A Year of Non-Stop Progress: Reflecting on Warped’s Journey So Far

As 2024 draws to a close, today marks the first year since Warped’s official release, so we’d like to take this moment to reflect on the incredible milestones Warped Games has achieved so far. It’s been a journey of transformation, innovation, and growth; one that wouldn’t have been possible without the unwavering support of our community and partners.

From transitioning Warped from a concept to reality, raising the necessary funding, building out our vision for an innovative multi-genre game, securing key strategic partnerships, and showcasing early gameplay, this year has been nothing short of monumental. Together, we’ve laid the foundation for what we believe will be a standout gaming experience — bridging traditional gaming with blockchain integration while keeping players’ interests at its core.

Here’s a look back at what we’ve accomplished through each quarter, as we gear up for an even bigger year ahead.

Q1-Q2 2023: Persevering Through Adversity

Although this article is meant to focus on the year since Warped’s launch, it’s impossible to ignore the blood, sweat, and tears that turned our vision from conversations on calls and words in Google Docs into a reality.

The first half of 2023 was a grind like no other. With Warped still just a rough idea, we spent the necessary time, along with personal funds, to refine our vision, craft business plans, map out tokenomics, and lay the initial foundations for what would become Warped Universe.

The challenges that led us to start this journey, detailed in this Medium article, were immense. But we were not alone. From day one, our community stood by us, providing unwavering support and encouragement when we needed it most. Many obstacles were thrown in our path during this period, but with the support of our community coupled with the belief of our team in our capabilities, we persevered. We knew that if we overcame these early hurdles, we’d be unstoppable.

This period wasn’t just about hard work; it solidified our bond as a team and a community, united by a shared dream to build a game that would break boundaries and redefine expectations.

Q3-Q4 2023: Setting the Foundations for Success

The second half of 2023 marked a pivotal shift from planning to execution. With the groundwork laid in the first half of the year, we shifted gears and focused on raising the capital needed to bring Warped Universe to life. This meant countless meetings with lawyers and advisors, strategic planning, and presenting our plans to our community who believed in our vision as much as we did.

Our first steps were to raise initial funding through private sales with long-term supporters. These essential funds were used to set up the necessary legal structure required to host our token presale. Simultaneously, we began making strategic partnerships with Cleevio and Hacken to build out our presale website and to audit our custom ERC-20 token contract, ensuring the safety and security of our community. Once those were in place, we then partnered with Hedgey, to ensure the security of our liquidity and vested tokens, managed by the Warped Foundation’s multi-sig wallet.

As the pieces started falling into place, we finalized branding, game concepts, and initial designs, transforming Warped from an idea into something tangible. The presale launch saw an electric response, selling out within 2 hours despite minor technical issues causing delays in purchases. Demand was so overwhelming that we had to process ~$300k in immediate refunds for oversubscriptions.

This was a period of welcomed validation, growth, and momentum, proving that Warped Universe wasn’t just a dream — it was a vision backed by a passionate team, a loyal community, and a network of supporters who saw the potential in what we were building.

Q1-Q2 2024: The Birth of a Universe

With the presale behind us, 2024 marked the true beginning of Warped Universe’s development journey. Fueled by the confidence of our early supporters and the capital raised, we reassembled core team members and hit the ground running.

The first milestone was bringing the Warped Universe to life, starting with the cinematic trailer built in-house and in Unreal Engine 5 that not only showcased our vision and capabilities but also gave our developers the time needed to work on the foundational gameplay mechanics for our innovative multi-genre design. This intro cinematic became a key tool for capturing attention and setting the stage for what lay ahead.

In parallel, development progressed rapidly:

• Core Gameplay: We laid the groundwork for both turn-based and real-time combat, introducing foundational mechanics like the dice roll system, character customization, and AI-driven opponents. Key maps and assets were designed to support seamless transitions between gameplay modes, solidifying Warped’s innovative multi-genre approach.
• Partnership with Beamable: Beamable’s integration is instrumental in enabling blockchain connectivity and scalable backend systems, laying the groundwork for seamless gameplay across Web2 and Web3 players.
• Visual Design Progress: Maps began taking shape with a distinct “Warped” identity, showcasing our approach to creating something fresh and unique.
• Narrative Depth: We built lore-rich environments and introduced dynamic environmental mechanics, like light and gravity, to reflect mission outcomes.

Our efforts extended beyond game development:

• At GDC and Token2049, we made connections with partners, showcasing Warped Universe and our passion for what we’re building, securing critical relationships with Mysten Labs, the Blockchain Game Alliance, and Volpex.
• Our announcement of Warped Universe’s listing on the Epic Games Store marked a major step in bridging Web2 and Web3, granting accessibility to millions of PC gamers.

Through these milestones, Warped Universe evolved from concept to tangible progress, solidifying its position as a pioneer in Web3 gaming.

Q3-Q4 2024: Showcasing the Warped Vision

As Warped Universe transitioned out of its prototype phase, the team refined and enhanced gameplay mechanics, expanded maps and visual identity, and laid the groundwork for blockchain features. This period marked a significant leap forward as we showcased the game’s multi-genre gameplay and celebrated our partnership with Mysten Labs to integrate with SuiPlay0x1 and build on the Sui Network.

Key Game Development Milestones:

• Gameplay Evolution: Finalized the prototype phase with seamless transitions across all four game modes, introducing procedural mission generation, dynamic terrain creation, and faction-based mission systems to elevate the immersive experience.
• Nexus Station: Began development of Warped Universe’s social and mission hub, including 3D design, animations, and multiplayer networking functionality.
• Visual Identity: Introduced custom in-game fonts (Warped and Nyzrak) alongside improved character animations for more responsive movement and enhanced customization.
• Space Missions: Developed procedural systems for planet surfaces and dynamic facility creation, further enriching the universe’s scope.

Web3 Integration:

• Mysten Labs Partnership: Announced our official partnership with Mysten Labs, securing Warped Universe’s position as a flagship game for the SuiPlay0x1 handheld device, powered by the Sui Network. This partnership enables innovative features like dynamic NFT cosmetics, an on-chain in-game ecosystem, and Sui Kiosk trading.
• Technical Advancements: Began the creation of our foundational blockchain architecture for NFTs, in-game currencies, token utilities, and blockchain interaction through Beamable.

Marketing and Community Engagement:

• Gameplay Showcase: Revealed the first full walkthrough demo of all four gameplay modes in Warped Talk #9, followed by the release of our first gameplay trailer at the 2024 GAM3 Awards in Manila.
• Strategic Team Additions: Onboarded our new fractional CMO, Glittercloud, to begin mapping out our GTM strategy and to enhance networking opportunities.
• Website Redesign: Launched the new warped.games website, featuring a complete redesign, enhanced usability and features such as a comprehensive gallery, media downloads, expanded FAQs, and an interactive lore timeline (coming soon).
• Growing Presence: Amplified our social media engagement, leveraging increased gameplay content to connect with players and investors alike.

This period demonstrated our commitment to delivering the Warped vision with speed and precision, setting the stage for a monumental year ahead. From significant partnerships to innovative gameplay, we continue to solidify Warped Universe as a fresh and promising force in gaming.

Looking Ahead to a Very Warped Future

As we gear up for the release of Season Zero, our Warped journey is entering its most exciting chapter yet. Players will soon have the chance to immerse themselves in the game, exploring our innovative gameplay and helping shape the future of our universe.

Our collaboration with Mysten Labs continues to evolve as we delve into integrating Warped Universe with the SuiPlay0x1 handheld ahead of its highly anticipated launch, while simultaneously working to expand Warped Universe’s compatibility across more platforms and devices.

Meanwhile, the upcoming release of our whitepaper will offer the first comprehensive look at the ecosystem we’ve been building, providing an in-depth overview of all things Warped.

With increased marketing efforts, exclusive showcases like the upcoming Warped Talk on December 5th, and the rollout of $WARPED utilities, we’re setting the stage for a year of even bigger breakthroughs, growth, and unforgettable experiences.

We invite you to join the Warped community during this exciting period — the best is yet to come.