Play to Earn #2 - True Next Gen Gaming & a launch date for a virtual world!
Axie Infinity, The Sandbox, Decentraland, Dark Country, Crypto Space Commander, Knight Story, Splinterlands and Chibi Fighters 2!
Welcome to the second Play to Earn newsletter in which we cover the latest from the world of blockchain games. This week:
Why Interoperability is Key for Next Generation Gaming
Decentraland got a public launch date!
Axie Infinity is doing its first esports tournament (including crypto prize money)!
and space commanders now have their own marketplace inside CSC!
But first…
If you’re a writer on Medium and you’d like to contribute to Play to Earn, please let us know. We’re expanding our team of writers to cover as many ideas, concept and cultural perspectives as possible. If you’re producing a game, we’re also open for interviews and other forms of coverage.
I hope you will enjoy this week’s newsletter,
Robert Hoogendoorn (@nederob)
EDITORIAL
Why Interoperability is Key for Next Generation Gaming
“We will truly be talking about a next generation of gaming when game developers need to completely rethink the way they develop video games.” READ MORE.
NEWS
Crypto Space Commander got its own marketplace
Gamers are now able to trade any game asset from Crypto Space Commander within a newly launched in-game marketplace. This first version of the marketplace allows transactions using in-game currencies GFC and GRP. Game studio Lucid Sight already announced that transactions using Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies will come in the coming weeks. READ MORE.
Dark Country coming to WAX blockchain
Yes, Another Trading Card Game for Blockchain Gamers
Collectible trading card game Dark Country is launching on the WAX blockchain, while it also supports EOS, Ethereum and Tron. Ukrainian game studio Immortal Games has plans to launch a public beta test for Dark Country this Spring. There will be a classic collectible card game, an auto battler and a ‘living board collectible card game’. READ MORE.
Decentraland getting public launch in February
It’s not cheap to purchase some land in Decentraland!
The blockchain-powered virtual reality world of Decentraland is opening its gates for a public release on February 20th 2020. The entire infrastructure of the game is decentralized, including in-game communication and distribution of content. This also means that everything that happens within this virtual world is up to the users. Pieces of land within Decentraland sell for as little as 12 thousand MANA, which equals 432 dollars. READ MORE.
Knight Story seeing lots of growth
A simple and cute mobile game is getting some traction
Idle role playing game Knight Story is seeing lots of growth in its trading volume and active user numbers. In 2020 the game almost doubled it daily active users, while its trading volume is now over $5000 per week. A newly launch boss mechanic and the promise for more bosses, enemies, stages and player characters keep players quite satisfied so far. READ MORE.
Axie Infinity having its first esports tournament
Axies are paving the way for blockchain gaming!
And it’s happening today! Axie Infinity partnered with MakerDAO for a first esports tournament in the world of Axies. Players could sign up for free, and chosen participants get to battle for $3100 worth of crypto prizes (2100 DAI and 1000 of Axie’s own currency - ed.) Sky Mavis considers this a first of many tournaments happening within their universe. For example, there will also be an Axie-themed racing game in The Sandbox.
Watch it here: https://www.twitch.tv/axieinfinity
Splinterlands cards now also on Ethereum
Splinterlands doesn’t want to be forgotten, moves to more popular blockchain.
STEEM-based trading card game Splinterlands has now made the transition to the Ethereum blockchain. In this game players choose a set of cards based on pre-defined battle rules, and the battle happens automatically. All STEEM assets can now be converted to ERC-721 tokens, which makes them tradable on popular marketplaces like Opensea. However, to use the cards in-game they need to be swapped back to the STEEM blockchain. Dark Energy Crystals (DEC) can also be swapped into ERC20 tokens, allowing them to exist on exchanges. In addition, 88 Splinterlands cards can also be used in Tides of Magic, as long as the cards exist as an ERC-721 token.
ICYMI
The Sandbox partnered with Experimental Games, the creators of Crypto Wars.
The also announced partnerships with database website NonFungible.com and a school in South Korea.
More LAND will go on sale within The Sandbox this February.
Axie Infinity introduces decentralized finance (DeFi) to gaming. Gamers can sell SLP they earned in-game. They wrote a very nice article about it.
Chibi Fighters 2.0 is now live.
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Reach out to me on Twitter (@nederob) if you have any questions! See you next week!