Blok.Party Raises $10 Million, Adds Settlers of Catan to PlayTable, the World’s First Blockchain Gaming Console

Blok.Party, the creators of PlayTable, the world’s first blockchain-based video game console, today announced a new content partnership as well as $10 million in funding from JRR Capital and individual investors. The content partnership covers the best-selling game Settlers of Catan, while the funding will scale the company as it continues to build its team and expand PlayTable’s repertoire of games when the console ships this fall.

Settlers of Catan is an award-winning strategy game where players collect resources and deploy them strategically to achieve victory. An iconic staple of the tabletop games genre, Settlers of Catan has sold more than 27 million units worldwide with an estimated 20 million active players.

“PlayTable isn’t just about blockchain or complicated technology; they are focused on compelling gameplay and making sure players are engaged,” says Roger Shen, a Partner at JRR Capital.

PlayTable is a tabletop gaming console for one to eight players that features a large touchscreen and allows players to control in-game events with their hands, smartphones and physical game pieces. Its first-of-its-kind technology reimagines traditional games, like Catan, in a physical-meet-digital world where gameplay comes to life and game pieces are customizable, portable across games and secure through blockchain.

“As lifelong gamers, it’s surreal to see classic tabletop titles like Settlers of Catan come to life on PlayTable, and we’re excited about the memorable gaming experiences they’ll create for friends and families,” said Jimmy Chen, CEO and co-founder of Blok.Party. “We’re also eager to use our new round of funding to continue scaling Blok.Party as new content opportunities come through the pipeline.”

Here is how PlayTable enhances games like Settlers of Catan through its built-in blockchain technology:

• BYO-game pieces: PlayTable can recognize and link any object to a character or resource -- the possibilities are limitless when it comes to reskinning the physical gameplay

• Personalized gameplay, on the go: Custom game pieces retain their stats, so bring your unique set to any game night showdown, no matter the place!  

• Trading made easy: PlayTable’s blockchain network keeps records intact so players can trade game pieces, and their customized stats, securely and intuitively

Blok.Party is founded by an interdisciplinary team of forward-thinking engineers, gamers and designers. Jimmy Chen is the CEO and co-founder, who assembled a top team including Jason Ge, ex-Huawei VP of R&D, Sam Lee, Blok.Party’s VP of Hardware, whose past experience includes working on the Amazon Echo and the iPhone.

In addition to Settlers of Catan, PlayTable features a library of classic tabletop games like Texas Hold ‘Em.

Reserve your PlayTable now at PlayTable.com

About Blok.Party

Blok.Party is unlocking new dimensions of entertainment by combining the magic of augmented-reality gameplay with the power of blockchain to turn any physical object into a secure, collectible digital game piece.

In 2017, CEO Jimmy Chen co-founded Blok.Party when he brought together a team that included ex-Huawei VP of R&D, an engineer who helped design the Amazon Echo and a video game industry veteran with decades of experience producing and creating games. PlayTable is their first product shipping in Q4 of 2018 and has already built a 100,000 person waiting list.

Blok.Party is headquartered in San Francisco. Join the party at Blok.Party

Contact Information

Sean Yokomizo

Account Manager

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Media@blok.party