Yesterday, we reported that video games are increasingly opening the next generation up to digital assets. Want some more good news amidst this bearish market? Plague Hunters, a blockchain-based video game, has been approved by Sony and will be coming to PlayStation 4. Plague Hunters is the first Ethereum blockchain-based game that has gone through Sony’s rigorous process of approval.
Plague Hunters, the sequel to Plague Road, is developed by Arcade Distillery, a New York-based video game maker. Arcade Distillery is expected to release the game in Q1 2019.
The game will use a freemium model, similar to other top-ranked games like Fortnite. Freemium will allow Plague Hunters to be free to play with chances to purchase in-game items. This will require a peer-to-peer (P2P) marketplace – and this ecosystem will be powered by the Ethereum blockchain. Players can use the marketplace to exchange their items with each other while having full ownership of the assets. The in-game assets will be non-fungible tokens – similar to the mechanism used in CryptoKitties.
While the marketplace will be built on the Ethereum blockchain, Plague Hunter will not feature blockchain-based gameplay. The gameplay was designed for the PS4 and Nintendo Switch, another gaming console, with Arcade Distillery exploring options to introduce the game for the Xbox One and smartphones.
While the gameplay will be similar to non-blockchain based games, users in Plague Hunter’s ecosystem will have complete and total ownership of every asset they receive, collect, or buy. Scarcity of in-game items will have provable scarcity as well.
This is just another step towards eventual adoption by the general public. Video games are a creative avenue to introduce new people to cryptocurrencies as well as attracting crypto enthusiasts into blockchain gaming.
While Plague Hunter is the first blockchain-based game to be approved by Sony, it is not the first blockchain-based game to be released. Earlier in November, the Coinbase-backed card game Gods Unchained released its gameplay trailer. The game, which is inspired by popular card games like Hearthstone and Magic: The Gathering, will feature blockchain-based assets.
Gods Unchained is soon going into private beta for stress testing, and in 3 months, the game’s open beta will be released.
What do you think? Do you plan on playing Plague Hunter? Will you buy blockchain-based video games? This market is tough, but there’s big evidence that this market is here to stay. Institutional Investors are prepping to enter the market. Banks are wanting in. And Bakkt is right around the corner. Let us know what your game plan is on our Facebook page!
