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Zynga, the renowned publisher behind popular mobile games like FarmVille, has passed the torch for its crypto gaming project, Sugartown, along with its intellectual property, to a newly formed company. The team responsible for the project has now re-emerged as an independent studio named D20 Labs, revealing an all-new game in the process.
D20 Labs was co-founded by Matt Wolf, formerly Zynga’s Vice President of Web3 Gaming, alongside Tommy Ngo, the company’s previous Web3 General Manager. By separating from Zynga, which operates under the ownership of gaming giant Take-Two Interactive, Wolf believes that D20 Labs can explore the world of crypto gaming more freely without the constraints of a larger corporate entity.
Web3 Incentives and Gaming
As part of its relaunch, D20 Labs has already announced its first project, Royal Nutz Poker Club. This game is being developed on Coinbase’s Base chain, an Ethereum layer-2 network. It is expected to go live next month, with continuous updates and added features planned for the future.
Sugartown, which houses a variety of mini-games tied together by Web3 incentives, has seen the release of titles like ATH and NGMI. While Royal Nutz Poker Club is connected to Sugartown through shared lore and intellectual property, it stands as an independent game with its own direction separate from the broader Sugartown ecosystem.
The upcoming web and mobile poker game will enable users to participate in tournaments, aiming to climb the leaderboard and earn prizes. Holders of Sugartown NFTs on Ethereum, known as Oras, will gain access to the social poker game, along with holders of APE tokens on ApeChain. Other communities are expected to join in the near future.
However, players won’t be using real money in the game. D20 Labs has crafted a rewards system through its strategic partnerships, the first of which involves ApeChain—an Ethereum scaling solution built on Arbitrum and backed by the ApeCoin DAO.
D20 Labs began making waves in late August with news of its independence. Although Zynga did not make a public announcement, it did confirm the transition to Decrypt. “D20 has taken full ownership of the Sugartown game and IP from Zynga,” a Zynga spokesperson stated. “D20 will now operate Sugartown independently, aiming to enhance the game and its ecosystem for its users and fans.”
When pressed for additional details regarding the transfer of assets and the future of Zynga’s involvement in Web3 gaming, the company declined to provide further information. This move raises questions about Take-Two Interactive’s stance on blockchain gaming, given its acquisition of Zynga in 2022 and initial aspirations for Web3 opportunities.
The Solid Ground
Despite the recent spin-off, D20 Labs appears to be on solid ground. While the new team did not comment on its financial status, sources who attended an unrecorded Twitter Spaces event indicated that the company has a robust runway, even without Zynga’s support.
What is certain, however, is that Royal Nutz Poker Club marks only the beginning for D20 Labs. The team has ambitious plans to continue developing the Sugartown universe while also exploring new projects in the Web3 gaming space.
