This Week in Crypto Games: 'Off the Grid' Coming to Steam, Ethereum's 'Ember Sword' Shuts Down

It's tough to keep tabs on the ever-changing crypto gaming space, thanks to the constant flow of news: everything from big game launches and fun degen experiments to token price swings and occasional project collapses. It's a lot to follow.

Luckily, we're plugged in at Decrypt's GG. We cover the biggest happenings throughout the week, and then this weekly roundup provides a quick way to catch up, as well as find a bunch of other little bits of news from throughout the week.

Top stories

Off the Grid NFT sales, Steam plans: Avalanche-powered battle royale shooter game Off the Grid is gradually transitioning its players from testnet to the GUNZ mainnet, enabling real cryptocurrency trading of in-game items for GUN tokens. Currently, only about 0.13% of the game's 16.5 million players can access the mainnet marketplace, yet high-value trades are already occurring.

Notable recent sales include a Prankster tactical vest for $2,393, a ZipperMouth mask for $1,100, and various other rare items fetching hundreds to thousands of dollars. The most coveted items are ultra-rare Pioneer and Legacy weapons, which collectors are holding onto expecting future updates that could drive five-figure sales.

 NFT Revolution

'Off the Grid' NFT Sales Heating Up as Avalanche Game Plots Expansion to Steam

Avalanche shooter Off the Grid has slowly started to shift its player base onto the GUNZ mainnet, where they can trade in-game items for GUN tokens. Even with approximately 0.13% of its player base now able to trade items, the marketplace is heating up, with some items going for thousands of dollars’ worth of crypto. This all comes as the hit battle royale shooter plots its June expansion to PC platform Steam—a marketplace that banned blockchain games from the platform in 2021. That said, Off th...

Off the Grid plans to expand to Steam in June, despite Steam's 2021 ban on blockchain games. Gunzilla Games has yet to explain how this will work, though the game is also available on PlayStation and Xbox, which similarly restrict crypto features.

Ember Sword ends: Ember Sword, an Ethereum-based MMORPG, has shut down due to lack of funding. Developer Bright Star Studios, despite attracting prominent investors and gaming industry veterans as advisors, said it couldn't secure continued financing in the current market climate.

The game launched during the 2021 metaverse boom, attracting nearly 35,000 players that pledged $203 million for its land sale, though the actual amount raised was apparently far less than that eye-popping figure. The game faced disappointing reception when it entered closed beta in July 2024, and its EMBER token has now crashed over 99% from peak levels.

 NFT Revolution

Ethereum's 'Ember Sword' Is the Latest in a Growing Wave of Crypto Game Shutdowns

Four years after attracting $203 million in pledges towards an NFT land sale, Ethereum game Ember Sword has shut down, with developer Bright Star Studios citing a lack of funding required to continue its operations. It's the latest example of a growing trend of crypto games closing up shop. “We were ultimately unable to secure the funding needed to continue,” the game’s official site now reads. “We explored every possible way forward. But in today’s market—where even some of the most promising p...

This closure reflects a broader trend of crypto game shutdowns, with recent casualties including Nyan Heroes, Blast Royale, and Tatsumeeko all closing within the same period, plus other prominent 2025 closures including Deadrop and The Mystery Society. The wave of closures highlights the funding challenges facing blockchain gaming projects in the current market environment.

ICYMI

• Ubisoft has relaunched Champions Tactics on Steam as Champions Tactics: Reforged, which lacks the NFT marketplace and benefits for holders. Decrypt is seeking further clarification on the changes.
• Yield Guild Games launched LOL Land, a board game-inspired experience from its new publishing division, on Ethereum layer-2 network Abstract.
• Mythical Games' upcoming mobile blockchain soccer game FIFA Rivals has opened pre-registrations on Google's Android Play Store.

• Classic Call of Duty multiplayer servers tied to the unofficial MLG meme coin have attracted more than 20,000 players to date.
• Sui gaming platform Seed Combinator apparently launched an Axie Infinity knockoff, generating a whole bunch of angry tweets and distancing from the project.
• Voya Games raised $5 million in funding co-led by 1kx and Makers Fund, ahead of the launch of its upcoming crypto game, Craft World.

• Sony's PlayStation Stars rewards program—which it went out of its way to confirm wasn't built around NFTs—is shutting down. Reminder that Sony now has its own Ethereum layer-2 network, Soneium.
• Off the Grid is testing a much-anticipated deathmatch mode, with 20-player matches.
• Trading card game Parallel will hold its next esports open tournament on May 31.

• Sugartown's Royal Nutz Poker Club game relaunched on Abstract on Friday.
• Sparkball has launched its pre-season ahead of the late summer Season Zero rollout.
• NFT card game Gods Unchained appears to be teasing a crossover with Guild of Guardians for June.