Irreverent Labs, Inc.

Irreverent Labs was launched as a means of building games that feature artificially intelligent characters that live as non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The first project behind this team is intended to be a fun, play-to-earn game that is designed to evolve over time through the utilization of machine-learning technology and decentralized player ownership on the blockchain.

This startup features a team with experience in gaming, blockchain, and machine learning, and due to this reputable background, managed to close a $5 million funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z Crypto), with additional investment from The Chainsmokers' Mantis Fund, Keen Crypto, Unlock Ventures, and AdvancIt Capital.

The main goal of this company and all of its game and metaverse-related projects is to essentially create a world that will outlast any player and become their own. The idea is to provide the player ownership alongside a play-to-earn economy; however, in a world that is ever-evolving, non-player characters (NPCs) learn and adapt to the world as it evolves.

Irreverent Labs, Inc. was created with the goal of building "The Hundred-Year Game," in which the game is set within a metaverse, specifically designed to last throughout multiple generations of players.

The main stand-out feature about the games developed by Irreverent Labs is the artificially intelligent non-player characters (NPCs). This means each of these characters is programmed to adapt to the world around them and make it seem a bit more immersive.

All of these characters are intended to be bought, sold, and utilized as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which give players the ability to earn all whilst owning all of the core components with decentralized blockchain technology.

The goal here is to create what the company calls a futuristic, evolving game world with AI, real market economies, and real-world crossover that feature augmented reality play options.

The first game developed by the company so far has been “Mecha Fight Club," in which players can own a fighter in MFC and earn as their champion ends up competing in battles with advanced, artificially intelligent NFT fighters.

The game is intended to be simple to learn, with a solid onboarding process even for players who have not had any exposure to blockchain technology. Mecha Fight Club (MFC) takes place within a world that is ravaged by abandoned alien technology, where evil corporations have monopolized and enslaved humanity. However, a global resistance has seized and repurposed them as weapons.

The main NFT NPCs here are the Mechabot roosters and the hens. Each Mechabot is developed to be a unique individual living on the blockchain with its own digital biology and intelligence. These NFTs will, over time, learn and develop their own fighting style, which would feature moves that were not pre-programmed by the developers, but were learned by the AI that powers these NPCs. Only 41,000 Genesis mechabots will ever be minted, with 6,969 available in MFC’s first drop.

Each mechabot will begin its life as an EGG before hatching into a unique bionic creature that only exists on the blockchain.

The project has an ambitious roadmap starting from February 2022, which is known as the Genesis period. Throughout this period, MFC will finally make mechabot ownership a public option, starting with 6969 pre-fertilized, highly potent EGGs. Then there is The Hatchening, which will begin after the first 6969 EGGs incubate and hatch.

The Cockpit will feature another exclusive round of EGGs for MFC’s early-bird supporters. The team expects the Las Vegas Cockpit to finish construction by this point in time, which will be the first-ever MFC amateur fighting arena. The inspiration for the game can be attributed to similar games such as Zed Run, the digital horse racing game that gathered attention earlier throughout the year. In that game, people own and race unique virtual horses, which are referred to as "breathing NFTs," which can breed and have their own life.

In terms of the launch date of the title in question, on the official Irreverent Labs website, Irreverent Labs claims that more details will come throughout 2022, where the first 1000 invitations to their closed ecosystem will come soon after.

Irreverent Labs, Inc. caught the attention of Silicon Valley firm Andreessen Horowitz, which led a $5 million round and has funded at least 50 crypto startups. Other backers behind Irreverent Labs include Chainsmokers Mantis VC, which is a venture fund led by the music band Chainsmokers, alongside Seattle firms, Unlock Venture Partners, and Keen Crypto, a new crypto-focused fund founded by tech vet Andy Sack. Advancit Capital, which has backed MasterClass, Headspace, and The Athletic, also invested.

Irreverent Labs is a blockchain-gaming-related startup that was founded by a former Microsoft Ventures Executive, Rahul Sood, who created the company as a means of developing play-to-earn titles that feature characters that utilize artificial intelligence. Rahul Sood built Voodoo PC, which was a luxury gaming brand, which currently operates as HP’s Omen after being acquired by HP. Sood also worked as a general manager at Microsoft Ventures, now known as M12, and had a startup called Unikrn, which was responsible for regulating e-sports betting on blockchain technology.

The Mecha Fight Club game features several team members:

• Amar Sood
• David R.
• MetaGear2600
• MFC Maddi
• skillsandvariety
• Moodie.eth
• Ryan J.