Blockchain gaming has a long way to go despite recently adding millions of new players thanks to Telegram-based, clicker games like Notcoin and Hamster Kombat that are easy to sign up for and play.
But the nascent web3 gaming sector may have taken a significant step forward on Tuesday as Gunzilla Games launched an early-access version of its battle royale video game Off the Grid on Sony's PlayStation 5 and the Epic Game Store. Early previews of the game suggest it boasts AAA-level graphics and gameplay.
Gunzilla's vision for the free-to-play game is that players, whether they are playing on PlayStation, Xbox or a PC, will be able to trade in-game assets. This means the game is positioned to become what would be the first PlayStation and Xbox title to feature onchain functionality that provides gamers more flexibility with how they manage their in-game assets. Player assets utilize Gunzilla's GUNZ blockchain.
"GUNZ, built on a custom Avalanсhe L1, empowers game developers with the tools to build player-driven economies by providing players full ownership of in-game assets as tradeable NFTs," according to a statement.
It's unclear when Gunzilla expects players to be able to enjoy the full functionality of trading Off the Grid NFTS.
In April, NFT marketplace OpenSea agreed to integrate the Gunzilla's GUNZ blockchain. "The integration of GUNZ into OpenSea will provide a compliant and transparent NFT marketplace for trading in-game items," Gunzilla Games said at the time. "Players and OpenSea users alike will be able to trade in-game NFT items for any game built on the GUNZ blockchain and utilize the GUN token as the exclusive method of payment."
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Neill Blomkamp announced the early-access launch of Off the Grid on X Tuesday with a link to a game trailer. Blomkamp is both Gunzilla co-founder and serves as chief creative officer.
Earlier this year, Gunzilla raised $30 million in a funding round co-led by CoinFund and Avalanche’s Blizzard Fund. Then last month, crypto venture capitalist Delphi Ventures announced it had become the largest validator of both the Gunzilla ecosystem and blockchain platform GUNZ.
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