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Is It Possible to Bring the Xbox-Playstation Gaming Experience to Web3 Metaverses?

source-logo  cryptonews.com 15 March 2022 21:42, UTC

Disclaimer: The Industry Talk section features insights by crypto industry players and is not a part of the editorial content of Cryptonews.com.

Over the last year, there have been plenty of headlines about the surge in Web3 gaming, with metaverses and play-to-earn leading the way to the next generation of playing online. However, whether or not Web3 currently represents the next generation is perhaps debatable. The established video game market, dominated by consoles, operates differently and caters to a different market than many of the more decentralized alternatives for several reasons. But now that big tech firms like Microsoft are bringing their clout to the game, Web2 and Web3 gaming models could begin to merge. 

The console game market has evolved to be a little like the movie industry, characterized by a small handful of studios with big budgets for development and marketing their blockbuster titles. Gameplay is heavily focused on user immersion using state-of-the-art graphics, compelling storylines, and engagement through interactivity. 

In contrast, the Web3 model heavily favors economics and incentives over gameplay. Thanks to the decentralized approach to content generation, there’s a plethora of games to choose from, as anyone can join and start creating. While Web3 typically refers to the blockchain-based ecosystem of dApps and games, even centralized metaverses like Roblox have gone with a user-generated approach to game creation. 

However, over the last few months, the tectonic plates have begun to shift. Big tech firms, led by names like Meta and Microsoft, are entering the metaverse and Web3 environment. On the other side of the coin, venture investors are pouring tens of billions into blockchain startups, stimulating a competitive decentralized gaming marketplace. 

Microsoft Dabbles in Decentralization?

Most of the big tech firms are decidedly focused on building centralized metaverses and games, with Meta and Microsoft both having made their intentions clear. But Microsoft, in particular, seems open to pursuing decentralized initiatives. The firm has previously obtained patent approval for a service that allows users to create their own crypto and also recently expanded its blockchain division. The press release regarding the firm’s $68.7 billion purchase of gaming firm Activision Blizzard also directly referenced Microsoft’s metaverse ambitions in the first paragraph. 

Most recently, Minecraft, which Microsoft owns, received a Web3 overhaul after a couple of non-affiliated developers decided to leverage the open-source elements of the game’s software. They launched NFT Worlds, a project built on third-party Minecraft servers which uses the Polygon blockchain to provide this version of Minecraft players with Web3 features like an online shop. 

Bridging the Gameplay Gap

Minecraft, rival Roblox, and decentralized alternatives like Axie Infinity are vastly popular with younger audiences. Still, for hardcore console or PC gamers looking for the next Player Unknown: BattleGrounds or Call of Duty, even the earning potential doesn’t necessarily offer much appeal. 

One key challenge is that the Web3 game developer community has been heavily dependent on the Unity engine to build and launch games. Unity is very user-friendly for developers, but it’s limited in its ability to create and render sophisticated 3D graphics. For that, developers turn to Unreal Engine, but there’s a steep learning curve between the two. 

However, what if game developers could access the power of Unreal Engine without needing to know all the underlying code? Bullieverse is a decentralized metaverse game, also based on the Polygon platform, that’s been getting rave reviews on Twitter for its hyper-realistic gameplay, thanks to an integration with Unreal Engine. 

Bullieverse creates games from popular trending game categories like MMORPG, Sandbox, and Survival and uses them as blueprints for creators to make their own games using the Bullieverse Creation Engine – without even needing to know any code. The project is launching with a foundational set of games, including Bear Hunt, a single-player objective-based game with NFT rewards, the MMO exploration titled Island Treasure Hunt, and the MMORPG Bull Royale, which allows players to compete with teams and play-to-earn rewards. 

🪐Welcome to the New Era of Open Metaverse

⚡️A Multiverse full of fun games and experiences, owned and governed by the community of players and creators.

🎮 Play. Create. Earn. Own

📍Join the future now at https://t.co/A6ORMBk5Ic

🗓 $Bull TGE: 9-Mar#NFTGame #P2E #Metaverse pic.twitter.com/zp08tlWtws

— Bullieverse (@Bullieverse) March 7, 2022

Players can gain citizenship of the Bulliever Island by holding a Bull NFT, which allows them to own land on the island. The project has also just launched its BULL governance token on KuCoin, beginning its path to full decentralization. Coming up on the 2022 roadmap is an initial DEX offering and liquidity mining program, along with further play-to-earn features and a land auction. 

The Adoption Race is On

All new technologies go through a development and adoption curve, and Web3 gaming is no different. As more firms like Microsoft enter the fray and innovators like Bullieverse open up tools like Unreal Engine, players can expect more from the Web3 gaming experience. As more talent and funds flow into the space, it won’t be long before the decentralized metaverse UX reaches, and even exceeds, the very best of the console game titles.

cryptonews.com