Chris Heatherly, the former head of NBCUniversal's gaming unit, has garnered $3 million in funding for his new venture, Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow. This startup aims to redefine the casual party game genre through its Web3 title, The Mystery Society.

Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow, under Heatherly's guidance, will combine classic gaming fun with Web3 aspects. His previous roles at Club Penguin and Disney have equipped him with a deep understanding of engaging gameplay, which he plans to extend to Web3 with The Mystery Society. This game, described as a mix between Among Us and Clue, brings a social deduction gameplay enriched with Web3 features such as NFTs, player-driven trades, and a secondary market. 

The game sets players inside a spooky castle filled with secrets and shadows. Within this setting, players, acting as family members, face off against impostors. 

Backing this venture is a $3 million investment led by Shima Capital, with contributions from other backers such as Sfermion, GSR Markets, Arca, Lyrik Ventures, Flying Falcon, Press Start Capital, and 32-Bit Ventures. Moreover, the game received support from Polygon Labs and will be running on the Polygon blockchain. 

With the game's beta version on the horizon, Heatherly is excited about introducing casual gamers to the world of blockchain. He believes the casual gaming sector, popularized by titles like Among Us, is a perfect platform for broadening the Web3 audience. 

Beta testers of The Mystery Society can look forward to rewards such as a special NFT that grants access to future in-game events. The game will first be available on Mac and PC browsers, with plans to expand to mobile devices. 

Heatherly's vision for The Mystery Society, inspired by the viral success of social deduction games, aims to innovate within the gaming sector. By fostering player-driven content and rewarding players with utility tokens, the game seeks to promote a vibrant community. 

Named after a song from the Disneyland carousel, Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow reflects Heatherly's vision for the studio. With the backing of crypto investors, the firm is poised to build a name for itself in the casual Web3 gaming scene.