Former TikTok gaming head to launch blockchain gaming startup

Jason Fung, the former head of short-video giant TikTok’s gaming division, is launching a blockchain gaming startup, Reuters reported on Tuesday.

The new venture, called Meta0, is building a protocol for developers to make game development more flexible and blockchain-agnostic. 

“With a protocol that we’re developing, developers can easily build their game-leveraging strengths of different blockchains, and allow the user the flexibility of transferring their NFTs cross-chain,” Fung said.

According to Fung, the service his company would provide will be a more interoperable option. “Right now, if you look at any developer when they implement NFTs or blockchain in their games, they have to choose a single blockchain, be it Polygon or Solana or Binance Smart Chain,” he said.

Fung will be responsible for growing Meta0’s partner ecosystem, which includes game developers, channel partners, and Layer1/Layer2 blockchains, according to NextBigFututre’s report. 

As global head of TikTok’s game strategy and operations, Fung was tasked with expanding the game’s content and testing new features, such as hosting mini-games on the app.

Before joining TikTok, he was the head of the e-sports units in Alibaba and Electronic Arts in Asia.

Fung decided to leave after seeing an opportunity to offer a solution to the current segregated nature of infrastructure options available to developers looking to build blockchain games.

Meta0, which has less than 10 members in its founding team, has completed its first round of financing, according to Feng, who refused to provide specifics about additional members or investments.

The founder said the company was looking to raise funds through issuing tokens, as well as from venture capitalists and strategic investors.