Rome Wasn’t Built In a Day and Neither are AAA Web3 Games

Introduction

There is no doubt that good things take time, and Web3 games have been no exception. A booming concept, Web3 games involve decentralisation of the gaming world as we know it. Through Web3 gaming (often labelled as GameFi), players are able to earn as they play in a variety of ways through cryptocurrencies and NFT’s. The blockchain gaming world has seen quite a few successful projects over the years such as Axie Infinity and CryptoKitties, but the industry is still waiting on a truly playable AAA game.

A number of projects have already taken the leap into making this possible, however it seems that although a lot of hype has been surrounding these projects, there has not been an official, public release as yet. 

Illuvium

Founded in September of 2020, Illuvium describes itself as “an open-world exploration, NFT creature collector and auto battler game”, built on the Ethereum blockchain. The game is set to release in 2022, with no exact date announced just yet. The worldwide team consists of just over 40 developers, with co-founder brothers including Kieran and Aaron Warwick.

The mechanics, graphics and gameplay promised by the Illuvium team are no doubt out of this world. In a short 6 months, Illuvium have managed to surpass 100,000 Discord members which outline their excellent marketing strategy and loyal fan base.

Illuvium promises to be an interesting project that can unify an NFT game and a well-designed RPG game. Thoughtful mechanics, rewards and modern graphics could allow it to take a leading position in the industry.

Another strength point is the game’s scaling mechanism, which reportedly allows it to host hundreds of thousands of players around the world. In an “ordinary” RPG game, users play on different servers in order to avoid congestion that leads to lags when playing. In Illuvium, developers use a scaling model incorporating cloud storage resources that, they say, will unite the world of the game. 

Some however have expressed their concerns about the Illivium team itself, noting that they have no proven track record of releasing any prior gaming projects, let alone AAA games. The team has also mentioned that only 100 Illuvials (the native creatures in the world of Illuvium) will be released at first, which limits the possibilities for players to get their hands on them.

Star Atlas

Expected to arrive at some point in 2022, Star Atlas is another playable AAA blockchain project promising to bring its users an eccentric space-themed experience. A notably positive perk about Star Atlas is the fact that it is built on the Solana blockchain, allowing for lower transaction costs than that of other blockchains, such as Ethereum. The graphics promised are on a “cinematic” level which users cannot wait to experience.

Star Atlas is emerging from the confluence of state-of-the-art blockchain, real-time graphics, multiplayer video games and decentralized finance technology. Blockchain technology using the Solana protocol establishes a largely serverless and secured gameplay experience. NFTs obtained and traded in Star Atlas create an economy that replicates the tangibility of real-world assets and ownership.

Star Atlas is a game and a public utility that makes is such an interesting project. It’s not just an AAA-level MMO, although that in itself is exciting. The creators want to build a universe where players can truly do whatever they want — and make money doing it. In other words, a true metaverse. The fact that Star Atlas is only playable through the ownership of NFT’s is causing a divide between traditional games and crypto/NFT enthusiasts.

Delysium

One of the latest AAA blockchain gaming projects to enter the GameFi world, Delysium has had an exceptional start to their journey. Within just a short few months, Discord users of Delysium have reached 50,000 rapidly, and then  Delysium launched their Pre-Alpha Test on 30 April 2022. The development time alone has proven that not all blockchain gaming projects are struggling to get off the ground. An initial reaction to the short development time might be that the graphics or quality were compromised – which is far from the truth. The graphics seen on the Delysium Battle Royale are no different to those seen in traditional PC/Console games.

Delysium was made possible which allowed for such a swift and successful Pre-Alpha Test release, which will be played and enjoyed by over 5000 Gamers, including a great number of Twitch streamers. A stark difference seen in the Delysium project, as opposed to its counterparts, is the fact that it is open to all players, it is truly free to play.

Although Delysium is at an early stage, the speed of development is still far ahead among the industry. In the blockchain game industry, there is no AAA-quality game that involves players in testing and experiencing during the development process. Although the game may be imperfect and immature, the Pre-Alpha Test will release a positive signal which Delysium is willing to build the ecosystem with players to implement a real Web3 sprite — openness and co-creation. “We believe that one of the key features of Web3 spirit is openness and co-creation. That’s why we decided to let Delysium go directly to our users in the early stage, inviting gamers to witness the results of our team’s efforts and also help the game grow together.” stated Chan, CEO of Delysium.

Delysium brings a new hope to the Web3 game industry. With the impressive progression of the Delysium project, many are hoping that this will be the first concrete leap towards the future AAA blockchain gaming.

Blockchain gaming is still in its infancy. 

With Web3, we are currently at the cusp of another significant advancement in the industry as gaming moves from play-to-earn to play-and-earn. Gamers and crypto’s early adopters can expect a lot of excitement, especially as the globe pushes towards broad use.

At the end of the day, P&E is more complicated than simply being the next iteration of video gaming. It combines social interaction, philanthropy, income-generation, mindfulness, and increasingly, mobile apps — meaning it matters less that people have to grind, or that they need to have better graphics, or they can earn income.

So, will big AAA names enter the P&E and NFT gaming space, or will the two tracks carry on in parallel paths? At the moment, both sides are jockeying for space, with P&E learning some tricks from traditional gaming, notably to increase the fun quotient.