Well well well, look who crawled out of cryo-sleep with $30.5M in VC cash and a dream. John “EverQuest/PlanetSide/H1Z1/Amazon Games kinda still owes us something” Smedley just decloaked with his new studio, Distinct Possibility Studios (subtle name, 10/10), and their first big bet: Reaper Actual. It’s a PC-based persistent PVPVE open-world loot shooter (yes, all the acronyms) where you get to buy a base, hoard loot like a crypto whale in 2021, and watch AI factions fight each other while trying not to get looted by some 13-year-old from Ohio. The hook? You’re on the island of Marova (cue mysterious music), picking missions that help one faction while pissing off others – including real human players who’ll gladly raid your stuff if you’re offline or poorly defended. Think Tarkov meets Planetside, then add AI agents defending your Fortnite house and sprinkle in some MMO crafting-porn. And yes, there’s a web2 version – free-to-play, launching on Steam and EGS with battle passes and "totally fair" cosmetics that promise “no skill advantage.” Heard that one before, right? BUT WAIT. There’s also the Web3 version (because of course there is) — only available through their own launcher (classic move), running on Etherlink, Tezos' new EVM L2. You’ll “own” bases, reaper characters (sniper, engineer, recon, etc.), and gear as NFTs. Want your base to feel more real estate-y than real fun? Now you can! Oh, and don’t worry — none of your NFT toys can transfer into the Steam version, because Valve still thinks crypto is a cult. So basically, two games: one for normies, one for the degen squad. They’re also dropping a game token (because web3), but details are “TBA,” so prepare for another “community-first” airdrop with “no roadmap, but lots of vibes.” TL;DR: John Smedley is back with Reaper Actual, a PVPVE loot shooter with base-building, AI factions, and player raids. $30.5M in VC fuel. Web2 version = Steam/Epic, F2P, battle passes, and cosmetics. Web3 version = NFTs on Etherlink, separate launcher, own your loot (but not your destiny). No pay-to-win (they promise). Let the speculation (and base-raiding) begin. Anyone else feel a 2021 flashback coming on, or is it just my MetaMask heating up? 🫡 Let’s ride, reapers.