Only a few months after launching its public early access, developers behind the Ethereum-based multiplayer game Ember Sword have announced that the project will be discontinued due to funding issues.
In a statement published on the official Ember Sword website, the team explained that they were unable to secure sufficient funding to continue development. Despite exhausting numerous options, current market conditions proved too challenging, with even some highly promising projects forced into closure recently.
“We explored every possible way forward. But in today’s market—where even some of the most promising projects are shutting down—we couldn’t find a path to keep building,” the statement read.
Ember Sword now joins an expanding list of web3 gaming projects that have ceased operations this year, alongside titles such as Deadrop, Nyan Heroes, and Tatsumeeko.
Ember Sword attracted considerable attention last December when it began publicly accessible gameplay after migrating to Mantle, a layer-2 Ethereum solution. Previously, developers had switched platforms from Polygon to Immutable X. This latest decision means a full public release will not materialize.
Before the recent financial challenges, Ember Sword had generated significant enthusiasm in the blockchain gaming community. In 2021, the project famously raised around $203 million through sales of NFT-based virtual land to approximately 35,000 early participants.
Moreover, the game had attracted prominent talent, including veteran gaming industry figures. Among its high-profile advisors were Rob Pardo, the former Chief Creative Officer at Blizzard and acclaimed designer behind World of Warcraft, and retired esports star Dennis “Thresh” Fong.
At the time of the announcement, Ember Sword’s native token EMBER was trading at around $0.00047, down over 3% in the past 24 hours and marking a precipitous drop of more than 99% from its record high of roughly $0.068. Its total market capitalization currently hovers near $80,657.
In their final communication to the community, the team expressed deep regret at the outcome. “This isn’t the ending any of us wanted, but we want to sincerely thank you for being here, for believing in this vision, and for helping make Ember Sword something we’ll never forget.”
