This Week in Gaming | Web3 Minecraft, Arbitrum Arcade Launches and more
Web3 Game Development
The popular Notcoin game on Telegram will clear inactive accounts before the airdrop Read More
Notcoin is a game on Telegram where players 'click to earn tokens', attracting over 26 million users. Notcoin announced it will remove tokens mined by accounts inactive for 30 days starting March, significantly reducing airdrop tokens. Over 3.4 trillion Notcoins have been mined, expected to decrease before the airdrop due to this policy. The listing exchange and expected price for the token remain unclear.
Ethereum NFT card game 'Gods Unchained' launches on iOS and Android Read More
The game, part of the Immutable X ecosystem, has been released for mobile devices. It was invested in by OKX Venture and its tokens have been issued and traded on exchanges such as Coinbase, OKX, and HTX. Initially launched on Ethereum in 2018, the game later moved to Immutable's Layer 2 network, generating $350 million in NFT sales. The developers aim to create a blockchain version of 'Hearthstone', and the mobile release allows users to play the game almost anywhere.
Minecraft bans NFTs, leading NFT World to separate and rebrand as Hytopia, soon launching its own crypto game Read More
Following Minecraft's ban on NFTs, the blockchain project NFT Worlds rebranded to Hytopia, diverging from Minecraft to develop its own crypto game. Initially utilizing a custom Minecraft server to sell in-game land as NFTs on Ethereum's Polygon network, NFT Worlds faced challenges after the ban. Despite this, the team pivoted towards creating Hytopia, their game, launching it along with their own blockchain, Hychain. Hytopia is nearing its release, aiming to blend Minecraft's aesthetic with Roblox's user-generated content model, offering a platform for players to create and share their own games without requiring NFT ownership.
Star Wars Stormtrooper Joins Solana Game MixMob as NFT Character Read More
MixMob, a Solana-based game, has incorporated the Stormtrooper from "Star Wars: A New Hope" as an NFT collectible and playable character in its Racer 1 game, combining racing and card strategy. This unique deal was made with Shepperton Design Studios and prop maker Andrew Ainsworth, not Disney or Lucasfilm. Ainsworth, who designed the original Stormtrooper, secured rights to commercialize the design after a legal battle with Lucasfilm. MixMob aims to add more licensed content, with a mobile version set to debut in Q2 2024.
Arbitrum Arcade Launches: A Gameathon Showcasing Web3 Gaming and Creator Support Read More
Arbitrum Foundation unveils Arbitrum Arcade, a gameathon starting March 11 to spotlight Web3 gaming, reward content creators with $200,000 in grants and custom PCs, and integrate onchain achievements with Clique. The event promotes gaming innovation, creator exposure, and community engagement within the Arbitrum ecosystem.
Financing
PlayMakers Secures $1.5M for Web3 Gaming Content Creation Read More
Web3 gaming UGC platform PlayMakers raised $1.5 million from investors like RockawayX to develop user-generated content in games. Founded by ex-Homa employees Ilan Nabeth, Maxime Niankouri, and Costantino Carrega, the team boasts 600 million downloads from previous projects. PlayMakers aims to turn players into creators, offering a customizable platform for tokenizing content. It plans to distribute about 70% of UGC revenue to studios and 30% to PlayMakers and creators.
Former PlayStation Head Shawn Layden Joins NFT Gaming Company READYgg, Secures $4 Million in Funding Read More
Former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden has joined the NFT gaming company READYgg, which has also secured $4 million in financing. The investors in the company include Delphi Digital, NeoTokyo, Merit Circle, Momentum6, Purechain Capital, Alex Becker, and Token Metrics Ventures, though the valuation has not been disclosed. The funding will be used to develop cryptographic wallets and other technological tools for blockchain gaming. Additionally, the company is preparing to launch its own RDYX cryptocurrency token later this year.
Web2 Gaming
Ubisoft Partners with AI Firm Helika for 'Champions Tactics' NFT Game Launch Read More
Ubisoft is collaborating with AI analytics firm Helika to enhance the launch of its first original NFT game, "Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles," on the Oasys blockchain. Helika will provide Ubisoft with analytics, marketing insights, and game management tools, including AI optimization for game balancing. Set for a 2024 release, "Champions Tactics" aims to explore Web3 possibilities, leveraging Helika's experience with top blockchain game developers. Ubisoft previously engaged in crypto with Tezos NFTs and supports various blockchain initiatives.
Games like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth aren’t sustainable, and the Sony layoffs prove it Read More
As "Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth" debuts on PS5, expanding a classic into a vast adventure, Sony announces 900 layoffs, including at key studios. This juxtaposition underscores the unsustainable nature of AAA gaming's escalating costs and extensive development times against a backdrop of strong sales but economic pressures, hinting at the industry's broader challenges with innovation and market dynamics.
Airdrop & Free Mints & Launchpad
Crypto gaming company Saga announces mainnet airdrop eligibility Read More
Saga, a company focused on gaming, is set to launch its own mainnet. Its underlying technology is built using the Cosmos blockchain's Software Development Kit (SDK), and it has received seed round investments from institutions like Placeholder and GSR. The eligibility for the airdrop includes several parts:
Staking at least 25 ATOM tokens from April to October 2023.
Staking more than 23 TIA tokens in the Saga community from November to December 2023.
Staking more than 300 MATIC on Polygon or transferring more than 0.4 ETH through Polygon's ZkEVM by any wallet from April to October 2023.
Overtrip Founders Pass NFT FREE Mint Read More
(WL March 5, 2024 10:00 PM / Public March 6, 2024 1:00 AM)
Xociety Frontier Avatar NFT FREE Mint March 7 Read More
Kiraverse Box NFT FREE Mint (March 13) Read More