As reported by Animoca Brands, On June 22nd, 2023, Anichess, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based gaming firm Animoca Brands, announced the completion of an oversubscribed seed round that raised $1.5 million. In a statement from Anichess, participation in the seed round included investment from Bing Ventures, Coin Operated Group, GameFi Ventures, 708 Capital, Asymmetry Capital, Koda Capital and others. They also stated that the funding will be allocated towards Anichess’ further development of its innovative decentralized chess game, team expansion, and community growth.
Anichess is an upcoming decentralized chess-inspired game by Animoca Brands in partnership with Play Magnus Group (PMG) and its Champions Chess Tour. Anichess is focused on preserving the core culture of chess as a primarily skill-based and free-to-play game. While maintaining the core rules of the classic game, Anichess will provide enriched chess gameplay with an added layer of strategy through an innovative spell mechanic that consists of a range of offensive, defensive, and counter tactics.
There will also be an emphasis on esport-like elements to expand the gaming experience and offer new and captivating challenges to players.
Following the acquisition of PMG by Chess.com in December 2022, which has expanded the reach of the Champions Chess Tour even further, Anichess will be presented to millions of chess fans to deliver innovative experiences, grow the global chess community, and empower players through decentralization.
“The strong support expressed by investors validates Anichess’s vision of delivering unparalleled experiences for chess players, gamers, and fans. Partnering with Chess.com is an incredible opportunity to work with some of the leading chess players and influencers across the world and to bring chess into the open metaverse.”, commented Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands.
"We are excited about partnering with Animoca Brands to provide some of the top players and influencers in our ecosystem with a fun and different chess experience as part of our overall mission to grow the game by presenting chess in new ways to different audiences.", stated Grant Lee, chief strategy officer of Chess.com.
The Alpha version of Anichess is expected to launch in Q1 2024.
About Chess.com
Chess.com is the leading online platform and community dedicated to the game of chess. With over 100 million registered users.
About Animoca Brands
Animoca Brands, a Deloitte Tech Fast winner, a Fortune Crypto 40 company, and one of the Financial Times’ High Growth Companies Asia-Pacific 2023, is a leader in digital entertainment, blockchain, and gamification that is working to advance digital property rights and contribute to the establishment of the open metaverse.