Metaverse MMO Avalon gets $10M investment, talks up its game features, AI tools, and Web3

April 16, 2024 10:30 AM

Depending on one’s point of view, this news is either the next step forward for Jeffrey Butler’s gestating MMO Avalon or proof that investors will throw money at anything if the right buzzwords are used: The still-developing title, which promises player-built worlds using AI tools in a metaverse of play linked to Web3 tech, has raised another $10M in investment funding on top of its earlier $13M investment.

If that elevator pitch of the game in the lede wasn’t enough industry word salad for you, here’s Avalon Corp CEO Sean Pinnock’s statement on the matter:

“The Avalon universe prioritizes delivering an immersive gameplay experience by combining cutting-edge tech like Unreal Engine 5 with AI-assisted user-generated content systems. Our focus on a no-code solution enables players to create game logic effortlessly. Plus, our upcoming NFT collection will introduce AI-powered avatar NFTs, adding another layer of innovation.”

Pinnock further talked up the game’s features and the tech it uses in follow-up statements. He first outlines the benefits of Avalon’s AI tools such as Inworld AI for crafting NPCs and Didmo for rapid modeling for characters and monsters, all of which aim to make “creating feel like playing” as well as speed up content creation.

Pinnock also acknowledged the metaverse’s negative association, but he argued that the idea is “durable,” pointing to examples like Roblox and Fortnite Creative as proof that gameplay metaverses can exist. “[W]hoever succeeds in building what it is we’re trying to build will revolutionize the way we engage with technology,” he says. As for Web3 integration, Pinnock extols the “decentralized” and “democratized” virtues of the tech and believes that players are “generally indifferent to the backend solutions used.”

Finally, Pinnock offers a few more details about the game itself, at least from a design standpoint. Avalon will effectively have two pieces to it: Avalon Core, where players will get to experience levels made by the studio’s devs, and a separate method to browse user-built content and worlds. Currently there are two themes for levels that are being designed – high fantasy and cyberpunk – with “several more” to come later and the eventual ability for players to make their own themes.

As for when Avalon will be a playable thing, early access is projected for sometime later this year for PC and cloud streaming services.