Gods Unchained app sees 12,000 downloads in first week
Complying with Apple and Google’s app store policies and their refusal to accept crypto was a total nightmare, says Gods Unchained executive producer Daniel Paez.
But the app dropped successfully on March 2 and has been downloaded 12,000 times in the first week, with an average 4.5/5 rating across its iOS and Android reviews.
Paez tells Web3 Gamer that the team didn’t cut any corners when launching the highly anticipated mobile version, sticking carefully to all of Apple and Google’s rules for their app stores.
This involved tweaking the mobile game to be a bit different from the full-fledged PC version.
One big hurdle was that mobile gamers are not able to pay for in-game purchases using crypto such as Bitcoin, Ether or even buzzy memecoin BOME.
He reveals this was a particular concern for its tournament mode, Sealed Mode. This is a format intended to reward highly skilled players, even if they don’t have a large or expensive card collection.
“We’ve been working with Apple and Google to make sure that if we do an in-app purchase for Sealed Mode instead of tokens, how do we guarantee security? How do we make sure we’re in line and comply with their policies,” he explains.
Fiat payments also expose Immutable to the possibility of chargebacks on in-game purchases and credit card fraud, which isn’t a risk on the crypto version on PC.
While it’s a pain, it’s worth doing as the Apple App Store alone draws in over 650 million visitors on a weekly basis worldwide.
The resulting Gods Unchained mobile edition can be seen essentially as a sidekick app.It’s got all the game features — you can build decks, play ranked or casual matches and challenge your mates. Then, when you’re back behind the PC, “you can engage more with the Web3 elements.”
Big bucks pouring into the Web3 gaming industry this year
If you’re a game dev or are considering the Web3 gaming industry for a career, now might be the time to do it. There’s more than half a billion dollars of new money on offer to fund new projects.
Arbitrum Foundation will spend approximately $400 million over the next two years on blockchain gaming. Its “Gaming Catalyst Program” has been allocated 200 million ARB tokens, the equivalent of $400 million, to entice game developers to build games in its ecosystem.
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Some hot hits are already playable on the network, such as RPG games Pirate Nation and Tales of Elleria, as well as AI Arena, which combines gaming, crypto, and AI (the magical three), letting players train up an AI fighter.
Starknet Foundation, which is behind Ethereum layer-2 scaling solution Starknet, has committed 50 million STRK tokens, worth $120 million, for game developers to build games on the network.
Blockchain investment firms Folius Ventures and SevenX Ventures are backing gaming platform MetaCene as part of a $10 million funding round to “create a borderless on-chain homeland,” bringing together MMORPG players, content creators and Web3 fans.
The highly anticipated MMO MetalCore also caught the eye of investors as it gears up for its open beta release later this year.
Game developer Studio369 raised $5 million for MetalCore from a variety of investors, including Delphi Digital, Bitkraft Ventures, and Sanctor Capital, to further develop the game’s features.
Gaming powerhouse Animoca Brands is teaming up with UAE-based gaming infrastructure company Param Labs to provide some strategic investment. They’re looking to bolster Param Lab’s ecosystem, which includes big names like GameStop and Pudgy Penguins.
Web3 gaming stack Blockus also saw some of the funding pie too. Maple VC and Alto Ventures were among the lead investors in Blockus’ recent funding round, tossing $4 million of pre-seed funding into the firm. The cash injection will fuel product development and help grow the team (hint: more job openings).
Hot Take: The Kings of Fighters Arena
If you’re into classic combat fighters like Street Fighter or Battle Arena, it might be worth downloading The Kings of Fighters ARENA for your mobile this week.
It’s a blast from the past, taking you back to the days of gaming on simple gaming consoles, only with way better graphics.
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Developed by Netmarble, it’s a play-to-earn game that taps into the nostalgia of the old-school King of Fighters series from the early nineties, originally by SNK.
The game is so old it first debuted on the coin-operated Neo Geo MVS arcade system.
While it’s a real throwback for ‘90s kids, even if you’re more of an early 2000s kid like me, it’ll still give you major flashbacks to the good old days of fighting games on the PlayStation 2.
In The Kings of Fighters Arena, the graphics are incredibly sharp and detailed, putting those early PlayStation-era Tekken graphics to shame.
One of the coolest things about playing this game is how the screen vibrates with each punch and attack, really immersing you in the action. (It’s called haptic feedback and was first introduced to arcade games with Sega’s Moto-cross back in 1976!)
It’s definitely more engaging to play a game with these vibrations — I don’t know how I’ll go back to a fighting game that doesn’t buzz my fingers while I’m playing.
And the moves are impressive, with fiery explosions happening in real-time with every hit you land on your opponent.
The finishing moves? They’re pretty slick, especially the Ultimate Skill. It takes all 5 PG (Power Gauges), but the payoff is huge and almost always seals the win.
Just gotta be smart about saving up those PG for the right moment.
So you can either use your PG as you get them or hold off for a killer finale. Plus, the controls are super smooth.
Getting matched for a game online is pretty straightforward, and it’s one of those games that pairs you with players of similar skill levels. You have the choice to either engage in a 1v1 showdown or dive into 3v3 group battles.
Even better, the playing field is level, with no opportunity for crypto bros to throw more money into the game to gain an unfair advantage over other players.
Everyone has equal access to the same fighters and can earn Fighters Club Tokens (FCT) as they progress through the game. Additionally, there’s the opportunity to stake in-game and receive additional rewards.
Other News
— Wemade, in partnership with MADNGINE, has just announced the global release of the highly anticipated MMORPG Night Crows. It’s now available on mobile and PC in 170 countries, in nine different languages.
— Animoca Brands teams up with KYC provider Blockpass to bolster the gaming provider’s way of verifying its users.
— Sky Mavis, the team behind Axie Infinity, has revealed it will no longer be working with ACT Games and Bowled.io, as the company moves toward being fully emerged in the Ronin Network.
— Aptos Labs has partnered with Google Cloud to introduce Aptos GameStack, a platform offering developers an all-in-one solution for creating and integrating Web3 features into games.
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Ciaran Lyons
Ciaran Lyons is an Australian crypto journalist. He’s also a standup comedian and has been a radio and TV presenter on Triple J, SBS and The Project.
