MatchBoxDAO launches esports experience for Web3 developers

January 19, 2023 Coin Telegraph

The tournament, “0xMonaco: Battle of Titans,” is scheduled to kick off on Jan. 29 and will bring together developers from around the blockchain space.

MatchBoxDAO — a collective of developers, artists and designers building on-chain gaming infrastructure with StarkNet — has announced the launch of MatchBox Arena, an esports experience specifically designed for developer participation. Dubbing it the “World Cup of the Web3 companies,” the team said the gaming tournament is designed to find out which company has the best technical team.

We are finally launching: "Matchbox Arena"✨

With the "Battle of Titans" as the first CTF competition released on the platform, we'll officially release "Matchbox Arena" tomorrow where the players will be able to upload their code.https://t.co/vGbEuyzus0

More info below
— MatchboxDAO (@matchbox_dao) January 17, 2023

The tournament, titled “0xMonaco: Battle of Titans,” will bring together Web3 developers from companies such as Uniswap, Ledger, Polygon, Chainlink and Near. The team said it will be livestreamed and feature esports commentators.

On-chain games for developers take a unique approach, focusing on strategy games in which players use smart contracts to code their strategies. 0xMonaco and future games of its kind will require high technical skills, creativity and quick adaptability to win. MatchBoxDAO promised to create an enjoyable experience for developers and entertain viewers, through video simulations that depict the actual code logic during the round.

MatchBox Arena plans to host closed tournaments for the best teams in Web3 and open challenges for everyone to participate in. Players can enter the arena, upload their code strategy and participate in rounds with other players. Additionally, players and viewers will be able to track their favorite team’s progress on a leaderboard and watch video replays of the matches.

The Web3 ecosystem continues to influence and evolve the gaming landscape, and game developers are now looking beyond play-to-earn and focusing more on the gaming aspect of their platforms.

On Jan. 7, Cointelegraph reported that artificial intelligence could also influence Web3-based gaming. OpenAI could potentially allow developers to create better art, more challenging encounters, and superior narration, leading to a more immersive and rich experience for players.

‘Big Time’ and other Web3 games take home the gold at the inaugural GAM3 awards

December 15, 2022 Coin Telegraph

Blockchain Game

The 16 prize winners will share over $1M worth of prizes sponsored by companies such as Immutable X, Blockchain Game Alliance, Machinations, and many more.

The Web3 gaming awards event, the GAM3 Awards, hosted by Polkastarter Gaming, has announced 16 winners at a live event on December 15.

According to an announcement shared with Cointelegraph, prize winners will share over $1M worth of prizes sponsored by companies such as Immutable X, Blockchain Game Alliance, Machinations, Ultra, Naavik, Galxe, Hacken, Venly, HackenProof, Shorooq, Elixir, Arcade, and MetaCon.

congratulations to all the winners in our inaugural 2022 #GAM3Awards ✨

we can’t wait to see what’s in store for you, and the entire industry in 2023.

for more information & a recap of the awards, visit ➡️ https://t.co/uK4Ymsc65d pic.twitter.com/PjFYliUwMz
— GAM3 AWARDS | 15th Dec (@PolkastarterGG) December 15, 2022

Games were judged based on a range of criteria; such as core loop, graphics, accessibility, replayability factor, fun elements, and overall playing experience. Although the focus was on playability, eligibility for awards largely depended on whether the nominated games utilized blockchain technology, in some form.

An international jury made up of gaming, media and web3 outlets was responsible for selecting the nominees.

Award winners included; ‘Big Time’ which won both Game of the Year and Best Adventure Game. ‘Shrapnel’, which was awarded the Most Anticipated Game, ‘Star Atlas’ which won for the Best Graphics category, and ‘Thetan Arena’ which was awarded the Best Mobile Game. The winners for other categories included; Blankos Block Party, Illuvium, Superior, MetalCore, Gods Unchained, EV.io, Brycent, League of Kingdoms and The Harvest.

Despite the sudden implosion of FTX and its cascading effects on the entire web3 ecosystem, the blockchain gaming niche still appears to be thriving.

According to analytics service DappRadar, “In October and November, gaming activity accounted for almost half of all blockchain activity” tracked across 50 networks, "with 800,875 daily Unique Active Wallets (UAW) interacting with games’ smart contracts in November.”

The report also revealed that blockchain games raised over $320 million in November, indicating excitement and potential growth of the web3 gaming industry.

Ubisoft launches Ubisoft Quartz platform for playable and energy-efficient NFTs

December 7, 2021 Coin Telegraph

Blockchain Game

Starting with Ghost Recon Breakpoint, Ubisoft will drop NFTs to PC players on the Tezos blockchain on Thursday.

French video game publisher Ubisoft announced its first foray into nonfungible tokens (NFTs) via a new platform called Ubisoft Quartz to launch in beta this week with Ghost Recon Breakpoint for PC players on Ubisoft Connect.

Introducing Ubisoft Quartz
We're bringing the first energy efficient NFTs playable in a AAA game to Ghost Recon: Breakpoint!

Try it in the beta from December 9 with three free cosmetic drops and learn more here: https://t.co/ysEoYUI4HY pic.twitter.com/owSFE2ALuS
— Ubisoft (@Ubisoft) December 7, 2021

According to a statement shared on the Ubisoft website, players can get collectible pieces of Ubisoft game worlds called Digits, which are “the first NFTs playable in AAA games and running on energy-efficient technology.” Digits, such as in-game vehicles or weapons, will be released in limited quantities and editions and rewarded to early adopters for free on December 9, 12, and 15 in the United States and Canada. Quartz will also be available in Brazil, Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Australia.

Ubisoft Quartz’ energy-efficient technology is leveraged on the proof-of-stake blockchain Tezos. Didier Genevois, Ubisoft’s blockchain technical director, expressed the company’s commitment to reducing its global footprint in an interview published on the corporate website:

“This type of blockchain achieves the same results while using significantly less energy than proof-of-work protocols. To give you an idea, a transaction on Tezos is equivalent to 30 seconds of video streaming, while on Bitcoin, it is equivalent to watching one year straight of video streaming!”

Previously, however, Ubisoft had partnered with distribution platform Ultra to leverage its games on the UOS blockchain. Cointelegraph reached out to Ubisoft to learn about their relationship with Ultra. No comment was received before the time of publication.

In the same interview with Genevois, Ubisoft’s blockchain product director Baptiste Chardon added his take on NFTs and gaming:

“This new approach can even, on a longer term, open up new opportunities such as interoperability between games. [...] We see blockchain as a means of placing back into the hands of players and creators the value they generate through their engagement with their games.”

Ubisoft ranks among the top 25 largest gaming companies worldwide in terms of market capitalization, hovering over $5.8 billion. And it is significant that a AAA gaming company is championing blockchain technology when other companies like Valve have recently removed blockchain games from their marketplaces.

Gamerholic