Fracture Labs, Decimated and DIO Timeline

2018

• Fracture Labs is founded by Stephen Arnold, who self-funded the company and project for three years.
• Decimated is announced as a blockchain-integrated multiplayer survival game with a cyberpunk setting.
• A playable prototype is developed using Ethereum as the blockchain layer with a team of 5 developers.
• Initial community building and marketing begin, attracting interest from both traditional gamers and crypto investors.

2019–2021

• Decimated’s early development continues, refining the game world, vehicles, and character models.
• First gameplay teasers and blockchain integration concepts are introduced.
• Fracture Labs works on securing funding while continuing development.
• December 2021: Fracture Labs raises $4.1M for full game development, based on the Ethereum-based prototype.
• Fracture Labs wins an Epic Games MegaGrant, showcasing its potential.

2022

• January: The team makes a major pivot:
  • The game is restarted from scratch in Unreal Engine 5.
  • The blockchain layer switches from Ethereum to Solana.
  • Fracture Labs scales up the team to 55 to accelerate development.
• Throughout 2022, major progress is made in environment design, character mechanics, and core gameplay systems.
• Legal and financial challenges arise:
  • $1.4M of Fracture Labs’ funds are locked on Huobi (HTX).
  • Huobi holds Fracture Labs accountable for a DIO price pump-and-dump after listing.
  • Fracture Labs blames Jump Trading, the market maker, and the dispute is still ongoing.
  • The team is reduced to 25.

2023

• Fracture Labs continues development, focusing on open-world features, multiplayer interactions, and in-game economy mechanics.
• DIO token adoption grows, with further exchange listings and buyback mechanisms introduced.
• Work begins on the Decimated marketplace, with DIO-powered transactions.
• The team expands to 35.

2024

• The Decimated economy is refined, focusing on staking, transaction fees, and token-burning discussions.
• Treasury and leaderboard reward structures are optimized.
• Subscription models and other revenue streams are explored.
• Fracture Labs considers listing DIO on major CEXs.
• The Death Valley NFT collection is launched on Magic Eden, selling out 3000.

2025 (Current Status)

• The current alpha version of Decimated represents three years of work (January 2022–January 2025) in Unreal Engine 5.
• Continued work on game economy balancing, token burns, and in-game marketplace structure.
• Treasury and revenue strategies adjusted to align with player activity and external market conditions.
• The $1.4M Huobi (HTX) and Jump Trading dispute remains unresolved.

Future Plans

• Scaling the game economy with more marketplace transactions, rental mechanics, and token sinks.
• Potential CEX listings for DIO if beneficial to the ecosystem.
• Expanding leaderboard rewards and incentive structures to retain players.
• Continued development and iteration of the Decimated world and game mechanics.