Off The Grid Could Be The ‘Catalyst’ For A New Crypto Gaming Bull Market: Web3 Gamer

Is Off The Grid the Axie Infinity of this cycle? Or is it something more important? The immense popularity of the early access version has sparked considerable speculation in the cryptocurrency community.

Gunzilla Games’ Off The Grid, a free-to-play third-person battle royale game, recently launched in early access on major gaming consoles, and it’s already topped Epic Games’ list of free PC games. Fortnite and Rocket League.

Avalanche founder Emil Gun Sirer noted that in the first five days after launch, the game has grown to over 1 million wallets per day and has already recorded 53 million transactions.

After years of terrible game releases, the cryptocurrency community is speculating that popular, well-reviewed games that people are finally enjoying could spark the long-awaited major Web3 gaming boom.

“Off The Grid could finally be the catalyst we need to operate games on a much larger scale,” cryptocurrency analyst Miles Deutscher said in an X post on October 14.

“It only takes one success story to make bigger waves,” he added.

The Avalanche-based blockchain game, set in a dystopian cyberpunk future and drawing comparisons to battle royale shooters Call of Duty and Apex Legends, is already gaining a lot of traction on game streaming giant Twitch, despite still being in early access.

On October 11, 154,440 viewers tuned in to watch the streamer play the new release, and it has already logged over 1 million hours of watch time.

Deutscher said the game was the fifth most viewed game on Twitch during the game’s opening weekend, with Ninja, Shroud, and Dr. It was pointed out that the game was played by “massive streamers” like Disthought.

According to CNET, what makes this game so impressive is that it’s actually fun to play.

An October 12 review from a respected tech publication was titled “Why You Should Play the New Battle Royale, Off The Grid, Right Now.” Here, the reviewer calls the game “part zany satire of streaming culture, part gamer, all shrewd self-aware storytelling: Off The Grid is a fun time.” Interestingly, he didn’t even mention the soon-to-be-released token called GUN and its cryptocurrency component that would allow in-game items to be minted and traded as NFTs.

Pseudonymous Web3 commentator Loki The Bird asked if Off The Grid would be this cycle’s “Axie Infinity”. With the advent of Off The Grid, “people are now realizing that games are the consumer apps for cryptocurrency,” EllioTrades told his 765,700 X followers.

And Web3 commentator Matt Stefanina said the game “broke down the barriers we’ve been waiting for.”

“Your regular friends are playing Web3 games without realizing it.”

Gamers can download Off The Grid for free from the Epic Games Store for Xbox Series X consoles, PlayStation 5, and PC.

Investors are seeing Web3 games moving into the past. “The hype phase,” says the Farcana founder.

Farcana Metaverse founder Ilman Shazhaev said VCs are again optimistic about Web3 games.

“Investors are turning back to blockchain gaming as they see it moving past the hype phase and into the sustainable growth phase,” he told Web3 Gamer. He attributes this to a shift to a more mature user base demanding better games, and developers learning from that. Early mistake.

According to a DappRadar report, investment in blockchain games surged in August, reaching $50 million, up 117% from the previous month. The upward trend continued in September with $63 million invested in games, according to DefiLlama.

Shazhaev says more players are joining not only because of the money, but also because the game itself is getting better.

“We moved away from pure financial speculation and focused on solid gameplay mechanics, compelling storylines, and community-driven elements.”

“We are seeing increasing integration of staking and other DeFi features within blockchain gaming. These features allow players to earn rewards, generate passive income, and participate in governance, adding more layers of engagement beyond simple gameplay.”

Shazhaev believes venture capitalists are likely to flock to these kinds of games.

Web3 game ruined by ‘financial brothers’, the end is approaching

Off The Grid’s success shows that the days of financial executives pushing decent gameplay down the list of priorities for blockchain-based games are finally coming to an end.

Web3 Gamer sat down with Gods Unchained trading game designer Bryn Welch earlier this week to discuss this welcome development in general.

He tells Web3 Gamer that “the time of token schemes and random projects with only a few financial bros is coming, and the field is now saturated with high-quality projects that people actually want to play.”

Welch believes that prioritizing game tokens over gameplay is no longer important and that “weak gameplay fundamentals” are unappealing to experienced gamers.

Welch said the industry is “immature,” but that’s changing with beta releases of highly anticipated games like AAA rip-off shooter Shrapnel.

As a side note, Welsh said he’s “really excited” to play some of the new games he’s developing, but didn’t reveal which ones. “I can’t give too many details.”

One of the releases he’s looking forward to is the AAA space-themed MMORPG Space Nation. Players take on the role of a spaceship captain and explore a massive virtual world, interacting with a variety of species and uncovering ‘the mysteries of ancient space ruins.’

It was soft launched on September 27th and will run for 12 weeks. The official launch is expected around 2025.

For Gods Unchained, game studio Immutable has released a new expansion called “Tower of Dread.” Gamers can now earn more points by “destroying” cards against Dread.

Welsh said the new expansion relates to Gods Unchained’s “continuing push for the format to give users new ways to play.”

voice According to The Sandbox exec, it is better than other reality TV shows on Web3.

TV singing contest voice “Ethereum connects with gamers more than any other format,” says Sebastien Borget, CEO of The Sandbox, an Ethereum-based metaverse universe.

“The most popular show by far was The Voice.” Borget spoke to Web3 Gamer after several reality TV shows claimed ownership of The Sandbox this year. island of love, I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!And Gordon Ramsay hell’s kitchen.

The reality TV show integrated with The Sandbox allows gamers to experience the journey of a reality contestant without the fear of being embarrassed on national television.

He said The Sandbox has been focusing on reality shows as a way to attract a more mainstream audience to Web3 games.

“It’s important to attract both mainstream and diverse audiences,” explains Borget.

when voice Once the integration begins in May, fans will be able to engage with Season 25 in-game. Gamers who correctly guessed which contestant advanced each week and who ultimately won won an exclusive, limited-edition NFT.

Recently, The Sandbox launched Alpha Season 4, a 10-week event that gives gamers the chance to earn SAND and a variety of gameplay experiences.

Other news

— NFT-based mobile role-playing game Guild of Guardians is scheduled to release the Frostmire expansion pack on October 16th. The expansion is “a realm filled with ancient secrets, forgotten places of power, and a rich history waiting to be revealed. ”

— Shardbound, an immersive multiplayer tactical game, has released an open beta version of the highly anticipated game on Steam and the Epic Games Store.

— Video game publisher Ubisoft’s Captain Laserhawk Universe has teamed up with NFT marketplace Magic Eden, claiming to be the first project to be issued on the platform.

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Ciaran Lyon

Ciaran Lyons is an Australian cryptocurrency journalist. He is also a stand-up comedian and radio and TV presenter for Triple J, SBS and The Project.