Pirate Nation

Proof of Play

2026-08-05 16:22:58

Proof of Play shuts down Pirate Nation studio, opens up code and art

Proof of Play said on Tuesday it is shutting down, saying it could not build a product and sustainable business that proved its blockchain-gaming thesis at scale. The studio is open-sourcing as much of its code and art as possible, including the Pirate Nation Unity app, smart contracts and an internal agent workflow tool on GitHub. Founder Pirates NFTs, Pirate Nation artwork, IP and logos are being released under CC0. The PIRATE token was trading around $0.001285 on Wednesday, up 10% in 24 hours, while Shiba Story Go! has been acquired by a third party and will continue independently.

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Proof of Play

2026-08-05 05:03:40

Proof of Play Winds Down, PIRATE Token Support Continues

Web3 game developer Proof of Play said on Aug. 5 that it is ceasing operations. The team said it once believed blockchain games could drive the next generation of the decentralized internet, but failed to build a product that could validate that idea at scale or sustain the business. As part of the shutdown, Proof of Play will open-source what it can, including the Pirate Nation Unity app and Pirate Nation smart contracts. Founder Pirates NFTs, Pirate Nation artwork, intellectual property and branding have been released under a CC0 license. The Pirate Nation Foundation remains independent and will keep supporting the PIRATE token, with its website still running. Proof of Play points will not be redeemable for anything. Shiba Story Go! has been acquired by a third party and will operate independently. Proof of Play, a blockchain gaming startup, raised a $33 million seed round in September 2023, co-led by a16z and Greenoaks.

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Proof of Play

2026-08-05 00:19:20

Proof of Play to shut down, while Pirate Nation Foundation continues backing $PIRATE

Proof of Play, a blockchain gaming studio and onchain technology company, said on Aug. 4 that it will cease operations. The company said it had initially believed games built with blockchain technology could help open a new decentralized internet, but it ultimately failed to create a product that could validate that idea at scale or support a sustainable business. As part of the wind-down, Proof of Play said it will open-source as much of its code and art assets as possible for future builders, including Pirate Nation-related apps, smart contracts, founder NFTs, and intellectual property released under a CC0 license. The company also said the Pirate Nation Foundation, which operates independently from Proof of Play, will continue to support the $PIRATE token and keep its website online. Proof of Play points will not be redeemable. Separately, Shiba Story Go! has been acquired by a third party and will continue operating independently.

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