native, as well as web3 gaming communities.
Geography
Announcements were issued from Palo Alto, California, USA; the first public playtest took place at Korea Blockchain Week.
History
After starting development in stealth in late 2021, the project was publicly introduced in August 2024, when it announced Sui as its blockchain platform through a partnership with Mysten Labs, launched the Rune Run campaign on August 30, 2024, held its first playtest at Korea Blockchain Week and targeted an alpha launch to select users in late 2024.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources β announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed β not independently audited.
Timeline Β· 3
launches, deals, and filingsInteractive campaign run with web3 gaming and crypto communities including Mocaverse, GAM3S.GG, MON Protocol and W3GG, in which participants could win Genesis DARKTIMES NFTs granting early access and entry to advanced levels with larger prize pools.
DARKTIMES announced it had chosen the Sui Layer 1 blockchain as its platform of choice through a partnership with Mysten Labs, with blockchain elements abstracted away for players.
DARKTIMES held its first playtest at Korea Blockchain Week, ahead of a planned alpha launch to select users in late 2024.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
βΈResearch sources Β· 8
primary sources listed
- Playdarktimesplaydarktimes.com Β· web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Playdarktimes do?
- DARKTIMES is a free-to-play medieval dark-fantasy Brawler Royale with physics-based PvP combat, built on the Sui blockchain.
- Who are Playdarktimes's investors?
- Playdarktimes's investors include Black Dragon, SWGI Ventures (SWISS GEM INVESTMENTS), WWVentures.