The biggest members of the gaming industry are connecting to blockchain networks, existing online games with multimillion audiences are integrating Web3 technologies, and AAA gaming Metaverse projects are being announced. It can be observed that there’s active development in the Web3 gaming segments.
Ubisoft, one of the top ten computer game producers, announced its decision to join the XPLA blockchain network as a validator. The collaboration will be carried out through Ubisoft’s Strategic Innovation Lab. The company also plans to take an active role in the management of XPLA.
XPLA is an open source Layer 1 blockchain network based on the Tendermint protocol. The project uses a PoS consensus model powered by the Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT) algorithm and offers a wide range of tools for game developers. The project’s concept is to facilitate the transition from Web2 games to Web3 games.
In November 2023, Ubisoft’s Strategic Innovation Lab agreed on a strategic collaboration with Immutable. The companies’ plans included developing a Web3 gaming platform and integrating crypto elements into existing projects.
It was also revealed that the team of MapleStory, the iconic Korean MMORPG, is collaborating with Ava Labs, which is in charge of the development and support of the Avalanche blockchain network. MapleStory was launched back in 2003, with an audience of 180 million users and about 400,000 daily active players.
Nexon Game Studios, one of the world’s largest gaming developers, which owns MapleStory, decided to explore the Web3 industry in 2023 by launching a large-scale gaming ecosystem called MapleStory Universe. The first standalone project within the gaming universe will be called MapleStory N. The project will be deployed on the Avalanche network and is scheduled to go live by the end of 2024. Judging by the press release, the project targets primarily a loyal Web2 gaming audience, which will be introduced to the enhanced capabilities of Web3 gaming.
That said, Nexon previously announced plans to utilize Polygon to support the MapleStory Universe ecosystem. The collaboration allowed MapleStory players to exchange in-game items as NFTs using in-game currency.
A trailer for the Metaverse game OPEN, an AAA project in the “battle royal” genre with a third-person perspective, was released. The project is being developed by Futurverse Studios in collaboration with the Metaverse project team Readyverse, co-founded by Ernest Cline, the author of “Ready Player One,” and producer Dan Farah, responsible for the book adaptation.
The project will embody the concept described in the work “Ready Player One.” Specifically, the game will feature various intellectual properties of Warner Bros. in different formats, from simple skins to full immersion. Moreover, the game is planned to incorporate Web3 technologies, but technical details about the project and the expected release date are still unknown.
The development of the Web3 gaming sector was mentioned by many experts interviewed by CP Media as one of the main trends of 2024. Moreover, analysts at Fortune Business Insights say that the blockchain gaming market could reach $615 billion by 2030.
