Ultra’s Web3 gaming platform, Ultra Games, will go live on 25th April 2023. One key feature is the ability for users to resell their digital games to other users — the return of second-hand games!

There has been a well-covered race to be “the Steam of Web3”, which started around the time Steam publicly rejected games using NFTs. While I criticized this move, I also identified Epic Games as the obvious replacement, not only because they put themselves forward, but because Tim Sweeney is one of the best bets for making Web3 gaming great.

Nevertheless, it is anything but a one-horse race. Several other Web3 gaming platforms are looking to take that title, including Ultra, which we have covered several times in the last few years. We are now at the next major milestone in Ultra’s roadmap and the piece of the puzzle that could connect the whole ecosystem: Ultra Games.

What Is Ultra Games?

Ultra Games is a Web3 games library but with several, modern additions. First of all, like any games platform, players can buy, download, and update games through it. At launch, there will be a decent selection of blockchain games to get started and Ultra has some impressive partnerships already nailed down, including The Walking Dead games. There is also some excellent Web2 games ready to be played, including the latest official WRC game and the RPG, Lords of the Fallen.

Ultra Games is the third application launched by Ultra, alongside the marketplace and wallet which will play a role here. Digital assets in the games can be stored in the Ultra wallet and sold on the Uniq marketplace. This also applies to games that can now be tokenized and sold on as digital assets. For me, this is one of the most important pieces of innovation Ultra has put forward and it has the potential to influence other gaming platforms going forward.

I am old enough to remember a time when I would gather up all the games I could bear to part with and head over to GameStop or Electronic Boutique to trade them in for the latest Gran Turismo or Final Fantasy. Part and parcel of owning something is the power to sell it on, but as everything moved to digital in gaming, we lost this power. Much of the focus around blockchain in games is empowering players to own the items they find and buy, but there’s no reason this couldn’t extend to games too.

Ultra Games launches to the public on the 25th April 2023 and you can learn more about it here.