Web3 Studio Overlord Taps Dan Houser-Backed Revolving Games for NFT Game

Got lizard people? Web3 project Overlord does, and it has partnered with game studio Revolving Games—backed by Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser—to help it develop a video game in the Overlord ecosystem, which features colorful lizard NFTs. 

Overlord co-founder Dom Smith told Decrypt about the plans for the yet-to-be-named sci-fi game, which aims to span multiple planets and universes and be “cross-chain from day zero.”

“The game is an immersive exploration of the Overlord universe where players will be battling their way to interplanetary domination through skill, strategy, and cunning,” Smith said.

There will be different alien civilizations for players to encounter, each with their own lore.

“Each species has their own motivations and skills, and due to their unique abundance of resources and technological advancements, have different styles of conquering their enemies,” Smith said.

Overlord’s Web3 gaming strategy is focused on gameplay first and game economics second, with Smith adding that the team is “laser-focused on mainstream adoption.”

“The blockchain has to be invisible,” Smith told Decrypt. “Players should get all the brilliant benefits of asset ownership and on-chain mechanics without necessarily being aware that it is happening on-chain.”

“To us, blockchain is a technology, in the same way that Unity or a development language is," he added. "It should facilitate the play experience invisibly."

In February, Overlord announced that it is working with NFT fan and actor Seth Green’s Stoopid Buddy Studios to develop an animated series based on the Creepz Lizard NFTs, which launched in January 2022 on Ethereum and have since generated over 35,800 ETH in total volume traded, which is worth about $65 million today.

Revolving Games confirmed to Decrypt via email that Overlord will be using its technology to create a Creepz game. The studio said that it will provide the "tools and tech" to Overlord, but it's still undetermined whether Revolving Games will actively develop the game or if a third-party studio will use the tech.

Overlord’s game deck states that the Creepz collection also boasts a number of celebrity owners, including Green as well as musicians Sia and Steve Aoki, actor Elijah Wood, and YouTuber and gamer FaZe Banks.

Editor's note: This article was updated after publication to clarify the terms of the partnership and Revolving Games' role in the process.