Ethereum Gaming Network ZKcandy Launches With ‘Pepe Kingdom’ and More

ZKcandy, a new Ethereum scaling network focused on mobile gaming, announced the launch of its mainnet Tuesday after completing a testnet phase that resulted in users creating some 2.46 million total wallets.

ZKcandy was co-created by Southeast Asia-based game developer iCandy Interactive and ZKsync developer Matter Labs, with the network using the latter’s Ethereum layer-2 scaling technology. The mainnet launch comes following ZKcandy’s $4 million seed round, which was led by Wemix and Animoca Ventures.

Eight games are currently available to play following the mainnet launch, including Pepe Kingdom, Sugar Rush, and Candy Defense. ZKcandy said the platform is designed to pair blockchain with AI to power gaming features like dynamic storylines and unique non-player characters.

"We are proud to make ZKcandy available to the general audience. Our testnet has been a huge success, and this is only the beginning," said ZKcandy CEO Kin Wai Lau, in a release. "With the $4 million private funding closed in January, we are looking to expand our partnership network by bringing large IPs and AAA mobile games to Web3."

To stimulate growth, ZKcandy plans to allocate 5% of its native token supply for promotional campaigns, and will launch a grant program for developers. ZKcandy is part of the Elastic Chain with other interoperable ZKsync-powered layer-2 networks, including Abstract and Cronos.

“Blockchain gaming must be open and accessible to everyone, and it is our goal to ensure that all gamers can enjoy the transparent, secure, and low-friction experience we have to offer,” Wai Lau added. “Connecting mobile gaming and Web3 is a solution long overdue, and we are privileged to have the right team to do it.”