Welcome to our monthly recap of the GameFi world, where NFTs are the new bling, and DeFi is the new king. If you thought video games were just for fun and entertainment, think again. Today, they're serious business, and we don't just mean in terms of revenue. The lines between games and finance have recently blurred, hence the portmanteau—GameFi.
With all the noise in tweets, press releases, and opinion pieces on the activity in the crypto market and blockchain gaming space, we are excited to bring order and be your filter.
We keep track of the latest updates in the GameFi industry to bring you all the juicy gossip for your entertainment and investment needs. Here is a recap of all that happened in March with the GameFi space.
Jumping into the positives, Bitcoin (BTC) has been gaining much ground in preparation for the bull sweep. With price valuations for BTC caressing $27k and Ethereum touching bars of $1.7k, a comeback is in the works.
Let’s take a look at how the GameFi space is doing.
Animoca Brands Empowers Creators with NFT Licenses for Rights Protection
NFT marketplaces have been grappling with a big issue lately - creator royalties. Blur and OpenSea have been trying to outdo each other by removing creators from their platforms, making the issue even more pressing. But Animoca Brands, a top Web3 company, has stepped in to champion the rights of creators, led by their chairperson Yat Siu.
Siu believes that taking away royalties from creators is an insult and that paying royalties is critical to keep the web3 ecosystem healthy and maintaining its ethos. In response, Animoca Brands has created three NFT licenses requiring creators and holders to pay royalties for using the underlying NFT.
Animoca Brands has established NFT licenses that are legally binding under New York State Law to ensure the royalties are paid.
The NFT licenses given out are essential for NFT usage rights, both for creators and holders. Three types are available: the personal use license, the permitted commercial use license, and the unlimited-use license.
The personal use license grants non-exclusive, non-transferable, and royalty-free usage of the underlying NFT artwork for personal use only. On the other hand, the permitted commercial use license allows for commercial use within predetermined annual monetary limits set by the creator. Finally, the unlimited-use license grants unlimited personal use and no monetary limit on commercial use. However, holders must still follow the other bylaws of all licenses.
NFT licensing and creator royalties are hotly debated topics in the crypto space, and Animoca Brands' guidelines are a crucial guide for creators and holders. These licenses represent a significant milestone for the industry and a positive step towards a more defined framework for creator rights and NFT usage.
New Partnership Alert: Apex Kings NFT Racing Game and Citroën, DS Combine Forces
Supremacy Games, a Helsinki-based mobile game developer, has joined forces with Citroën and DS to bring some of their most iconic vehicles to the Apex Kings NFT Racing game. The partnership allows players to expand their virtual car collection while owning NFTs backed by real brands, providing an opportunity to navigate the market to find bargains and limited vehicles.
Supremacy Games has set out to offer the largest collection of cars ever available in any racing game, including sought-after vehicles such as the GT by Citroën concept car, Citroën V3 Rally, and DS Pallas Rally Prototype. These designs, known for their unique style and performance, fit perfectly into the world of Apex Kings.
To add to the excitement, Supremacy Games will also be hosting a limited-time giveaway of a limited edition Apex Kings Citroën car NFT for free. Supremacy Games CEO Jari Pauna couldn't be more thrilled about the partnership with Citroën and DS.
He stated that this collaboration emphasizes its focus on delivering an exciting and immersive gaming experience to players. He anticipates that the introduction of Citroën and DS vehicles to the Apex Kings NFT Racing game will bring a new level of excitement to the game.
The partnership between Supremacy Games, Citroën, and DS expands the virtual car collection in the Apex Kings NFT Racing game and offers players the chance to own a piece of automotive history. With real car brands backing the NFTs, players have the opportunity to collect and trade rare vehicles, adding to the excitement of the game.
Mineloader and Immutable Games unite for Guild of Guardians
Immutable Games Studio and Mineloader have joined forces to work on one of the most highly anticipated Web3 RPGs of 2023, Guild of Guardians. Mineloader, a well-known developer, will be primarily responsible for the game's core gameplay loop and art, as well as assisting with various in-game economy aspects.
With a track record that includes working on AAA titles like 'The Last of US Part I' and 'The Final Fantasy Series,' and teaming up with major gaming industry names like Ubisoft, 2K Games, EA, Sony, and Square Enix, Mineloader is the perfect partner to take Guild of Guardians to the next level.
Justin Hulog, the Chief Studio Officer of Immutable Games, expressed his excitement about the partnership and the shared vision of Mineloader's team regarding the future of gaming and the potential impact of web3. Immutable Games is the gaming division of Immutable, which was founded in 2018 and is famous for its Layer 2 Ethereum scaling platform, ImmutableX.
Guild of Guardians is a multiplayer, fantasy, action RPG where players team up in a guild to earn rewards. Guild of Guardians boasts more than 1 million pre-registered players and has formed a global esports partnership with eight of the world's biggest teams, including Fnatic and Team Liquid. Immutable Games Studio and Mineloader have partnered to elevate the game's quality and take RPGs to new heights.
Metacade's Presale Exceeds $10 Million Milestone Ahead of Exchange Launch
Metacade has hit a major milestone, surpassing its $10 million presale target in anticipation of the MCADE launch on exchanges this April. CEO Russell Bennet expressed gratitude for the community's unwavering support, adding that the hiring of Principal Product Designer Tyler Lange has expedited the front-end development process, putting the project ahead of schedule.
Metacade's platform, centered on community-driven concepts and the DAO ethos, offers a variety of mechanics, including play-to-earn, create-to-earn, and compete-to-earn, with ample opportunities for user engagement via regular polls and AMAs. The Metagrants initiative, which incentivizes game developers to build platform-specific projects, has already drawn exciting proposals from users on Telegram, and the most popular ideas will be subject to community votes.
Investor confidence has been bolstered by a seal of approval from CertiK, a top blockchain auditor, following a thorough review of the project specifications and code. The Metacade team has passed KYC, putting it on the same level of trust as other CertiK projects such as Aave, Polygon, and Chiliz. The full audit report can be found on CertiK's website.
In conclusion, Metacade's success in exceeding its presale target, community-driven philosophy, and endorsement from CertiK sets the stage for an exciting launch of MCADE on exchanges in April 2023.
Immutable X and Warner Bros. Tee Up to Enhance Blocklete Golf User Experience"
Warner Bros. and Immutable X have teamed up to enhance the user experience for Blocklete Golf, a mobile NFT game where players can collect, trade, and compete with NFTs that represent golf players and courses.
While the game has gained popularity, high fees and slow transaction times have limited accessibility for some users. The partnership with Immutable X aims to address this issue by improving transaction speed and affordability, making the game more accessible to a broader audience.
Immutable X's off-chain scaling solution is designed to accelerate and reduce transaction costs, making it perfect for NFT games like Blocklete Golf. Players can enjoy a better user experience with faster and more affordable transactions.
Warner Bros. involvement in NFT gaming highlights the potential for this technology to reach a mainstream audience. Through this partnership, Blocklete Golf can improve its user experience, which can attract more players and encourage other companies to explore the possibilities of NFT gaming.
To sum up, the partnership between Warner Bros. and Immutable X aims to enhance Blocklete Golf's user experience by improving transaction speed and affordability through the use of Immutable X's Layer 2 scaling solution. This partnership can increase the game's popularity and attract more players, demonstrating the potential of NFT gaming to reach a wider audience.
Conclusion
These are the highlights of the month. As we draw closer to the end, we will keep an eye out for trending topics that will spur your interest and keep you constantly updated. The blockchain gaming and GameFi space might have more to offer before the close of Q1 2023, and we are here for all of it!