Players in a new online “shoot ‘em up” game will be rewarded with cash every time they shoot down an opponent.

The creators of Kwari have promised a revolutionary game that combines the buzz of online betting with a new principle: “cash for kills”.

Kwari, made by the London-based games publisher of the same name, is a multiplayer game that is downloaded free. It is a “first-person shooter” similar to other popular violent games such as Quake and Unreal Tournament.

Gamers must set up cash accounts before they can play others over the web. They agree a “stake” level, such as £1 for a “hit”, and buy ammunition from the publisher before entering the “killing floor”. There, every time a player scores a “hit” money is transferred from the target’s account to that of the successful shooter.

An unlimited number of players can take part and money from contestants around the world will contribute to a regular jackpot prize, which the publishers claim could be worth “millions of dollars”. Eddie Gill, the company’s founder, said: “Money changes everything. I wanted to create something that had more of a buzz than a traditional shooting game.”

The key to its success will be technology that allows financial transactions to take place at high speed over the internet.

The game will be available towards the end of the year. But the company is already signing up players to test the game through its website. It tells players: “ Kwari has been designed with a singular purpose in mind – to give you the opportunity to translate your shooter skills into some serious cash.

“Every time you hit another player you make money. Every time you are hit by another player it costs you. Even an average player should be able to get ahead in the game quickly.”

The company added that all the money staked would go towards player cash prizes.

Al King, the marketing director, said: “This is an inevitable evolution for online gaming. Like most skill-based or competitive games, once played at a professional level or where money is involved, it’s unappealing to return to an amateur status.”