This is one of the most exciting collaborations so far in blockchain gaming and here’s why.
I am always on the lookout for any game developer or studio that has created something truly unique in the last couple of decades and is now moving into blockchain. In November, that was Will Wright, creator of The Sims, Sim City, and Spore. I was similarly excited to see Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games and creator of the Unreal Engine, with his bullish comments towards our burgeoning sector. Now, to complete the hattrick, I have a third entry by somebody of the same caliber; true gaming royalty.
Who Is Peter Molyneux?
There are few people in the gaming industry I revere more than Peter Molyneux. He invented the god game genre and is known for treasured titles such as Populous, Theme Park, Dungeon Keeper, Fable, and Godus. There is one I have omitted from that list, however, and that is for two reasons: my affection for it and its relevancy to his game with Gala.
That game is Black & White and to get an understanding of what it is and why I believe it’s the best god game to date, watch this video. In Black & White you were a literal god and had to make decisions to affect your little corner of the world. You had to make villagers worship and adore you, or fear and loathe you — it was up to you. Black & White was the game that taught me my fictional morality was extremely malleable.
Peter Molyneux has been creating singular and momentous games for decades now and he has a unique eye for inventing within gaming. That is, he is an innovator, pushing the space in new directions and testing players in ways they aren’t used to being tested.
Molyneux’s Blockchain Debut: Gala’s ‘Legacy’
There is a simple reason why I am perpetually excited by leaders of gaming innovation coming to blockchain gaming: blockchain feels like a hard reset in many ways. For decades, gaming has gone through a steady evolution with bursts of growth in certain directions after major milestones, like online multiplayer, for instance.
What we are seeing now with blockchain gaming is the very first step into the sector. It is populated almost entirely by indie developers at present and blockchain has such unfathomable power and application, it’s difficult to imagine what’s possible. This is where we need the pioneers of gaming to step back up and take the technology places few would think of.
Molyneux and his studio, 22cans, have announced they are working with Gala Games to create a business sim called Legacy. The game does simulate building a business and even a city, but in a way, you are building a business with the Play to Earn (P2E) nature of tokenized, blockchain games, particularly like this one where successful businesses can create and mint their NFTs. The game is — as one might expect with Molyneux — complicated and it may again involve morality. I have reached out to 22cans and I hope to create a more comprehensive feature on this soon.
Gala: The Perfect Fit?
The other component of this announcement is, of course, Gala Games. In August last year, I started following Gala off the back of their founder, Eric Schiermeyer, who co-founded Zynga (who incidentally were involved in some major news yesterday.) I was an early believer and investor in Gala as they have strong foundations and some interesting titles in the works. They also have the funding and the reach to aid in the growth of our foetal sub-sector of gaming.
While I’m sure 22cans could have struck out into blockchain gaming on their own, housed within Gala Games is likely the surest route to success, given the complexities of blockchain implementation. Gala’s ecosystem ought to smooth out that integration.
This pairing of Molyneux and Gala is exciting to me as a fan of both, but it should prick the ears up of blockchain gaming enthusiasts everywhere; it not only nods at another step towards mainstream adoption, but inducts another game development hall-of-famer into the space.
