Zed Champions Launches on Base with Auto Races and Token Strategy

Zed Run Is Gone, Zed Champions Takes Its Place

Virtually Human Studios has officially closed the chapter on Zed Run, its digital horse racing game on Polygon. Now, the company is launching a new version of the game called Zed Champions. This version lives on Base, the Ethereum layer-2 network built by Coinbase. The game’s public release is scheduled for Monday at 8pm ET. Zed Champions is not just a reboot. It’s a rework with fresh features and a different way to play.

Zed Champions introduces an automatic racing format. Players no longer have to manually enter races. Horses will automatically be matched with others of similar skill levels. This new system removes the need for active race management and lets the gameplay flow more easily. It brings more balance to the competition and encourages fair matchups across the board.

VHS CEO Nir Efrat said the game is designed to reward skill and strategy. The new version supports both casual players and veterans. It gives them strong reasons to stay involved. This update is meant to provide more long-term value and reduce the randomness that frustrated many players in the original version.

Source: X

ZED Token at the Core of the Experience

The ZED token is now central to everything in Zed Champions. Players use ZED tokens to enter races, breed new horses, and purchase power-ups. Every horse in the game has its own ZED balance. This balance changes based on performance and breeding value. Each race places a portion of this balance at risk. Winning grows the balance. Losing reduces it. Players have to think carefully before entering a race.

If a horse’s ZED balance grows large enough, the owner may decide to retire it and cash out. On the other hand, if a horse’s balance drops too low, retirement becomes forced. This adds another layer of strategy. Players are not just racing. They are managing an asset with value tied to both skill and market behavior.

One big change with Zed Champions is that old Zed Run horse NFTs will not carry over. Players start fresh with new horses and systems. However, those who earned badges in the original game before its shutdown received rewards in the new version. This includes free race and breeding horses, offering a bit of continuity for long-time fans.

Zed Run once led the way in NFT gaming. In 2021, it caught the attention of major brands like Budweiser and Stella Artois. That same year, Virtually Human Studios raised $20 million from investors including Andreessen Horowitz. Zed Run was a major player during the NFT boom. Some horses sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Monthly secondary sales reached millions.

Source: X

As the hype around NFTs faded, so did interest in Zed Run. The game shut down on February 28. NFT trading volume dropped fast. Horse NFTs saw roughly $28,000 in trade in February. By March, the figure was down to $627, according to CryptoSlam. Old Zed Run NFTs still exist on Polygon. Owners can still trade them, but they have no role in Zed Champions.

Zed Champions is launching with a clean slate. No old assets. No complicated transition. Just a new game with better structure. Efrat said the team took lessons from past mistakes. Under new leadership, they moved the game to Base and designed it for long-term success. For old fans and new users, Zed Champions offers a different kind of race. One that’s meant to last.