Karateka, the Karate Combat Licensed Web3 Game from GameOn, Launches its Karate Pit Fighters on the Hedera Network

Today, we’re excited to announce that Karateka, the Web3 game built by GameOn leveraging the IP of Karate Combat, is coming to the Hedera network. Karateka brings playable digital fighter NFTs to combat sports fans across the world. These NFTs are now live on mainnet. 

The combat sport and Web3 demographics are closely aligned, but so far we have not seen this industry genuinely leverage the power of Web3 for fan engagement and beyond. This is where Karate Combat and Karateka Pit Fighters step in.

Powered by GameOn’s PLAYN3XT platform and the network, Karateka aims to increase fan engagement by providing fans with a unique, immersive experience through NFTs by offering questing and live fantasy PvP card battling games. Users can collect, trade, and compete with their NFTs, opening up an entirely new, interactive way for combat sports enthusiasts to engage with their favourite fighters and the sport itself.

Karateka Pit Fighters, the NFTs required to participate in the Karateka Live Fantasy and PvP battle games, have now launched as a presale until the 24th of May. Participating in the Karateka universe will generate points for users, allowing them to participate in prize draws on the platform when it launches. 

The team decided to leverage Hedera for its growing NFT ecosystem coupled with a best-in-class combination of speed, sustainability, and low fixed fees. Karateka bridges the familiarity of existing Web2 gameplay brought by PLAYN3XT with the scalability of the Hedera network, ultimately achieving the player-experience necessary in the evolution of gaming. 

‍Matt Bailey, CEO of GameOn, states, "We are excited to bring the world of combat sports and playable collectibles together with the help of the Hedera network. Our partnership with the HBAR Foundation allows us to offer a cutting-edge, interactive experience for fans around the globe."

‍Alex Russman, VP of the Metaverse Fund for the HBAR Foundation, adds, "Karateka Pit Fighters is an exceptional example of how NFTs can revolutionize fan engagement in sports. Their close partnership with Karate Combat, an up-and-coming combat sports league we sponsor, made this a perfect match for us to expand within this niche. We are delighted to support their launch on the Hedera mainnet and welcome to our growing NFT ecosystem."

About The HBAR Foundation:

The HBAR Foundation supports the creation of Web3 communities built on the Hedera network, by empowering and funding the builders developing these communities. The Foundation’s six funds - focused on the Crypto Economy, Metaverse, Sustainability, Fintech, Privacy, and Female Founders - each support communities within those areas, and the interconnectedness enables applications to participate as part of a larger ecosystem. 

The collective power of these funds enables entrepreneurs, developers, and enterprises of all sizes to tackle some of the world’s largest problems and create and control their own economies, all built on the Hedera public network. Whether you’re building something new or migrating an existing EVM-based application and community, the HBAR Foundation is here to support you. For additional information, please visit https://hbarfoundation.org/.‍

About GameOn

GameOn partners with the world's biggest sports, media, and entertainment IPs to launch brand-building, money-making web3 games (with intuitive web2-friendly rails). We turn fans into superfans - engaging, retaining, and monetizing audiences, and getting upside in the entire economic cycle of web3 games. With a diverse team of web3, gaming, sports, and media veterans with experience at Take-Two Interactive, Twitch, EA, Dapper Labs, and the Brooklyn Nets, GameOn works with broadcasters, TV networks, streaming platforms, leagues, tournaments, and web3 companies to launch best-in-class web3 games. GameOn has launched products for NBCUniversal, Bravo, Karate Combat, Times Internet, the WNBA, DICK'S Sporting Goods, and Gaming Society.