Proof of Play to wind down, open-source Pirate Nation IP

Proof of Play, the blockchain game studio backed by Andreessen Horowitz, announced Tuesday it will wind down operations after failing to build a sustainable business around decentralized gaming.

The company plans to open-source much of its code and artwork, including the Pirate Nation game, smart contracts and internal development tools. It will release the intellectual property tied to Founder Pirates non-fungible tokens under a CC0 license.

Proof of Play cited its inability to develop a product that demonstrated blockchain-based games could support a decentralized internet at scale.

The studio noted its in-house reward system, Proof of Play points, will no longer be redeemable for any value.

An independent nonprofit, the Pirate Nation Foundation, will assume support for the PIRATE token and keep the Pirate Nation website operational. The foundation will handle ongoing token-related activities while other parts of the project’s ecosystem will be managed separately.

One title, Shiba Story Go!, was sold to an unnamed buyer and will continue operating under new ownership.

At peak usage, Proof of Play’s Apex and Boss networks were among the largest gas consumers across Ethereum rollups, reflecting heavy on-chain activity linked to the studio’s games.

The studio will retain limited stewardship to help transition assets and services to external stewards and to provide continuity for players and token holders where possible.

No final date for complete cessation of operations was provided and staff outcomes were not detailed. Core Pirate Nation web properties will remain live while the foundation takes over token support.

The company noted that open-sourcing code and releasing Founder Pirates IP under CC0 will allow developers and community members to reuse the released assets without seeking permission or paying licensing fees, though existing commercial agreements and third-party rights may still restrict some uses.