In Brief
- Game Hibernation: The ICP blockchain game Dragginz, created by Neopets co-founders Adam and Donna Powell, has entered a phase of hibernation.
- Funding Challenges: The decision comes amid financial strains exacerbated by a 63% decrease in the ICP token price in 2025.
- Project Continuation: The development team remains committed to Dragginz, stating the project is a passion and they plan to resume work in the future.
Game Development Paused
The ICP blockchain MMORPG Dragginz, spearheaded by Adam Powell and Donna Powell, renowned for their earlier creation Neopets, is now on temporary hold. The project’s pause affects its world builder and 3D development teams who have been directed to halt their operations. Though this marks a significant slowdown, the project is not being abandoned.
Shift of Focus and Funding Issues
In the lead-up to this development, the Powells had shifted some focus towards building an NFT creation and marketplace platform called Toko, currently in alpha phase. This platform was anticipated to integrate directly with Dragginz to manage complex NFT functionalities essential for the game. The development team highlighted the need for advanced NFT features, stating, “We reached a point in development where we needed NFTs that could actually do things. Hold state, have function, and exist fully on-chain, not just be images on AWS. That’s why we have been building Toko.”
However, the primary driver behind the game’s hibernation has been financial strains, notably due to a significant drop in the value of the ICP token, which plummeted by 63% over the course of 2025. This decline has posed substantial economic challenges for sustaining high-cost creative projects like Dragginz.
Future Outlook
Despite the current hurdles, the development team is optimistic about the future of Dragginz. The passion for the project remains strong, with assurances that this pause is merely a temporary setback. The team expressed their continued commitment, saying, “This isn’t the end of Dragginz — far from it. Dragginz is our passion project, and we will make it the best game we possibly can. It’s just going to take a little longer.” Their statement reflects a hopeful stance towards resuming the project once financial and operational conditions stabilize.