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Sparkball

Sparkball is a fun, action-packed sports game featuring two teams of four battling each other to score balls within the enemy's goal.

<p>The road ahead for Sparkball just became steeper. The development team announced on August 5 that a crucial investment deal that would fund the game through a full year of development fell through.</p><p>This unexpected loss of funding came right after&nbsp;<a href="https://funjible.games/news/Sparkball-Opens-Access-For-All-Steam-Next-Fest">Sparkball’s participation in Steam Next Fest</a>. During the festival, Sparkball was accessible to all players to stress-test its ranked matchmaking.</p><div class="raw-html-embed">
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            SPARKBALL UPDATE:
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            We've been a bit quiet post Next Fest as we were finalizing an investment deal that would guarantee us a full year to finish development on Sparkball and release next year. Unfortunately, we learned a couple days ago that that deal was no longer happening.… <a href="https://t.co/MWodYoZ4MF">pic.twitter.com/MWodYoZ4MF</a>
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        — LET'S PLAY SPARKBALL! (@playSparkball) <a href="https://twitter.com/playSparkball/status/1952521705576108533?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2025</a>
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</div><p>According to the August 5 statement by Sparkball, the team had been developing the game under the assumption that its year-long funding runway was secured. The loss of this opportunity will now force Sparkball to transition into a much smaller team and operate on limited resources.</p><p>“It’s incredibly backbreaking to build a competitive multiplayer game like Sparkball on a limited and uncertain budget,” the announcement reads. “We’re very… very down right now, but not out quite yet.”</p><h2>How will Sparkball survive?</h2><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:65.91%;"><img src="https://assets.funjible.games/sparkball_investment_d3e5e964a1.jpg" alt="Sparkball in game screenshot" srcset="https://assets.funjible.games/sparkball_investment_d3e5e964a1.jpg 226w, https://assets.funjible.games/sparkball_investment_d3e5e964a1.jpg 500w" sizes="100vw"></figure><p>Sparkball’s immediate plan is to spend the next 1.5 months preparing “Phase 1” of the Save Sparkball campaign. This effort aims to showcase why the game deserves to be fully funded.</p><p>Sparkball will also use a part of the remaining budget to deliver on past incentives, such as NFTs, badges, and Friendship rewards. At the time of writing, the team stated they would not sell anything or run community-driven funding campaigns due to ethical concerns. Sparkball needs ~$2 million to “reliably launch” the game.</p><p>If you’d like to support&nbsp;<a href="https://sparkadia.gg/">Sparkball</a>, you can share your kind words online, participate in events, and help improve the game’s visibility as a part of its community.</p><p>This development highlights just how challenging today’s gaming market has become, both in the Web2 and Web3 scenes. We’ve already seen high-profile closures, like&nbsp;<a href="https://funjible.games/news/nyan-heroes-ends-development-after-13-m-raised-4-playtests">Nyan Heroes, which ended development earlier this year despite raising $13 million</a>.</p><h2>What’s Next for Sparkball?</h2><p>The next 1.5 months will be decisive for Sparkball. If Phase 1 can showcase the game’s value and help it get the necessary funding, Sparkball may still make it to its planned release in Q2 2026.</p><p>However, if the opposite happens and Sparkball fails to secure funding, it may join the&nbsp;<a href="https://funjible.games/news/The-Great-Fade-Why-Crypto-Games-Are-Shutting-Down">Great Fade that has seen many crypto games shut down</a>. The devs disclosed that they’ll remain “largely silent” to focus on Phase 1, which has pivotal importance for the game’s future.</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UNYNRcWKkk0?si=MEIC4BRc1OtTAk5o" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

Features

Funding Shortfall Puts Sparkball in a Difficult Spot

Major Funding Loss Puts Sparkball’s Development at Risk

<p>Steam has been clear about its views on blockchain games since 2021. Valve has taken a strong stance against listing Web3 game titles that use NFTs. They even set guidelines that ban "applications built on blockchain technology that issue or allow exchange of cryptocurrencies or NFTs." However, Valve may be reconsidering this stance. Despite the restrictions a few GameFi projects have successfully appeared on Steam's platform recently.&nbsp;</p><p>One reason for Steam's initial ban relates to the Steam Community Market. This market lets players trade skins and is a major revenue source for Steam. <a href="https://funjible.games/news/top-10-play-to-earn-games-in-2025">Play-to-earn games</a> often have decentralized marketplaces outside Valve's control. This situation cuts Steam out and threatens its influence over item economies and transaction fees.</p><p>In summary, Steam's resistance to crypto games was mainly about protecting its business model. Still, we've seen titles like <a href="https://funjible.games/games/off-the-grid">Off the Grid</a>, <a href="https://funjible.games/games/Sparkball">Sparkball</a>, <a href="https://funjible.games/games/Bornless">The Bornless</a> and other blockchain games make it onto Steam recently.&nbsp;</p><p><img src="https://assets.funjible.games/steam_web3_game_listings_off_the_grid_888c7afe30.jpg" alt="steam-web3-game-listings-off-the-grid.jpg" srcset="https://assets.funjible.games/thumbnail_steam_web3_game_listings_off_the_grid_888c7afe30.jpg 245w,https://assets.funjible.games/small_steam_web3_game_listings_off_the_grid_888c7afe30.jpg 500w,https://assets.funjible.games/medium_steam_web3_game_listings_off_the_grid_888c7afe30.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw"></p><h2>Why did Steam start listing Web3 games?</h2><p>Valve has started listing Web3 games on Steam, but it hasn’t changed its policy. The original rules still apply: games that allow NFT or cryptocurrency exchanges are still banned. So, what’s going on?</p><p>The real story is that Steam began listing Web3 games because GameFi projects adapted their features. When <a href="https://gunzillagames.com/en/news/64-Off-The-Grid-Is-Coming-To-Steam">Off the Grid launched its early access version on Steam</a>, it had no active Web3 features. It worked just like a traditional multiplayer shooter, lacking wallet connections, tokens, or NFTs. Developers added blockchain features months later, keeping them optional.</p><p>Some Web3 games turn off crypto features in their Steam versions. This means players wanting blockchain functionalities must download separate clients from the developers' websites. This approach helps games meet Valve’s rules while sticking to their mission.</p><p>Overall, we’re not seeing Valve relax its policy. Developers are finding a compromise instead. Many Web3 games have stopped focusing on blockchain features as their main selling point, leading to better outcomes for Steam listings.</p><p><img src="https://assets.funjible.games/steam_web3_game_listings_sparkball_7f7de6521e.jpg" alt="steam-web3-game-listings-sparkball.jpg" srcset="https://assets.funjible.games/thumbnail_steam_web3_game_listings_sparkball_7f7de6521e.jpg 245w,https://assets.funjible.games/small_steam_web3_game_listings_sparkball_7f7de6521e.jpg 500w,https://assets.funjible.games/medium_steam_web3_game_listings_sparkball_7f7de6521e.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw"></p><h2>Why are Web3 games compromising for Steam?</h2><p>Web3 games are making concessions to get on Steam because they desperately need access to the platform's massive audience. The reality is that many blockchain gaming projects can easily secure a spot on the Epic Games Store, but Steam remains the behemoth of the PC gaming market, boasting the largest user base, unparalleled visibility, and robust community features that are hard to replicate. If you're looking to grow your game, skipping Steam would be a costly mistake, leaving a significant portion of your potential player base untapped.</p><p>There's also a strategic benefit to adapting to Steam's requirements. Console giants like PlayStation and Xbox have similar policies in place, so if a Web3 game can successfully navigate Steam's checks, it sets itself up for smoother future console releases. This approach can save developers a lot of hassle and resources in the long run.</p><p>However, these compromises come with consequences. When blockchain features are optional, a significant majority of players can simply ignore them. If the core game stands on its own without any Web3-related elements, there's little incentive for players to explore those systems. This creates another challenge for developers, as they need to make Web3 features appealing and worthwhile, otherwise, players will simply overlook them.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RFUIbzpuxuQ?si=HQMIu8gb1n0srlLg" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

Gaming Platforms 

Web3 gaming titles have discovered how to work around the restrictions of Steam. 

How Web3 Games Are Bypassing Steam's Anti-Crypto Stance

<p>Sparkball is now live on Steam Next Fest. The game has dropped its access-key restrictions. Everyone can now test the matchmaking system and content in the game.</p><p><a href="https://funjible.games/games/Sparkball">Sparkball</a>’s ranked system is also live, and the competitive queue will be live 9am to 9pm Pacific. Devs have been adding updates to improve matchmaking. On <a href="https://x.com/playSparkball/status/1932469966416273756">June 10</a>, they introduced a soft MMR reset.</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It's finally time...<br><br>SPARKBALL IS OFFICIALLY LIVE FOR STEAM NEXT FEST!!!<br><br>Watch the Launch Trailer - <a href="https://t.co/1ixCU4PN3s">https://t.co/1ixCU4PN3s</a><br><br>Matchmaking officially launches on Monday and runs all week (9 AM to 9 PM PST), but you can download now to run our Challenge Modes to find your Main… <a href="https://t.co/Rn9LMpGVUc">pic.twitter.com/Rn9LMpGVUc</a></p>— LET'S PLAY SPARKBALL! (@playSparkball) <a href="https://twitter.com/playSparkball/status/1931347998900158852?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>At the time of writing, Sparkball aims to stabilize the ranked experience. This helps new players grow, while also giving experienced players challenging matches that fit their skill level.&nbsp;</p><p>The <a href="https://sparkadia.gg">games</a> updates have now fixed bugs that caused split lobbies, screen glitches, and reversed MMR rewards. Soon, another hotfix will arrive to solve party stabilization issues and improve region selection logic. This will prevent players from connecting to high-ping servers.</p><h2>The Biggest Test of Sparkball</h2><p><img src="https://assets.funjible.games/sparkball_steam_release_2_0b509a8243.jpg" alt="sparkball-steam-release-2.jpg" srcset="https://assets.funjible.games/thumbnail_sparkball_steam_release_2_0b509a8243.jpg 245w,https://assets.funjible.games/small_sparkball_steam_release_2_0b509a8243.jpg 500w,https://assets.funjible.games/medium_sparkball_steam_release_2_0b509a8243.jpg 750w,https://assets.funjible.games/large_sparkball_steam_release_2_0b509a8243.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw"></p><p>Steam Next Fest offers exposure, for sure, but it can also expose weaknesses. A Steam release of this caliber also serves as a stress test as new players continue downloading the game. When the player count increases, users can start running into new bugs or errors, causing developers to act swiftly with hotfixes.</p><p>Watching games struggle through tough development phases gives Web3 gaming fans hope for the future. This hope is crucial now, especially with many <a href="https://funjible.games/news/The-Great-Fade-Why-Crypto-Games-Are-Shutting-Down">crypto games shutting down</a>. Despite the setbacks, developers keep launching new events and updates, like the <a href="https://funjible.games/news/My-Neighbor-Alice-Launches-500k-token-Airdrop">500,000 token airdrop for My Neighbor Alice</a>.</p><p>Turning to Sparkball, the ongoing Steam Next Fest may impact its short-term plans. Developers will probably gather useful activity data and feedback from new and experienced players. This feedback can help improve the game's competitive experience, <a href="https://funjible.games/news/moba-and-rocket-league-players-will-love-this-game-sparkball">similar to MOBAs and games like Rocket League</a>.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UNYNRcWKkk0?si=Q-xmp4aKleOytRpS" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>

Steam Next Fest Becomes a Crucial Stress Test for Sparkball

Sparkball Opens to All During Steam Next Fest

<p><span style="background-color:rgba(0,0,0,0.05);color:rgb(19,19,19);font-family:Roboto, Arial, sans-serif;">Arena action like never before! From the minds behind Blizzard and Riot Games comes Sparkball, the next evolution in competitive arena gameplay. This high-octane title fuses the fast-paced thrills of Rocket League with the strategic depth of League of Legends.&nbsp;</span><br>&nbsp;</p>

Videos

Arena action like never before! From the minds behind Blizzard and Riot Games comes Sparkball, the next evolution in competitive arena gameplay. This high-octane title fuses the fast-paced thrills of Rocket League with the strategic depth of League of Legends.


Major Funding Loss Puts Sparkball’s Development at Risk

How Web3 Games Are Bypassing Steam's Anti-Crypto Stance

Sparkball Opens to All During Steam Next Fest

MOBA & Rocket League players will love this game - Sparkball

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