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Crypto gaming company Immutable announced Wednesday that it will let players avoid transaction fees on its upcoming Immutable zkEVM network, thanks to a feature that lets game developers "sponsor" such gas fees for players.
Games that are built on Immutable zkEVM, a gaming-focused Ethereum scaling network announced in March, will be able to enable the feature. Such a move could make it more affordable for players to try new games, and potentially remove significant barriers to broader blockchain gaming adoption.
“There are a couple of norms in the blockchain space that mainstream players simply won’t accept—gas fees fall into that category,” said Immutable Product Marketing Lead Michael Powell in a statement.
“To truly appeal to all gamers, Web3 games must be able to offer players a familiar and streamlined user experience, making the blockchain components as effortless and native as possible,” Powell added.
Players who use the upcoming universal gamer profile system Immutable Passport will be able to avoid gas fees for games sponsored by their developers. Immutable says that it will sponsor gas fees for all games itself for a "limited time" when the zkEVM mainnet launches early next year.
To make their games gas-free, game studios can deposit funds into a special smart contract wallet, so fees from Passport users are automatically paid without showing up for players. Immutable believes the cost to studios will be negligible compared to the benefits.
Ultimately, Immutable zkEVM and Passport aim to abstract gas fees from players and push for a monetization model where studios treat gas costs like infrastructure expenses. The company believes that this will lead to smoother onboarding and higher transaction conversion rates.
More than 200 games have currently committed to building within Immutable's broader ecosystem, with titles like Shardbound, MetalCore, and Space Nation set to launch on the Immutable zkEVM network.