The crypto and NFT gaming space is busier than ever lately, what with prominent games starting to release, token airdrops piling up, and a seemingly constant array of other things happening at all times. It’s a lot to take in!
Luckily, Decrypt’s GG is all over it. And if you need a quick way to get caught up on the latest moves around crypto video games, we’re happy to present This Week in Crypto Games.
Our weekend roundup serves up the biggest news from the past week, along with a few other tidbits you might have missed. We also showcase a few of our original stories from the week.
Biggest news
The Lost Glitches open beta: Ethereum layer-3 network Xai’s trading card game The Lost Glitches entered open beta on Thursday, available for download on the Epic Games Store. The game mixes in role-playing game (RPG) elements to layer in depth for players. As they complete tasks and quests, they are able to build out a skill tree, which will then influence the way they build their decks.
Head of publishing and marketing for Lost Glitches publisher Mimunga, Franco De Cesare, told Decrypt's GG that the game's vibrant artistic style was "critically important." Its something that the company sees as lacking in the latest crop of huge AAA games, plus it helps set the game apart from the likes of Hearthstone and Parallel.
A new layer-3 network: Pixelcraft Studios, the company behind the crypto game Aavegotchi, announced Thursday that it plans to launch a “members only” Ethereum layer-3 gaming blockchain called Geist. Like Ronin and Xai, rival Ethereum gaming networks, Geist will be permissioned—which means the developers can determine which teams can build on the chain.
Powered by multiple Ethereum scaling technologies, including Base and Arbitrum, Geist is designed to overcome various hurdles facing the current crypto gaming environment, including high player turnover and a prevalence of “botting” used to manipulate rewards initiatives.
TapSwap city builder: Launched on Monday, Tappy Town is a new game mode found within the TapSwap mini app on Telegram that lets you upgrade and enhance numerous buildings to unlock additional rewards.
Tappy Town ties into existing play-to-earn elements within TapSwap, such as the ability to watch certain YouTube videos to earn in-game coins. Now you’ll also earn purple play buttons by watching videos, which can be used to upgrade one of the buildings and then start to passively earn blocks in the game by upgrading buildings. It's said to tie into the game's upcoming token airdrop on The Open Network (TON).
ICYMI
- Ethereum gaming arcade BSMNT launched on B3.fun, a new layer-3 chain running on Coinbase's Base.
- BMW will launch an official Uno card game playable via its luxury car screens.
- Confiction Labs introduced a new in-game verification system aimed at curbing increased bot activity.
- Ronin play-to-earn hit Axie Infinity revealed upcoming upgrades to its Homeland Adventure system.
Lunacians, get ready for the revamped Homeland Adventure system! ✨
Here's a sneak peek at the upcoming changes 🧵 pic.twitter.com/3Gsq3fnWHx
— Axie Infinity (@AxieInfinity) August 13, 2024
- Dr. Disrespect deleted his Twitter post admitting to having conversations with a minor that “leaned too much in the direction of being inappropriate.”
- Rainbow Rumble, Crypto Unicorns’ battle royale mode akin to Fall Guys, launched on the Xai network
- An $800 rotating chair specifically built for virtual reality headset the Meta Quest 3 launched.
- Monster-taming RPG Zeeverse announced phase one of its play-to-airdrop campaign.
GG spotlight
Here are a few of our original stories from the past weeks that we think are well worth a weekend read:
Edited by Andrew Hayward