WHILE the Metaverse might be a new notion for the population at large, the concept has been around for a while — especially in gaming.
Immersive digital worlds where you can exist as an avatar have been around for decades now.
And with the proliferation of NFTs, play-to-earn games are on the rise, offering the perfect medium for adopting and using these digital assets.
They also offer gamers the chance to bolster their crypto wallets, and while opinion is still divided on NFT games, it hasn’t quelled the burgeoning interest in investing.
We’ve compared the top three metaverse games previously in our Gala Games vs The Sandbox vs Decentraland explainer.
And you can read up on how to get started in Gala Games’ Town Star here.
But we’ve rounded up a collection of up and coming crypto games you should keep an eye on as we head into 2022.
As with anything that involves finances, you should ensure you read up on the risks of getting involved before taking part.
Mirandus
- In-game token: Materium
- Free-to-play: Yes
- Release date: TBC
Mirandus is a fantasy RPG from Gala Games that holds up player ownership as one of its main mechanics.
The in-game token is called Materium, and is represents the magical resource players need to make potions, craft enchanted weapons, and generally engage in adventuring.
Similarly to Town Star’s TownCoin, the token is only earnable by playing the game (for now).
It can be found in “many forms” according to the dev blog, “as a solid state as infused ore, as a liquid state, when used to create potions with untold powers, and it can even exist in a gaseous state, flowing in the air itself through the skies of Mirandus.”
Mirandus is free-to-play but is in the playtest phase right now. Players in the playtest are being given Materium, with the only requisite being that you own an Exemplar avatar.
These elite avatars have special bonuses that buff certain abilities. You can own more than one and will earn Materium for each one so long as you play in the test with all of them.
You can also deeds for various types of buildings, from a simple homestead, to a potion shop, to entire towns.
If you’re interested in the game and think it has a good chance of blowing up, it’s a good time to get involved. We advise you weigh up the risks before investing.
The Exemplars are selling out fast, with the cheapest coming in at 1,045 GALA coin, which is around £415 / $550.
You can find out more about the game on the Mirandus website.
My Neighbor Alice
- In-game token: ALICE
- Free-to-play: Yes
- Release date: Spring 2022
A multiplayer builder game inspired by Animal Crossing, My Neighbor Alice lets players create and develop their land, do daily activities, and interact with their in-game neighbors.
The native token is called ALICE and can earned through playing the game. It’s used for in-game purchases, like land, assets, and avatar items.
Gamified financed plays an integral part to My Neighbor Alice with a number of tokens allocated on staking rewards.
Staking is available with cryptocurrencies that utilise a proof-of-stake model to verify payments, and allows you to passively earn rewards. You can read more about that in our staking cryptocurrencies explainer.
Or you might choose to put your tokens towards becoming part of the decentralized governance process that decides on development, growth, and the use of revenue generated by the game.
With an estimated release date of spring 2022, early investors were given the chance to join the playtest on Steam starting in January.
The website boasts that the ecosystem is for both gamers as well as “players who want to collect and trade NFTs, even if they have no idea what an NFT is.”
While you can’t get involved right now, you can bookmark the page and follow the updates to keep track of development and opportunities to dive in pre-release.
Light Nite
- In-game token: Bitcoin (BTC)
- Free-to-play: No
- Release date: TBC
Light Nite is a battle royale Fortnite clone with in-game bitcoin rewards, microtransactions, and bitcoin NFTs.
It keeps things simple on the graphics from with its low-poly, cartoonish style and adopts a similar approach with the rewards players can earn.
Rather than handing out bitcoin willy nilly, the game utilises the smallest unit of the currency, called the satoshi.
It equates to one hundred millionth of a single bitcoin, and it’s this denomination that’s earned through playing.
NFTs come into play with in-game items like weapon skins, accessories, character skins and so on.
Players can trade them on Elixir which has been dubbed as the first bitcoin NFT market for gamers.
The marketplace was launched Satoshi’s Games — the devs behind Light Nite.
Light Nite is still in its pre-release playtest, but it’s Steam launch was cancelled due to the platform’s policy on crypto and NFT games.
It costs $20, which is around £15, and you’ll need to set up a Lightning network compatible wallet to withdraw your winnings.
You can visit the Light Nite website for more details and to sign up.
Illuvium
- In-game token: Illuvium (ILV)
- Free-to-play: Yes
- Release date: Q1 2022
An open-world, adventure RPG, Illuvium players are tasked with venturing into the wilderness to capture creatures called Illuvials.
Think along the lines of Pokemon; the Illuvials have abilities, classes, and can be fused and upgraded to unlock new forms. You’re basically collecting and battling monsters,
While there’s a free-to-play experience that all players begin with, you can choose to go premium, and start collecting NFTs.
Players can start earning by taking part in competitions, tournaments, and completing PvE quests.
Illuvials can also be used to gather resources which can be bought and sold on the in-game marketplace, the Illuvidex.
Illuvium is set for an open beta in Q1 2022, which is as close to a release date as we have for now.
As it’s still very early in development, this is another one to keep an eye on if you want to get in early and grab some land as soon as it becomes available.
You can register for Illuvium and find out more about the game on its website.
GensoKishi Online Meta World
- In-game token: Metaverse (MV)
- Free-to-play: Yes
- Release date: Summer 2022
GensoKishi differs from the rest of the blockchain games on the list, as it’s been around for over a decade.
Presented the Game of the Year Gold Award in Taiwan in 2012, the title has amassed eight million users since launch.
The introduction of the blockchain elements have only just rolled out, offering free-to-play, play-to-earn, and UGC (user generated content) to earn options.
The open world meta verse incorporates NFTs into the gameplay, so you can turn your in-game assets into NFTs and sell the, for Metaverse tokens.
Token holders also get benefits like discounted prices for in-game items, and exclusive to games and events in the metaverse.
The token is being listed after December 23, so if you’re looking to buy in before the price potentially skyrockets, you’ll want to set a reminder so you don’t miss out.
Gaming-wise, to celebrate the move to the blockchain, players can join the community registration campaign by December 27 to receive a Limited Equipment NFT.
You can read up on the game before the token opens up for sale on the official website.
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