Author: Zen, PANews
Earlier this year, the public gaming chain Immutable launched an early access version of the Immutable zkEVM mainnet powered by Polygon, and the rapid development of its ecosystem officially kicked off. Entering the second quarter, with the launch of Guild of Guardians and the release of the largest Web3 game mission and reward program in history, "Mainline Missions", with a reward of over $50 million, Immutable Passport, its integrated gamer identity solution, has achieved huge growth, with the number of registered users officially exceeding the 1 million mark, of which doubled in May alone.
Immutable zkEVM aims to provide game developers with a dedicated chain that combines the advantages of zk-rollup technology with the Ethereum ecosystem, with EVM compatibility, low cost, large-scale scalability, and enterprise-level security. In addition to supporting game infrastructure, Immutable has also begun to provide funding to game developers. In March of this year, Immutable, venture capital firm King River Capital and Polygon Labs jointly established a $100 million Web3 game fund "Inevitable Games Fund" (IGF). Among them, Immutable and Polygon Labs will look for investment opportunities, and King River will manage the investment process and deploy funds in game studios and Web3 infrastructure companies.
Thanks to the technical foundation and financial support, Immutable zkEVM quickly attracted a large number of game developers. According to Robbie Ferguson, co-founder of Immutable, in the first five months of this year, Immutable has signed 147 games with sufficient funds, which is more than the whole year of 2023. In the next five months, it plans to launch more than 60 games. Among these more than 200 games, more than a dozen games related to the "main quest" are obviously the focus of its current layout. What games are they? What are their outstanding performances? In this article, PANews will take stock of these games.
Illuvium
A game world composed of multiple games, including the business simulation game Zero, the open world adventure game Overworld, the auto chess strategy game Arena, and the NFT collection game Beyond. Each game has a unique gameplay mechanism for different player groups, but the four games are connected in series through the mining and utilization of interoperable resources between different games. The blockchain game Illuvium launched the Open Beta test network at the end of May and launched it on the Epic Games store, providing Windows and macOS versions. At present, Illuvium has completed 4 rounds of financing with a total financing amount of US$65 million. Investors include IOSG Ventures, Framework Ventures, Animoca Brands, Spartan Capital and Polygon Ventures. In addition, Illuvium also raised approximately US$72 million through the sale of Illuvium Zero land in 2022.
Guild of Guardians
A rogue-lite mobile role-playing game inspired by Diablo and Dungeons & Dragons, it is a flagship game developed by Stepico Games and published by Immutable. On May 15 this year, Guild of Guardians was released globally and launched simultaneously on the Apple iOS App Store and Google Android Play Store. The game had more than 1 million pre-registered players on the eve of its release, and the daily active users increased by more than 20 times on the first day of launch. It was once ranked in the top ten of Android and Apple app stores in the United States, the Philippines and Singapore.
Hunters On-Chain
A top-down casual, PVE action-adventure game, available for free on the web, Android, and iOS. Hunters On-Chain was developed by blockchain game developer and publisher BoomLand, a team of experienced game professionals who claim to have been responsible for the release of more than 200 games with more than 1.5 billion downloads to date. Hunters On-Chain offers a variety of gameplay based on PvE and PvP game modes, including a fast-paced hunting mode, a cooperative mode to protect the king, a special challenge to hunt the boss, a duel mode to compete with other players, and a battle royale mode "Bounty Hunter" for 10 people. Hunters On-Chain recently launched the Play To Airdrop event, which will include two seasons, each lasting one month, with a total prize pool of 250 million $BOOM tokens.
Baby Shark Universe
An open-world role-playing game with an underwater ocean theme, in which players can create their own game content such as items, maps, etc., interact with other players and expand the game according to their own choices and actions. The developers of this game have more than ten years of work experience at the Korean game company Nexon. Baby Shark Universe will provide a variety of metaverse-based gameplay, including combat, collection and production, as well as NFT transactions between users. It will also eventually support user-generated content (UGC) functions, in which users can create and contribute their own content. In May of this year, Baby Shark Universe announced the completion of a seed round of financing with a valuation of US$34 million, with investors including Animoca Brands, CREDIT SCEND, Sui Foundation, Comma3 Ventures, etc.
Storm Warfare
A free collectible card game with the theme of World War II, currently available on Windows and macOS, and planned to be released on iOS and Android mobile terminals in the near future. Cards in the game are divided into four different types: units, vehicles, artillery and support. Each card has its own attack and defense attributes, as well as different characteristics and abilities. By collecting cards and building decks, players will simulate the deployment of troops on the battlefield of World War II and fight with other players. The goal is to win by reducing the health of the enemy commander to zero. Storm Warfare has an in-game market where players can buy, sell or trade in-game NFT cards and items they own. From June 28 to July 12, Storm Warfare will launch a tournament that will offer a prize pool of more than $50,000, including 50,000 IMX tokens airdrops.
Space Nation
A space opera-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), the game stands out with its vast futuristic world, complex characters, and intricate narratives, and has received strong support from partners and VCs. A total of $50 million has been invested in the development of the game, and its supporters include Foresight Ventures, Lighthouse Capital, SevenX Ventures, HashKey Capital, Arcane Group, etc. The story is set in the fictional Telikos star cluster, a deep space frontier inhabited by multi-ethnic builders, warriors, and survivors. Players will play the captain of a starship and embark on an adventurous journey, facing deadly pirates, traversing dangerous environments, and discovering secrets and treasures. Space Nation is currently running a Space Trek 101 event, offering rewards including 1 million OIK, closed beta 2.0 access code, and fuel.
Katana You
A fighting game with humanoid Shiba Inu as the main character, different characters have a variety of fighting styles such as martial arts, magic and melee. Katana Inu's game modes mainly include a battle royale that allows up to 60 players to fight in an open world environment, as well as an arena battle for 1v1 and 3v3 battles. The game uses a "P2E" mechanism, and its NFT market allows players to exchange in-game items such as skins, hats and clothes for the game's native token $KATA. As of June 25, the fully diluted valuation of the KATA token was approximately US$40 million, a drop of approximately 32% in the past month. Katana Inu recently reached a cooperation with Baby Doge, a popular meme token on BNB, to jointly launch a limited NFT series, limited to 1,000, which will be released on June 27.
Rebel Bots: Epic War
A casual game that combines MOBA mechanics with collectible card gameplay, it is now available on the Apple iOS App Store and Google Android Play Store. In the game, players will control their own unique robots, each with specialized abilities and roles, to outwit and defeat their opponents. The game focuses on teamwork and strategy, requiring players to make split-second decisions that can turn the tide of battle. What makes the game unique is that it integrates collectible cards, which allows players to collect a variety of robots, abilities, and power-ups, each of which is a unique NFT. By participating in competitions and winning, players can obtain loot boxes containing random cards and items.
Battle Bears Heroes
It is a top-down 3v3 shooting game that includes a variety of gameplay modes such as mini MOBA, deathmatch mode, battle royale mode, campaign mode, etc. The game's predecessor, the Battle Bears series, has accumulated more than 40 million downloads, including Battle Bears -1 and Battle Bears 1: Zombies. BBH is a remake of the classic BB GO from 2010, which includes new heroes, PvP mode, and a new version of Battle Bears -1 with the same nostalgic cutscenes. BBH chose to part ways with Ronin in March this year due to differences, and officially announced a month later that it would be released on Immutable zkEVM. It is expected to be officially launched in July and pre-registration is now open.
Zoids Wild Arena
Zoids Wild Arena is a collectible card game developed by ACT Games and entered the Immutable ecosystem in May this year. The game is inspired by the acclaimed ZOIDS anime series from the well-known Japanese toy manufacturer TOMY Company, Ltd. The cards also feature mecha robots designed with dinosaurs and animals, which can be traded, collected and played. Specifically, players will use 30 cards to build a deck for 1v1 battles, and each player can use their own pre-matched deck. During the game, players adopt different strategies, take turns using their cards, and win by reducing their opponents to zero health.
Paradise Tycoon
A simulation multiplayer role-playing game developed by game studio Empires Not Vampires. Its game mechanics are similar to Stardew Valley. Players own a tropical island in the game and must make it rich through a series of operations such as tidying up, crafting and decorating. In February last year, Empires Not Vampires completed a $1 million financing round, with investors including Shima Capital, Zee Prime Capital, etc. The game is currently in the public beta 2.0 stage, supporting in-game resource trading and NFT trading of crafting items and blueprints. Paradise Tycoon was originally developed based on Avalanche, and later moved to Immutable. Its second season Play-to-Airdrop will be launched on June 27, and players can participate for free.
Arena of Faith
A 5V5 MOBA game with the theme of the struggle between gods and humans, developed by VORTEX LABS, has been launched on Apple iOS App Store and Google Android Play Store. The basic gameplay of Arena of Faith is similar to MOBA games such as Honor of Kings. In the game, 10 players are divided into two factions to fight each other. The first to destroy the opponent's crystal wins the game. The game determines the trend through factors such as economic development, route control, and fighting between the two sides. Each game lasts about 15 minutes and requires both personal skills of the players and the degree of cooperation with teammates. In May last year, Arena of Faith announced the completion of a $1.75 million seed round of financing led by Chain Hill Capital.
Astra Nova
A story-driven Web3 role-playing game built on the Unreal Engine 5 game engine. Astra Nova's gameplay combines exploration, combat, strategy, and community-driven storytelling. Players can customize their characters and choose from races and professions that survived the destruction of the five great worlds. The game challenges players to explore the vast landscape of Astra Nova, from the treacherous wilderness to the ruins of ancient civilizations. In March of this year, Astra Nova landed on the Steam store; in April of this year, Astra Nova announced the completion of a $1 million financing, with major investors including Hashgraph Ventures, Oxbull, MoonEdge, etc. Astra Nova is currently in the process of a series of game updates for the first chapter "The Fall of Saerinda", and its second level is expected to be launched at the end of this month.