In Brief
Ultra’s Strategic Downsizing: The blockchain gaming platform, Ultra, is reducing its workforce to seven core members, refocusing its business strategy towards blockchain services for 2026.
Paused Developments: Developments on Ultra’s gaming client and its games, Citadels and Empires, have been temporarily suspended.
Future Initiatives: Plans include launching a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) in January 2026 and prioritizing the improvement of key blockchain functionalities.
Ultra, a platform at the forefront of integrating blockchain technology with gaming, is undergoing a significant transformation. The company is scaling back its operations, narrowing its focus on blockchain technology amid challenges in sustaining its expansive ecosystem. With the workforce being streamlined to just seven core team members, Ultra is honing in on essential blockchain functionalities rather than broader ambitions.
Background and Changes
The change in course follows a period of attempted growth and diversification, which included a successful $12 million fundraising effort initiated under the leadership of former CEO Gus van Rijckevorsel in 2025. However, despite these efforts, the company encountered hurdles with its expansion strategy. The extensive scope of its platform included a game store, an NFT marketplace, and various gaming services.
Ultra expressed in a statement: “We believed building a complete ecosystem from day one was the right path. In doing so, we lost focus and couldn’t bring every component to the level of excellence we envisioned.” Collaborative ventures like those with Vaulta aimed at exploring the DeFi sector also spread the company’s resources thin. These revelations prompted a return to leadership under co-founder Nicolas Gilot and a strategic contraction to core functions.
Immediate Priorities and Future Roadmap
With a new direction set against the backdrop of current market analyses, Ultra has decided to funnel its resources more effectively, starting with the suspension of certain projects. The development of the games Citadels and Empires, as well as the gaming client itself, are on hold as Ultra refocuses on its blockchain infrastructure. The maintained elements include the Chrome extension, web wallet, NFT APIs, and the user onboarding process.
Looking ahead, the establishment of the Ultra DAO in January 2026 marks a pivotal move. The DAO aims to manage an ecosystem accelerator that benefits from Ultra’s treasury, nurturing growth and innovation within the network. Moreover, plans are underway to introduce a new infrastructure bridge early next year. Ultra maps out these and other initiatives in a timeline that extends through the first quarter of 2026, hoping eventually to reevaluate the future of key projects like Citadels and Empires.
