$21M Boost for Web3 Gaming: Coinbase Alumni Launch NPC Labs

Funding Details

The latest funding round was led by Pantera Capital, securing $18 million. This, combined with a $3 million pre-seed round, brings NPC Labs’ total funding to $21 million. Other notable investors include:

• Makers Fund
• Hashed
• Collab+Currency
• Sfermion
• Mirana Ventures
• Bitscale Capital
• Mantle EcoFund

NPC Labs was founded in April of this year and quickly completed its funding process earlier this month. Co-founder and CEO Daryl Xu, who previously led gaming and onramp initiatives at Coinbase’s Layer 2 project Base, expressed excitement about the future but declined to comment on the round’s structure and valuation.

About NPC Labs and its Founders

NPC Labs was established by:

• Daryl Xu – Co-founder and CEO, formerly the gaming and onramp lead at Coinbase’s Layer 2 project Base.
• Viktoriya Hying – Co-founder and COO, who previously worked as the NFT and creator lead at Base.
• Sean Geng – Co-founder and CTO, formerly an engineering manager at Coinbase.

The founders aim to drive on-chain gaming adoption. Xu noted that their experience as Base day 0 contributors highlighted the active engagement in gaming with real users. This insight led them to explore ways to expand the gaming ecosystem and create engaging on-chain experiences.

B3.fun: The Core Initiative

NPC Labs is developing B3.fun, a gaming scaling ecosystem built on Base. Xu describes B3.fun as:

• A “microservices-like Layer 3 ecosystem” on Base.
• Designed for high transactions per second and near gasless transactions.
• Utilizes chain abstraction technology in partnership with ChainSafe, eliminating the need for bridging or switching networks for users.

B3.fun aims to provide an optimal infrastructure for developers and a frictionless onboarding experience for gamers. Xu believes this approach will foster a sustainable on-chain gaming culture and ecosystem.

Future Plans and Mainnet Launch

The B3.fun platform is currently in testnet and supports games built on Ethereum, Base, and other Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)-compatible blockchains. Future plans include onboarding games from additional chains such as Solana.

The mainnet launch date for B3.fun will be announced by B3 and its governing foundation. Regarding the potential launch of a B3 token, Xu mentioned that this decision rests with the governing foundation.

Pantera Capital’s Franklin Bi expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, noting that B3’s infrastructure and tools will significantly enhance the Base ecosystem by empowering developers and enriching consumer experiences.

Team Expansion and Future Growth

NPC Labs, currently based in the U.S., employs five people. Xu plans to expand the team to 10, focusing on roles in engineering, marketing, and global go-to-market strategies.