Proof of Play Shuts Down, Open-Sources Pirate Nation Assets

Proof of Play, founded by FarmVille co-creator Amitt Mahajan, sought to prove that games could run onchain, give players ownership of digital assets and persist beyond the life of a studio. The company raised a $33 million seed round on Sept. 21, 2023, co-led by a16z crypto and Greenoaks. Its flagship role-playing game, Pirate Nation, became a closely watched test of whether decentralized infrastructure and token-based economies could support a durable gaming business.

Proof of Play said on Aug. 4, 2026, that it would cease operations after concluding it could not build a sustainable business around its decentralized gaming thesis. The studio plans to open-source Pirate Nation’s game assets and development tools, allowing community developers to preserve or extend the project. The PIRATE token will remain outside the corporate wind-down, with the independent Pirate Nation Foundation continuing to oversee and maintain it after the company closes.