What Is the Oasys Blockchain?

On 8th February 2022, Oasys blockchain was launched with the express intention of taking on play-to-earn (P2E) gaming and bringing it into the mainstream. It’s a lofty ambition, but the company has a strong team behind it. From the co-founder of Yield Guild Games, to CEO of BANDAI NAMCO Research, to Co-COO of SEGA, they have the gaming industry experience most start-ups could only dream of.

There isn’t yet a wealth of information about the blockchain itself and the tech involved. In a Medium article, I tracked down a brief description of the architecture:

“…we decided to run Oasys Layer 1 (Consensus Layer), which is an EVM side chain and public blockchain specialized for games, and build it so that users will rarely use Layer 1 directly, and the actual logic of the games will run on the Oasys Layer 2 (Execution Layer). Since each metaverse (game developer) can run its own Layer 2, there are no gas fees for users, and the developer covers these fees. Furthermore, Oasys is an environmentally friendly blockchain that doesn’t consume energy unnecessarily because of its PoS-based consensus mechanism, so the cost of gas fees for developers will be minimal.” — Oasys will be the Hub of the Multiverse Era!, on Medium

The public reasoning behind the decisions for this architecture is more marketing than substance to my eye, stating “the existing Layer 1 technologies have slow transaction speeds and high gas fees making the user experience (UX) challenging for mainstream user adoption.” This is only really talking about Ethereum as there are plenty of Layer 1 chains that are quick and do not have gas fees (WAX, Solana, Efinity, and so on.) Nevertheless, Oasys’s aims are fair and they appear to know what they need to achieve.

What Makes for an Effective Gaming Blockchain?

This ought to be an article in itself, but it’s an important question when assessing a new chain that purports to be a gaming chain. The three primary issues that held Ethereum back are the first port of call: transaction speeds, scalability, and gas fees. Oasys will need near-instant transaction speeds to avoid breaking the flow of games, it will need to be able to handle tens of thousands of transactions per second if they crack mainstream gaming (if not more), and of course, no gas fees.

There are plenty of blockchains that share Oasys’s aims, and while overcoming gas fees is cut and dry, scalability is trickier. Few chains have evidence they can handle the traffic they say they can, with arguably Binance Smart Chain and WAX the only two with relevant evidence in gaming. A now-infamous example of how difficult it can be for chains to handle high pressure is the game Sunflower Farmers and how it crashed the Polygon network.

Finally, an often overlooked but crucial part of a blockchain being successful within gaming is an SDK (Software Development Kit). Kokushi Hattori, Head of Marketing at Oasys said, “In the near short term, our main focus will be to attract game developers, content creators, and gamers…”, but without a proper SDK and documentation, that might be a challenge. There is a lot of attention in onboarding players and users in crypto, but not enough for onboarding developers.

Final Thoughts

Token Gamer is chain-agnostic and our preferred and most covered blockchains are based on merit. We will always welcome newcomers to the space, attempting to push blockchain gaming into the mainstream. With the all-star cast behind Oasys, you certainly wouldn’t bet against them; they have a blend of games industry and blockchain gaming backgrounds, which is important.

My two slight reservations are the technical difficulties as discussed, but also one concern I have is for blockchain gaming at large: the focus on P2E. P2E is a fundamental mechanic of blockchain gaming and one I’m excited to see utilized, but there is a heavy focus on P2E as the core of every blockchain game as opposed to an important element of it.

Oasys’s statement of intent is to bring P2E to the mainstream, and “P2E” may be meant as synonymous with blockchain gaming, or as a way of attracting investors, but I would have loved them to have used “blockchain gaming” instead.

Nevertheless, Oasys is one for gamers to keep an eye on.

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JPMorgan is Bullish on the Metaverse

The crypto industry as a whole has been on the radar of major banks and hedge funds for some time, but many were hesitant to even publicly discuss the topic. Then, a handful of smaller companies began offering crypto products and the rest of the dominoes have started to fall.

JPMorgan has been one of the largest financial organizations to make multiple statements about crypto, but the metaverse in particular. A recent research paper the bank published is a must-read:

Opportunities in the metaverse: How businesses can explore the metaverse and navigate the hype vs. reality

In this paper, they state “The metaverse will likely infiltrate every sector in some way in the coming years, with the market opportunity estimated at over $1 trillion in yearly revenues,” citing a report from the ever-brilliant, Grayscale Research.

The Onyx Lounge

Whether it’s for headlines, a genuine stake in a metaverse, or to attract curious customers, JPMorgan has become the first bank into the metaverse, with their Onyx Lounge in Decentraland, which you can visit by clicking here. The name of the property is derived from the bank’s in-house Ethereum-based payment services.

Inside the lounge, pictured in the tweet above, is a pixel portrait of Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan, as well as a tiger, perhaps representing 2022 being the Year of the Tiger, though I am only guessing.

Christine Moy, JPMorgan’s Head of Crypto and the Metaverse (the fact that position exists is exciting in itself), told CoinDesk that the bank had a lot of interest from clients about the metaverse which is what prompted the above paper.

Final Thoughts

It has been only a matter of months that the metaverse has been a word that the world at large has spoken, and already we’re seeing some of the biggest organizations on the planet getting involved. Crypto is a space that moves at a breakneck pace and yet again, I find myself wondering: where will we be in 12 months from now?

Lead Image by Zack Walker on Unsplash

The post JPMorgan Opens the First Bank in the Metaverse appeared first on Token Gamer.

Then, the R-Planet spaceship flew into a rough asteroid belt. Whales began taking profits, and given just how rich in Aether these people were, it was a cause for concern. As one player mentioned to me, “[the whale] had so much Aether he could have flooded the book every day.”

This was then compounded by some changes the R-Planet developers implemented, resulting in ways to make gargantuan hauls of the token through crafting and rigs, which snowballed and caused hyperinflation, crashing the game’s economy.

It was a real shame, R-Planet was something of a treasure in the WAX gaming space. Its economy was innovative and the concept of putting your idle NFTs to work for passive income is likely to hang around. But, can R-Planet recover from this hit?

Is This ‘Big Update’ R-Planet’s Last Chance Saloon?

I want to start with some praise. I have written several times about rug pulls — and R-Planet has shown zero evidence it is one or ever will be — but also, my regular readers will know I coined “rug slip” and tried to jam it into the crypto vernacular. For a full breakdown via the story of Crypto Mines, click here, but the overview is this: it’s a game that collapses but through developer error, not malicious intent.

When R-Planet’s economy experienced hyperinflation, it wouldn’t have been unthinkable for the developers, WECAN, to pull support for the project and focus on their two other titles, Prospectors and Tribal Books. But they didn’t. Whether they succeed in this economic resurrection or not, I appreciate the accountability and resilience shown.

Whether they can recover with this major game update is hard to say, particularly as someone who hasn’t dumped a whole lot of hours into R-Planet. The footnotes of what is to come are that they are adding a staking hub, the R-Planet DAO, its DAO token $RDAO, RDAO auctions, and metafarming. Unpacking the dynamics and mechanics of all of these is way too long and in places, I’m not certain I even fully understand, so read their comprehensive explanation.

There are a lot of positives in this update and I suspect it has taken a glut of hours to build. Nevertheless, the post does outline a few elements that its players will probably react poorly to. First and foremost is the heavy reduction in mining yield, which the developers said they’d never do.

In fairness, they are well aware they’ll come under fire for this, but state “it’s a necessary change that must be made to ensure the sustainability of the tokenomics moving forward into the next phase of the game.” If that turns out to be the case, or can even go a ways to reversing the collapse of the economy, then I suspect all will be forgiven.

The second (probable) bone of contention is the Claim Limit on mined Aether which will bottleneck how much you can withdraw to your account, regardless of how much you mined (i.e, it’s not a percentage cap.) This has the potential to smooth out the economy, perhaps, and would stop people immediately drawing down large hauls to swap for WAX, if that is something that commonly occurs. Regardless, I can’t imagine it will be well received that there is a new limit on how much you can withdraw of the Aether you mined.

Final Thoughts

I would like to see R-Planet return to its former glory. There were mistakes made that led to the nosedive of its token, but they don’t seem to have been as a result of greed or malicious intent. The developers have poured a lot of effort into this update and it would be a strong positive for R-Planet, WECAN, the players, and the WAX ecosystem if it puts the game back on the right path.

There is one other piece to the R-Planet puzzle that didn’t really fit anywhere else: R-Planet Conquest. It’s a new game that will be a part of the R-Planet metaverse, but as there is no in-game footage, I’m not going to make any comments about it, just acknowledge that there is another arm of the project that could become relevant to R-Planet’s revival.

What do you think? Let us know in our Discord or on Twitter.

The post Can R-Planet’s “Big Update” Resurrect Its Economy? appeared first on Token Gamer.

KRAFTON has made two key plays with regard to blockchain. The first is partnering with NAVIER Z (why are all these companies shouting their name?) “to build an NFT metaverse platform.” The second is making equity investments in Seoul Auction Blue and XBYBLUE which requires a little unpacking.

KRAFTON and NAVER Z: The NFT Metaverse Platform

The most headline-grabbing move is certainly the partnership with NAVER Z to build an NFT metaverse platform. It is described as a new Web3 and NFT project and for those of us in the West who might not be aware, NAVER Z is a subsidiary of NAVER who runs ZEPETO, Asia’s largest metaverse platform with over 290 million users.

The KRAFTON metaverse will be using the Unreal Engine (which one isn’t stated) and creation tools for users will be developed.

“This partnership between KRAFTON and NAVER Z is bolstered by each company’s unique expertise and shared global focused as they look toward a future driven by NFTs and metaverses … By combining KRAFTON’s existing technologies and research on how to build scalable Web 3.0 creator-driven ecosystems with NAVER Z and ZEPETO’s experience and capabilities, we’re confident we can build a high-quality UGC-driven open metaverse that stands apart from other services and vitalizes the global creator economy through NFT technologies.” — HyungChul Park, Lead of Web3 Team, KRAFTON

KRAFTON, Seoul Auction Blue, and XBYBLUE: NFT Projects

KRAFTON’s equity investments aren’t pertinent at first glance, but in actuality, it’s part of a two-pronged attack on Web3. The $2.5m and $4.1m USD investments in Seoul Auction Blue and XBYBLUE respectively come with an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) to “develop non-fungible token (NFT) oriented projects.”

Seoul Auction Blue is part of Seoul Auction, Korea’s largest art auctioneer. XBYBLUE is then part of Seoul Auction Blue and is working on a service to secure and curate IPs for digital content and digital art.

The complete move is simultaneously complicated and straightforward. It is complicated insofar as there are a large number of companies, subsidiaries, and services in play here, but it’s simple in that all moves made are done so with the express aim of creating a metaverse. KRAFTON wants to combine their experience with MMOs (TERA and ELYON) and graphics with Seoul Auction Blue and XBYBLUE’s design services to “create and sell NFT avatars that can be used in the metaverse in the future.”

Final Thoughts

The story is becoming familiar, but the details change. We are seeing influential games publishers and developers all making plans for how they will approach the metaverse and KRAFTON appears to be set on Asian market domination. Asia has been one of the fastest-growing and most lucrative markets in crypto, and many of KRAFTON’s games have a strong audience on the continent too, so it appears to be a prudent move.

As the dominoes fall, you can’t help but wonder who will be next.

Lead image by SCREEN POST on Unsplash

The post PUBG Developer Makes Interesting Moves for the Metaverse appeared first on Token Gamer.

“Gaming is the most dynamic and exciting category in entertainment across all platforms today and will play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms.”

A clear interest in blockchain has been made public, but to what end is currently unclear. Many major players in gaming have uttered similar vague interest, such as Square Enix and Ubisoft, albeit with the latter actually dipping a toe in NFT waters, which was promptly bitten off.

GameStop and Immutable X

GameStop, the dying star that was warped back to relevance thanks to Reddit and Ryan Cohen, had been working towards something involving NFTs for some time. Then, just this month, GameStop launched an NFT marketplace with gaming blockchain frontrunner and L2 protocol, Immutable X, with a $100m $IMX fund made available to creators.

This was big news for both parties, and although met with a lot of derision from anti-NFT folk, is a promising union. However, it has fired up the rumor mill with whispers about a giant that dwarfs both GameStop and Immutable, and these whispers have some compelling, albeit far from conclusive, evidence.

The Lurking Whale

Microsoft has been floating around, sucking down plankton-sized games studios for some time, but asides from a nod towards the metaverse during the $69 billion acquisition, they haven’t yet scooped up any web3-centric companies. Though, there are rumblings that it’s about to change.

It’s a tenuous link, but hear me out. Microsoft has stated their intent towards web3 when buying Activision Blizzard. Microsoft now owns Hearthstone, a declining TCG. TCGs have been a success story of early blockchain gaming as cards are a perfect fit with NFTs.

I know, it’s a stretch and likely almost impossible to retroactively fit blockchain to a game of that age, at least smoothly, but it’s a perfect use-case example of how Microsoft could utilize the GameStop marketplace on Immutable X. I have seen Twitter conversations suggesting it would be an easy update, but with onboarding so clunky presently, it would probably need GameStop’s marketplace on Immutable to have a singular user experience.

It’s an exciting time and messages on Discord like the above only add to the anticipation. It seems that Microsoft making a visible move into crypto is inevitable, the question is whether GameStop, Immutable X, and Microsoft will forge a holy trinity or not.

Photo by Johny vino on Unsplash

The post The Lurking Whale: Is Microsoft About to Swim Into Web3 Waters? appeared first on Token Gamer.

I’m not sure what surprises me more, an officially licensed Play to Earn (P2E) game with NFTs for the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022, or that the NFT detractors aren’t having collective apoplexy. Whatever the case, we have a new P2E game to discuss and I have no earthly idea how it has flown under the radar.

Olympic Games Jam: Beijing 2022

Although the game is unexpected, there are some familiar names behind the project to those of us in the space. The game has been developed by nWay for nWayPlay which is a “platform for competitive multiplayer games with play-to-earn features using NFTs.” The more familiar name, however, is Animoca Brands who appear to be on a mission to become completely ubiquitous within blockchain gaming, and nWay is a subsidiary of them.

Olympic Games Jam is a competitive game where you join 15-19 other players to compete in various Winter Games events. These arcade-style matches reward the winners with digital NFT pins among other spoils.

Key Takeaways

• Officially licensed product by the Olympics
• Competitive: rewards only given to highest placed finishers
• Play to Earn through NFT rewards, boxes, and its own token (not yet available on DEX)
• On Binance Smart Chain blockchain.
• Substantial roadmap with more content, NFTs, events, and progression

There appear to be only two problems I have been able to find: firstly, the overlords at Apple are gatekeeping the app. Many developers (ourselves included) have battled with Apple over (even the mention of) NFTs within an app on their store. It appears no one is impervious to that and despite many outlets reporting Olympics Games Jam as being available on iOS, it is currently only on Android.

The second issue is the bizarre lack of exposure. Players are reporting that they cannot fill lobbies with 20 players, which is simply down to a lack of awareness for the project. The game launched on 3rd February and it took me until the 7th to hear about it! Perhaps we can help to remedy that!

The post The Official Olympic Games Has Launched a Play to Earn NFT Game appeared first on Token Gamer.

It took nearly 3 years to see an explosion of interest in blockchain gaming, and now the train is thundering down the track and cannot be stopped. In a similar vein, 2021 was a big year for us and 2022 is set to eclipse that. And so, we need you!

What Is Token Gamer?

Token Gamer is a crypto organization centered around blockchain gaming. Tokengamer.io is a news and content outlet for all things blockchain gaming, but we also develop products and dapps. For example, we have recently launched the Token Gamer app on Apple and Android, which allows you to views your WAX NFTs, browse deep WAX Cloud Wallet analytics, and see the latest gaming drops.

We have multiple products currently in development and are looking to add more during 2022. Then there is, of course, the WAX Lyrical podcast!

Token Gamer is also a WAX guild and one of 21 active block producers for the WAX network.

Open Positions

I will say this twice as it’s important: if you believe you can improve Token Gamer in a way that isn’t listed, get in touch anyway — we may well be interested.

Writers

Do you love blockchain gaming and have a lot to say about it? Do you play a lot of blockchain games? Do you want to be in alpha and beta tests of upcoming projects? This could well be the job for you.

Desired Skills

• Strong command of the English language (non-native speakers welcome, however)
• Passion for blockchain games
• Able to write at least one article per week
• Can follow editorial guidelines
• Preferably has expertise in one particular chain (i.e, BSC or IMX games)
• An example article, published or not, is mandatory

To apply, contact Rob on Rob(at)tokengamer.io

Community Manager

If you are on Discord often and love blockchain gaming, why not get paid for it? Whilst it may begin with Discord moderation, it could well extend to other (paid) roles in the future.

• Experience managing a community
• Often active on Discord
• Fluent in English (other languages are a bonus)
• Active member of the crypto community

To apply, contact Boris or Rob on info(at)tokengamer.io, or message us on Discord.

Wildcard

Not necessarily Charlie Kelly, but perhaps you are the wildcard we need. If you have skills that you think would improve us, get in touch! Pitch us what you can do and we’ll gladly consider it. Crypto is an exciting space with a lot of emerging roles, so we’re forever open-minded.

Are you an artist, developer, streamer, designer, marketeer, or savant? Reach out with why you’re awesome and why we need you in our lives.

To apply, contact Boris or Rob on info(at)tokengamer.io

If you would like to discuss any of the above roles, ask any questions, or just chat with us, jump into our Discord by clicking here.

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Last year, amid rumors and screenshots of job boards, I wrote Reborn Powerhouse, GameStop, Is Hiring NFT and Web3 Team where I noted that “Ryan Cohen appears to be taking GameStop from an outdated brick-and-mortar retailer, to a pace-setter in the gaming industry.” That still appears to be the case and I’m pleased to see it — it’s a company that had been a staple of the early gaming industry and it would be disappointing to see them crumble with rigid high street shops.

Then, just last month, I highlighted a number of critical comments of GameStop over their NFT plans, including Michael Pachter stating the platform would be “dead on arrival” and that it is a “dumb idea.” While he raised some interesting points, I was not convinced by Pachter not the other business outlets being outwardly critical without much substance to their arguments. The underlining motivation appeared to be simply that there’s no reason for GameStop to build anything for web3. As I concluded last month though, “why not GameStop?”

GameStop and Immutable X Partner, Launch $100m Creator Fund

The billboard partnership is somewhat unexpected, but a pleasing one. Immutable has established itself as a leader in the blockchain gaming industry and with GameStop’s social clout, this is a mutually beneficial union. The creator fund of $100m $IMX is simply a cherry atop an already enticing cake.

One final, unsung victory of this partnership is the rise in value of the games already using Immutable X. Games like Gods Unchained, Guild of Guardians, and Ember Sword now may be able to interact with Gamestop, raising their profile substantially.

Let’s break down the key takeaways:

Key Takeaways

• L2 Protocol, Immutable X, will power the GameStop NFT marketplace
• It will be 100% carbon neutral and have zero gas fees
• a $100m $IMX fund will be made available for creators of NFT content and technology
• Potentially a huge win for games already on IMX

The post GameStop Launches NFT Marketplace With Immutable X in Blockbuster Partnership appeared first on Token Gamer.

We have seen many veteran developers, some of whom defined the gaming industry, adopting blockchain technology and identifying its value going forward. For instance, Peter Molyneux and Tim Sweeney have both moved swiftly to support blockchain development within gaming.

Team17 was set to venture into these new waters in partnership with Reality Gaming Group, creating MetaWorms, based on the Worms franchise. MetaWorms was said to be a generative NFT collection and any underlining game, if planned, was not expressly laid out. So, why would Token Gamer care?

The Trend of the Meek

There is a lot to unpack here. I want to start off by pointing out that I do not want everything that has ever existed to create an NFT collection. In fact, I care very little about MetaWorms if it was indeed just another generative art collection. What has become a grating trend, however, is companies and IPs who announce they are entering the space — or sometimes simply that they are looking into it — and then pulling a frightened U-turn at the first sign of (inevitable) resistance.

You do not build a successful company or IP without leadership and a degree of pioneering. Many of the biggest companies to move into blockchain gaming climbed to great heights through innovation and showing us the way. If industry leaders scrapped every plan that wasn’t met with undiluted adulation, they would likely perish with a handful of products suffering from the ill-effects of “a camel is a horse designed by committee”.

I am not blind to the polarity of crypto and NFTs, and as mentioned, I’m not wild about a generative Worms-themed art project with no utility. What does bother me is the sudden lack of belief some of these successful companies have in themselves. When any involvement in crypto is announced, every celebrity, brand, and developer will experience a torrent of Tweets to the effect of “NFTs are a scam”. This has occurred in one form or another during many technological revolutions, including the internet.

I fully understand the hesitance some major companies have about entering the space; it is new, volatile, and has above average levels of risk in many areas. While I believe it to be a mistake that, Steam, for instance, removed all blockchain games from its platform, I do appreciate the difficulties of crypto and the lack of infrastructure in place makes it complicated to house in web2 structures. The onboarding alone can be a minefield. But in that case, don’t announce a project and wait until the groundwork has been laid already.

I want to see successful publishers and developers either waiting until the pioneers have built a path that can be easily followed, or stepping up and helping to build it. What the industry doesn’t want is successful, legacy gaming organizations with direction so malleable that a loud portion of their social media following can cause a U-turn in a matter of hours.

It strikes me that companies that do this, like Team 17, suffered one of two mistakes: Either they did not do their due diligence and were looking to make a quick buck with their IP, only to experience unexpected backlash. Or, they saw the value of blockchain and formed a plan to integrate it into their future, only to flee back to safety when people they don’t know said “I don’t like NFTs.”

Final Thoughts

I suspect that the cancelation of the Worms generative art NFTs is no great loss, particularly if there was no view to implementing utility. What is infuriating, however, is reputable developers and gaming organizations that are so meek and pliable when it comes to their own direction. Developers should absolutely listen to their fans and playerbases and factor in feedback. But, in an area as divisive as blockchain, that few people understand to any real degree, the disgruntled shouts of pseudonymous followers ought not to change the course of the ship, much less cause it to about-turn.

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What is Dark Country? For a brief overview, take a look at our post from the 24th January which covered the new roadmap and includes a number of alluring features. What the Dark Country devs are building shows it’s far from a meek attempt to cash in on the surge of P2E popularity. As I wrote in the above article, “The next six months will set the trajectory for Dark Country’s future, and should they meet the markers they have set themselves, it’s difficult to imagine they aren’t in the conversation of the best blockchain games available.”

WAX Mainnet Landsplay Launched on 31st January 2022

Monday marked an important milestone for Dark Country and its players. The ability to finally use your WAX assets — lands, heroes, and cards — means you can put you can now tap into the utility of those Dark Country NFTs in your wallet.

While the implementation of your WAX heroes and cards is great news for players, it’s the land that will steal the limelight for many. Land in blockchain games has proven tremendously popular, particularly in metaverse titles, adding a new dimension to gameplay and another P2E mechanic.

There are many benefits to owning land in Dark Country, and I’d recommend reading the developers’ full breakdown from last year. While currently only available to test for a dummy currency, it will give you a sense of why you might want to be a Dark Country land baron.

In each of the four categories shown in the image above, I’ll pick my favorite feature:

In “Own, Rent, & Earn” I particularly like the concept of being able to “farm NFTs“. From “Build” I can’t look past the “Black Market” where you can buy and sell items and the owner gets a commission. The “Explore” side is the element with the most scope for the future to me, and running adventures has my attention. Finally, in “Create” you can “summon minions” — I don’t know what that means in this context, but I’m on board.

We have been following Dark Country’s progress for some time and in my completely unaffected opinion (they have not paid me a penny), Dark Country has the potential to be the best WAX game of the year.

Key Takeaways

• WAX Dark Country assets (land, heroes, and cards) now usable.
• Land will be in Test Mode on WAX mainnet, using the temporary TDM token, which is not a blockchain token, will be wiped at the end of the test, and replaced by the true Shadow Dime ($SDM) token.
• Land opens a sea of gameplay elements and P2E functionality.

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