EOS-based Horseman GO game promises ‘autonomous’ economy

Hong Kong-based game studio Cogito today revealed Horseman GO, a horse raising and horse racing game that features a decentralized, self-governing economy via the EOS blockchain.

Horseman GO (no relation to Bojack) lets players raise and breed cartoonish horses, as well as enter them in online races—and the economic component, called the Jockey Club, is autonomously run via smart contracts. Cogito calls it the first “decentralized autonomous game” (DAG).

All of the game’s revenue will enter the central wallet of the Jockey Club and be used for daily operations and various bonus awards, all of which will be viewable on the blockchain. The “majority of the funds will eventually be returned to players,” according to a release.

“As the first game of its kind, Horseman GO proposes an innovative model of gameplay, distinguished by a self-functioning economy determined for players by the players themselves,” said Cogito founder Kevin Yu, in a release. “Designed wholly with the spirit of decentralization in mind, we hope to foster an ecosystem that encourages players to be fully invested in the creation of the Horseman GO ecosystem, empowered by the emphasis on community inclusion and accountability for its growth.”

Horseman GO will begin on EOS, which the developer says was chosen due to its performance and “stability,” but eventually will not be the only blockchain to host the game. The company’s reasoning to launch on EOS, however, is somewhat curious given the documented troubles that EOS has had as of late with congestion and attacks to its network.

Cogito notes that the game will “be deployed on selected public blockchains across the wider industry ecosystem” as Horseman GO’s economy grows. The company did not provide further details regarding how it plans to expand the game to other networks or how that would potentially affect the users who buy into the EOS-based game. Cogito did not immediately respond to Decrypt’s request for comment.

Cogito held a pair of closed beta tests for Horseman GO in late 2019 and plans to launch an open beta this quarter.