Multiplayer Sports Brawler “Sparkball” Joins the Somnia Ecosystem With New Web3 Features

Somnia, the blockchain for gaming and entertainment, announces the launch of Sparkball, a 4v4 sports brawler from Opti Games, into its growing network of Web3-native and Web2-transitioning titles. Arriving on the Somnia network, the launch of Sparkball comes after the title secured over $2 million in funding in 2024 to expand the game to new communities. The move brings better performance, greater blockchain utility and a new community of players to the Sparkball fandom, accelerating the gaming experience.

Built by a team with experience at Riot, Blizzard, and EA, Sparkball features fast-paced matches that blend strategic mastery from League of Legends and action sports similar to Rocket League and FIFA. The launch of Sparkball on Somnia will introduce all new engagement mechanisms to the game including wager mechanics, AI vs AI, and a host of other features, incentives, and rewards.

“Sparkball is exactly the kind of game Somnia was built for—competitive, player-driven, and technically ambitious,” said Paul Thomas, Founder of Somnia. “We’re not layering blockchain onto games as an afterthought. We’ve engineered infrastructure to support the real demands of multiplayer gameplay, dynamic content, and persistent economies at scale.”

The game has already carved out a competitive footprint, including collaborations with G2, Cloud9, Fnatic, and more at their Sparkball Ascension Invitational Tournament. With their upcoming Season Zero later this year, Sparkball will launch its full Battle Pass and ranked ladder system, paving the way for formal esports integration. Alongside it, Season Zero is set to include Somnia-specific enhancements including an exclusive Somnia-themed skin!

Opti Games Founder, Chandler Thomlison, added: "Within the first 10 minutes of chatting during our playtest with the Somnia team, it was clear our visions for the future of gaming and how we get there were aligned. We truly believe Sparkball is going to make the world a happier place and we're honored to have the incredible support and tech of Somnia behind us!"

Herman Narula, CEO of Improbable and co-founder of Somnia comments “I’m really excited for Sparkball to launch on Somnia. Having worked on many games over the years, the founders have really built something that engages its community in a fun way and we’re hugely supportive of this latest addition to the Somnia and Improbable ecosystem.”

This launch is part of Somnia’s testnet ramp-up with recent releases ranging from Maelstrom and Procedure to experimental titles like Rock Paper Scissors Core and the Ghibli Pet Game—showcasing Somnia’s capacity for high-frequency interaction and dynamic economies.

Unlike chains that fork legacy code or retrofit infrastructure for gaming, Somnia was built from the ground up for persistent identity, portable assets, scalable multiplayer, and on-chain activity at speed with Somnia capable of over 1 million TPS. Its performance has already been demonstrated in Chunked.xyz, an MMO that processed over 250 million transactions in one weekend during a community stress test.

Backed by Improbable and supported by partners including Mirana Ventures and CMT Digital, Somnia combines AAA development experience with blockchain-native design. The network is already host to over two dozen projects, many exploring AI-driven gameplay, user-generated content, and interoperable world-building through tools like Dream Builder.

Sparkball joins a growing lineup of culturally rich and technically robust titles on Somnia, including Crusader and Masks of the Void.

Players won't need to wait long to get their hands on Sparkball - it's available to play for free during Steam Next Fest (9-16 June).

About Somnia

Somnia is the fastest, most cost-effective EVM Layer-1 blockchain, capable of processing over 1 million transactions per second with sub-second finality and sub-cent fees. With this performance, Somnia enables real-time, fully on-chain experiences that go beyond financial applications. It’s the ideal foundation for building large-scale games, social platforms, metaverse economies, and AI-powered applications. Somnia’s architecture supports fully composable systems, empowering builders to create immersive, intelligent, and interactive digital experiences that scale to millions of users.

About Sparkball

Sparkball is a 4v4 adrenaline-packed ‘sports brawler’ where players select from a cast of lovably unique heroes and carefully balance both ballin' and brawlin' to score in the enemy team's goal! Affectionately described as League of Legends meets Rocket League, Sparkball grips you immediately with its dopamine-inducing take on combat sports and keeps you coming back for more as you strive to master its surprisingly complex strategies.