The third annual NFT.NYC conference –– arguably the world’s most prominent gathering concerning NFT technology –– took place last year and was the biggest yet, attended by some 5,000 participants. A Beeple auction took place, with perhaps the most celebrated digital artist of our times selling a piece for $29 million. Celebrity guests and speakers of all kinds involved themselves, with Logan Paul, Wayne Brady, and Busta Rhymes all taking part; it’s no wonder the event has become known as “Cryptochella!”
For gamers, however, the most exciting announcement wasn’t a celebrity speech or an NFT sale –– but a game.
MetalCore
MetalCore –– from MetalCore Foundation –– will be an MMORPG that allows players to collect rare and exclusive weapons, skins, and cosmetic meshes as NFT’s. It will then be possible to trade these assets in game.
In a nod to the metaverse, players will also have the ability to become virtual landowners within the game’s world map, such that they can mine for resources and even raise tax revenue from other players.
Developed by Studio 369 –– Unreal Engine 4 experts, whose team includes talent drawn from the likes of Disney, Midway and Activision –– MetalCore could represent the most exciting embrace of digital assets in the gaming industry thus far. However digital assets and gaming do have a fair amount of shared history already….
Crypto as Payment
The use of digital assets in gaming really dates back to the first instance of cryptocurrency payment acceptance, some five years ago. At that time, Valve partnered with Bitpay to allow users to buy games from Steam with Bitcoin.
These days you can buy games for numerous consoles (as well as PC) via Bitcoin. Sites such as G2A, joltfun, and GamesPlanet all support crypto purchasing, as do some brick-and-mortar retailers like CeX.
Fan Tokens
More recently, digital asset are also becoming prominent in competitive gaming, with professionals embracing them as a way to boost engagement with fans. Various eSports teams have made deals with the online platform Socios, which supports a digital fan token marketplace via its own cryptocurrency, Chiliz.
These tokens have been used by traditional sporting franchises like FC Barcelona and Juventus to offer holders perks such as voting rights on team decisions, exclusive merch, and meet and greets with players. But lately, their migration into eSports has been gaining pace, with teams like OG, Endpoint CeX, and Natus Vincere all having established tokens.
Play to Earn
We have also begun to see the emergence of new games that reward players with digital assets for in-game accomplishments. And who wouldn’t want to get paid for having fun? The sector’s most popular game currently is Axie Infinity, a game in which players breed and train creatures called Axies.
Based on December 2021 Ethereum prices, the average Axie Infinity player earns around $20 per day simply from playing the game. However, the real earning potential comes from the sale of their Axies –– which are NFTs, and will typically change hands for $200 to $350. Imagine, if you like, monetizing a Pokémon stable, and you’re most of the way there.
Integration
Building on developments like these, MetalCore represents an exciting moment in crypto gaming. This is because it brings together a series of core elements into a tried-and-tested format. The MMORPG style of gaming is wildly popular, with the League of Legends player base spanning some 180 million gamers as of this writing.
Additionally, players like rare and desirable items. They appreciate being able to customize characters exactly how they want to.
And finally, microtransactions have been a part of gaming for a long time now, and the move into NFTs will be seen as an evolution rather than a remaking of the wheel. The market for such a game is mature, and arguably ready –– however the industry hasn’t quite brought these elements together yet.
Currently, only 10 of the top-50 blockchain games are actually finished, live games. However, it seems like the game which makes a compelling and engaging universe first could become a dominant player in the sector.
Will that game is MetalCore? It certainly could be, if the studio talent is any yardstick to measure by. We’ll know more in time, and Cyberrockk is the place to check for updates as we approach what could be a genre-defining release.
