Missed the GamesBeat Summit excitement? Don't worry! Tune in now to catch all of the live and virtual sessions here.Mobile game maker Eyeball Games is partnering with Web3 platform Immutable to release Eyeball Pool, a blockchain-based mobile pool game. The game is currently in beta with a full launch planned for early 2024. The partnership with Immutable will enable Eyeball Games to accelerate the development of its blockchain-based title, which gives players full ownership of their digital assets and includes other features that come from using blockchain.Eyeball Games is a Singapore-based studio behind the hit mobile game 8 Ball Pool, which has over a billion downloads and over 10 million daily active players. The Original 8 Ball Pool creators are Karsten Niemer and Thomas Elgaard and they worked with Jonathan Ivarsson, founder of Eyeball Games on the new game. The team came together on a vision for a blockchain-based challenger to 8 Ball Pool, which gives gamers full ownership of their assets as part of a cutting-edge gameplay.Hoping to repeat its success in pool a decade ago, Eyeball Games designed Eyeball Pool from the ground up with its own physics engine and graphics. It has a player-vs-player mode and a range of tournament modes which include an AI skill-matching engine.“We believe there’s power in partnering with a specialized ecosystem for gaming versus one that tries to include all use cases,” said Jonathan Ivarsson, CEO of Eyeball Games, in a statement. “Immutable works day and night to improve its gaming ecosystem, developer tooling, and publishing capabilities – the Immutable zkEVM is a testament to this. With Immutable’s help, we look forward to redefining the pool game experience.” Partnering with Immutable and leveraging its application programming interfaces will allow Eyeball Games to significantly reduce the game’s development time and costs. Eyeball Pool is the first of a number of games rolling out on Immutable utilizing the recently announced Immutable zkEVM, which enables creators to tap into smart contracts to incorporate advanced trading and game mechanics.“Immutable Games Studio is constantly striving to push the boundaries and diversity of web3 games, and the addition of such a popular genre as pool to the Immutable blockchain family is yet another important step toward offering players as much variety as possible,” said Andrew Sorokovsky, vice president of global business development at Immutable, in a statement.In January, Eyeball Pool completed a 30-minute sellout mint of 4,001 genesis non-fungible tokens (NFTs) called Balldroids Gen 0. Players who missed the drop will soon have another chance. The team is expanding the NFT series with the introduction of the multiplayer Phase 2 game. The Balldroid Gen 1 will act as an early access pass, and the NFTs will be launched on ImmutableX.Balldroid holders can claim exclusive game starter packs of NFT cues, currency, and an NFT season pass that unlocks a paid rewards path. Balldroid holders will also enjoy a perpetual ad-free experience when the mobile game is launched. The full launch of Eyeball Pool on mobile devices is slated for Q1 2024, on Immutable zKEVM, after which the NFTs will convert into game starter packs with exclusive and unique items for the game. In the meantime, gamers can sign up for teasers, early releases and NFT whitelists through the official website.The Immutable gaming platform makes it easy for game studios to build and launch successful games on Ethereum. Immutable delivers a zero-knowledge (zk) scaling solution to the Ethereum community and provides developers with multiple zk-based scaling options.Eyeball Games has 13 employees and the newest entity was founded in July 2022. As for the inspiration, the company said that, after building the most popular mobile pool game ever, 8 Ball Pool, the team was excited to see how the use of blockchain can make interoperability and shared ownership evolve.“We want to fundamentally change the way our players interact with pool games,” the company said. “Players spend hours per week playing pool games. That level of dedication has spawned communities that include knowledge transfer, skill, influencers, and friendships. We want to develop an in-game ecosystem that befits these vibrant communities.”GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it. Discover our Briefings.Did you miss a session from our 15th annual GamesBeat Summit? Register to access the entire on-demand library.© 2023 VentureBeat. All rights reserved.