Games on Steam, Nintendo, etc.Platforms and major manufacturers have expressed their views on the blockchainGame developer Epic Games recently launched the first NFT game " Blankos Block Party" on its game mall Epic Games Store (hereinafter referred to as "Epic"). However, after a recent observation by a reporter from Beijing Business Daily, although the discussion of blockchain games has heated up in the player's social circle again, this product, which is dubbed "the most beautiful chain game in history", has not set off in the domestic game circle. What a splash. Industry insiders believe that the advantage of blockchain games is to use players' interest in games to attract more users to enter the game, but game companies that are deeply involved in the leisure category are still racking their brains to prolong the short product life cycle. There are many difficulties in maintaining the player base and long-term operation.
From the massive advancement of users and capital from all sides, to now bearing a lot of discussion and infamy, supporters and opponents are tit-for-tat. After careful calculation, it has been less than two years since the advent of blockchain games to become popular, but it has barely achieved anything. "Peaceful Days". As a new concept with high topicality, they often rely on their own official website to operate, active in the social circle of blockchain users, and rarely out of the circle.
In mid-September, Epic launched its first blockchain game "BlankosBlockParty" on the official game store. Among the game platforms, Epic was the first to eat this troublesome "crab".
According to public information, "Blankos BlockParty" is a sandbox MMORPG game, and its gameplay is more inclined to the current online brawler game "Jelly Bean: The Ultimate Knockout". In addition, it is reflected by collecting and trading character skins. NFT concept. Know almostOn the platform, some players called it "the most beautiful chain game in history" and "comparable to 3A game masterpieces". In 2021, clothing brand Burberry also announced that it will cooperate with the game to launch limited-edition co-branded character skins.
It is worth pondering that public information shows that in September 2021, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney did not recognize NFT, calling it a "scam". This year, EpicGames has publicly stated to the outside world that it will open up blockchain and NFT games through the company's Epic platform; Tim Sweeney's attitude has also reversed that it will not ban the sale of NFT-based games on its EpicGamesStore platform. This reversal occurred after Epic’s old rival, Steam, officially announced that NFTs were banned from being released on the platform.
Before being listed on Epic, “Blankos BlockParty” has launched a beta version to meet players since 2020. Developer MythicalGames has announced data, and the game has accumulated more than 1 million players so far. However, when searching for related entries on multiple social media, the topic of "Blankos BlockParty" has not been high. Most of the guide videos are only played in a few hundred, and the announcement of Epic's announcement has not attracted more attention.
"The biggest difference between blockchain games and ordinary casual games is that I am not only here for entertainment, but also to earn money." Player Mr. Chen introduced to the Beijing Business Daily reporter that the game community is currently small, even if With the big-name joint names and limited clothing, if the number of players is difficult to reach a larger scale, and the topic discussion is not high, it is difficult for the investment to appreciate. If the investment demand is difficult to meet, it will lose interest in the game.
Game industry analyst Wei Mingye believes that game products with casual gameplay are often simple to operate, have a low threshold for playing, and have a wide audience. Blockchain games use casual games as the main selling point, which can indeed enhance the attractiveness of products.
"Once the growth of users stagnates or loses a lot, the NFT skin in the game will lose its market value and will inevitably depreciate, and the devaluation of investment will bring about the loss of users. In this cycle, it is difficult for the game to maintain operations and exit the market, and the player's investment will also lose value." Wei Mingye further It shows that many big game companies focusing on the game field are still difficult to solve the problems of single gameplay, serious homogeneity, and short product life cycle. .
Different from Epic's embrace of arms, many game companies have been insensitive to NFT and blockchain games. Previously, Valve, the parent company of Steam, issued an announcement saying that the company has prohibited developers from launching apps based on the issuance and trading of cryptocurrencies or NFTs on the platform. The speculative nature of NFTs is "encouraging huge profits"; while MicrosoftThe development team of its game "Minecraft" has also publicly stated that NFT encourages digital scarcity and exclusion, which is contrary to the values of the "Minecraft" community and the game itself. The speculative nature of NFT is "encouraging huge profits".
Regarding whether more styles of blockchain games will continue to be launched, a reporter from Beijing Business Daily contacted Epic Games, but has not received a reply from the other party as of press time. However, public information shows that a western-themed shooter was previously announced as the first blockchain game on Epic, but the game was “not yet available” when the news was announced.
Game commentator Zhang Xu believes that the introduction of blockchain and NFT concepts in games has actually changed the entertainment function of games and turned them into a game-based economic investment activity. Although EpicGames has entered the blockchain game, it has not participated in the investment and development. Perhaps more consideration is not to make the blockchain game shine in the company's business, but to grab it before the layout of the competing companies. Get ahead.