The Peaky Blinders are going digital. Not in the sense of streaming, though they’re already quite good at that. No, the Shelby Company Limited is trading Birmingham’s smoky backstreets for the blockchain, thanks to a deal between Anonymous Labs and Banijay Rights. Eighty million viewers already know the name; now, they’ll have a chance to own a piece of the action.
- Peaky Blinders is entering the Web3 space with a blockchain-based project, aiming to create a new digital ecosystem for fans.
- Anonymous Labs is developing a AAA video game where players can build criminal empires in 1920s England, incorporating digital collectibles and blockchain technology.
- The project seeks to attract the existing Peaky Blinders audience to crypto by offering a familiar world and compelling characters, using blockchain for transactions and ownership.
Anonymous Labs, the folks who previously tokenized Simon’s Cat, aren’t messing around. They’re building a full-blown Web3 ecosystem around the show, complete with a AAA video game. That’s gaming industry speak for “expensive” and “ambitious.” Think sprawling maps, detailed characters, and a whole lot of digital stuff you can buy, sell, and trade. It’s a gamble, sure, but one that could pay off handsomely.
Shelby Digital: A New Kind of Legacy
The idea isn’t just to slap a blockchain onto an existing game. It’s to build something new, something that feels genuinely Peaky Blinders. Players will be able to forge their own criminal empires, make deals, and generally cause trouble in 1920s England. Digital collectibles will be part of the mix, naturally, but the real goal is fan engagement. Anonymous Labs wants to lure in the existing Peaky Blinders audience, not just crypto natives.
Wojciech Gruszka, head of Development at Peaky Blinders Web3 Game, put it plainly: this is a big deal. “Peaky Blinders is arguably the biggest IP to date to embark on building a blockchain-based project,” he said. It’s a statement, but not a wildly inaccurate one. Most blockchain games struggle to attract mainstream attention. A show with a built-in audience of 80 million? That’s a different story. It’s about more than just a game; it’s about new revenue streams and, crucially, brand loyalty in a space that desperately needs both.
Let’s be honest, crypto can feel…complicated. A lot of jargon, a lot of risk. The Peaky Blinders project aims to sidestep that. It’s a familiar world, compelling characters, and a story people already love. The blockchain stuff is just the engine underneath, quietly handling the transactions and ownership. It’s a clever way to onboard a new audience, one illicit deal at a time.
The question, of course, is whether it will work. Can a beloved TV show successfully transition to Web3 without alienating its fanbase? Can Anonymous Labs deliver on the promise of a AAA gaming experience? Only time will tell. But one thing is certain: the streets of Birmingham are about to get a whole lot more decentralized. And probably a little more dangerous.
