While a lot of crypto gaming activity is taking place in the Ethereum and Solana ecosystems, Zebedee has consistently banged the drum for Bitcoin over the last couple years. Now the gaming startup has raised fresh funding with a surprising gaming giant in the mix: Square Enix, the publisher of Final Fantasy.

Zebedee today announced a $35 million Series B funding round led by Kingsway Capital, which includes participation from Square Enix and The Raine Group, plus existing Zebedee investors Initial Capital and Lakestar.

Zebedee’s platform makes it possible for game developers to build in micropayments via the Lightning Network, which is built on Bitcoin. Game studios can offer small amounts of Bitcoin as rewards for playing games, for example, and the firm provides an application programming interface (API) for developers to implement the tech and an app for gamers to access their Bitcoin rewards.

Early in 2021, Zebedee showcased the technology by launching special servers for Valve’s popular online shooter, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), letting players wager and win Bitcoin rewards for competing in online matches. According to the company, the average size of a transaction on its platform is just $0.08 worth of Bitcoin via the Lightning Network.

Zebedee previously raised a Series A round of $11.5 million in September 2021, and the company said that it has thus far raised about $50 million in…