Acclaimed gaming industry figure Chris Heatherly has successfully secured $3 million in funding for his latest venture, the casual party game studio known as Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.
Having previously led NBCUniversal’s gaming division and serving as the general manager of Club Penguin during Disney’s in-house game development era, Heatherly has transitioned into the realm of game startups and Web3 games following NBCUniversal’s exit from game publishing in 2019. Notably, he oversaw the development and launch of Funko Pop! Blitz in collaboration with N3twork, based on a game originally commissioned by NBCUniversal.
The studio’s flagship game, The Mystery Society, has been described by Heatherly as a fusion of the popular games Among Us and Clue, offering a unique and engaging experience for players.
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Leading the funding round is Shima Capital, with additional support from Sfermion, GSR Markets, Arca, Lyrik Ventures, Flying Falcon, Press Start Capital, and 32-Bit Ventures. Furthermore, The Mystery Society has received a grant from Polygon Labs and will leverage the Polygon blockchain in its development.
### Venturing Into Web3 Gaming
The Mystery Society has initiated its beta testing phase, aiming to draw interest from individuals keen on exploring Web3 gaming experiences. Through this venture, Heatherly hopes to introduce Web3 concepts to a wider audience, potentially expanding the reach of Web3 to more casual players.
Heatherly brings with him a wealth of experience from his roles at Club Penguin, Disney, and Universal, with a team of former Club Penguin colleagues assisting him in this new endeavor. Additionally, Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow has partnered with Beamable to incorporate Web3 features such as custodial wallets and NFT ownership into their games.
### Unveiling The Mystery Society
The company’s primary offering, The Mystery Society, is a social deduction party game that draws inspiration from popular titles like Among Us, Clue, and Goose Goose Duck while integrating Web3 elements like NFTs, peer-to-peer trading, and secondary marketplaces. Players engage in solving mysteries, puzzles, and collecting virtual items within the game.
In recent years, party games have surged in popularity among casual gamers seeking real-time multiplayer and social interactions. With titles like Among Us amassing a massive player base exceeding 600 million, the genre has found widespread global appeal through games like Stumble Guys and Eggy Party.
Reflecting on the influence of past games like Club Penguin, Heatherly notes that such experiences have shaped the preferences of a generation who now seek community-oriented, collaborative gameplay over the intense competition found in other genres.