In a move that caught much of the web3 gaming world off guard, Jungle — the São Paulo-based studio behind For The Win (FTW) — has officially pulled the plug on its web3 ambitions. The news broke quietly in late April 2025, not through a big press release or a flashy social media post, but via a simple Discord announcement.
This ends a chapter for Jungle that started with a lot of hype — and a lot of money. Founded in 2022 by Joao Beraldo, Giulio Ferraro, and Lucas Kertzman, Jungle raised $6 million in seed funding from heavy hitters like BITKRAFT Ventures and Framework Ventures. Their mission sounded bold: make mobile-first games that bridged the gap between free to play and blockchain gaming. FTW was supposed to be the poster child for that idea. But that vision is now officially shelved.
Jungle's official X account hadn't posted anything since February 2025. Updates dried up. Hype cooled down. Community members started asking questions.
Then, on April 29th, a Jungle team member posted a blunt message on Discord: after "many late nights weighing trade-offs," Jungle would no longer pursue web3 development. Instead, they're taking FTW fully offchain and focusing purely on free to play mobile gaming.
In the message, Jungle thanked the community for their support — pointing to game nights, developer updates, a first tournament in September 2024, and the Genesis NFT mint as highlights of their web3 experiment. But they made it clear: survival of the project meant picking a side, and web3 didn't make the cut.
Jungle wasn’t some no-name team. The studio launched with real credibility and an idea that seemed well-timed: build fast, fun mobile games that mix blockchain features in a way regular gamers could enjoy. For The Win was designed to showcase that formula.
At its core, FTW is a mobile-first, free to play first-person shooter. Think quick, high-energy matches where players get random weapons and heroes, with gacha-style unlocks for skins, gear, and new characters. Battle royale elements kept the action spicy. Solo queue, team battles, weekly tournaments — FTW had the right mix for mobile competitiveness.
The web3 layer was supposed to add a twist. At first, FTW planned to launch on Solana, one of the fastest blockchains around. Players would own their characters and gear as NFTs. Earnings could come into play. Community-led tournaments and content could tie into an onchain economy. Jungle even minted their own Genesis NFTs to kick things off.
The reasons for the pivot aren't surprising if you've been following the broader web3 gaming scene.
In the Discord post, Jungle hinted at "community pressure," funding shifts, and the overall difficulty of building a blockchain title at scale. These challenges mirror what lots of web3 gaming projects have faced lately — shrinking venture capital interest, unclear player demand, and technical headaches that slow down development.
When it came down to it, Jungle had to choose: either keep burning resources on blockchain integrations or focus on what FTW was already doing well — mobile F2P shooter gameplay. They chose survival.
Despite leaving web3 behind, Jungle isn't out of the fight. FTW has clocked over 500,000 downloads on the Google Play Store as of April 2025. That's no small feat, especially without a major marketing push.
The team says they'll keep evolving FTW with new updates, tournaments, and community-driven content — just without the blockchain layer. In other words, FTW is now a regular mobile shooter, like PUBG Mobile or Call of Duty: Mobile, only with its own gacha-fueled flavor.
As for their web3 backers and the Genesis NFT holders? So far, there has been no word on compensation, conversion, or any future plans involving blockchain assets.
PlayToEarn
Sponsored Ad
Play games now
