Spells of Genesis game celebrates 5 years by opening a virtual NFT history museum

April 7, 2022 Coin Telegraph

CryptoVoxels will be the home of the Spells of Genesis trading card exhibit, as NFT galleries become increasingly commonplace in the metaverse.

Thursday marks the fifth anniversary of Spells of Genesis; generally regarded as the very first play-to-earn blockchain game. EverdreamSoft, the game studio behind SoG, first distributed many of the game's trading card-based NFTs back in 2015, though its mobile trading card game did not go live until 2017. To commemorate the occasion, Everdream Soft announced the opening of an NFT History Museum within the CryptoVoxels metaverse on April 20. This virtual exhibition will feature new and vintage SoG cards as well as assets from various other popular NFT collections.

Spells of Genesis fuses a trading card game with point-and-shoot arcade gameplay. Players have to collect and combine cards to create the strongest deck in order to fight their enemies and earn cryptocurrency at the same time. Original cards from the collection's inception will play a prominent role in the upcoming showcase.

Each month, one vintage card will be chosen and displayed on the museum's rooftop. Users who click on the showcased card will be transported to the Spells of Genesis Showroom, which acts as a gateway to learning about blockchain gaming history. According to the company, the museum has been in development for several months and features collections from projects that "have advanced the ongoing evolution of digital assets."

Shaban Shaame, CEO of EverdreamSoft, believes that the NFT History Museum "puts forward some of the most historical and iconic NFT projects in the industry." Other assets to be displayed in the museum include the Bitcoin Genesis Block, the Nakamoto card from RAREPEPE Series 1, as well as collectibles from another early game named Etheria. Cryptopunks, Counterparty, Mooncats and Axie Infinity collections will also be exhbited.

Additionally, users will receive a special discount on the card of the month and one lucky participant who signs the NFT Museum's guestbook in April could secure a Spells of Genesis card from 2017. Other signees could gain exclusive access to a future SoG experiences and events throughout the rest of the year.

Recently Cointelegraph interviewed Shaame for a YouTube episode of Crypto Stories, where he answered questions about the game's recent resurgence in popularity. Originally, in-game cards could only be minted on the Bitcoin blockchain using an early blockchain protocol known as Counterparty. After several years of stagnation, it wasn't until SoG became compatible with the Ethereum blockchain in 2020 that sales started to rise again. In conversation with Shaame, he revealed his vision, that has now become a reality, of displaying those so-called rare SoG trading cards in a museum setting.

‘Off the charts’: Zynga blockchain exec praises P2E gaming talent

February 18, 2022 Coin Telegraph

Blockchain Game

Blockchain and the play-to-earn gaming movement could become even more addictive in 2022 as popular game developer Zynga fleshes out its team.

Hot off the news that the FarmVille and Words With Friends developer Zynga will release the first nonfungible token game this year, Zynga’s blockchain gaming aspirations are taking shape.

Matt Wolf, marketing veteran with experience at Electronic Arts and Sega, is the new vice president of blockchain gaming for Zynga. He’s setting up a new team, bringing a wealth of “traditional gaming” experience to play-to-earn (P2E).

In an interview with Cointelegraph, he said the talent pool in P2E gaming is:

“Off the charts in terms of economics and traditional finance firepower — incredible people. Also, on the innovation side and on the technology side, it’s off the charts.”

However, he surmised many gamers’ thoughts when commenting on the gamification elements of nonfungible tokens (NFT) and P2E games. He conceded that the level of talent with regards to gaming is “thin,” which is undoubtedly where Zynga’s credentials come in.

Famous for FarmVille, CSR Racing and Words With Friends, Zynga builds addictive “social” games that work well on mobile and while on the go. They regularly register over 100 million regular users per quarter, featuring on social media platforms and enticing users with multiplayer gaming types.

*FarmVille 3, released in 2020. Source: The Drum*

The P2E gaming space, by comparison, has been one that prioritizes speculation over gamification.

Ultimately, Zynga’s entry into P2E and NFTs could breathe life into a space dominated by entry-level graphics combined with excellent tokenomics.

Wolf comments that Zynga has a “strong game muscle, and we’re developing our DeFi muscle.” They’re recruiting more specialists who “have that piece of the equation.” In all, Zynga’s focus is “on the intersection of creating fun, value and purpose-built games with stability and trust at the core.”

When put on the spot about whether the anti-blockchain and anti-P2E sentiment could pose a challenge to a “traditional” game developer, Wolf was balanced:

“As you look at the historical nature of the gaming community, you’ve witnessed folks standing on the sidelines and are resistant to change. They had the same sentiment when free-to-play was launched, and you’re seeing much of that now.”

Ultimately, Wolf reckons the “overall anti-blockchain sentiment will fizzle out.”

With NFT games released daily, here are five NFT games that could put up a fight to Zynga’s games in 2022.

Game review: Olympic Games Jam Beijing 2022

February 9, 2022 Coin Telegraph

Blockchain Game

The International Olympics Committee wants to connect with the Winter Games via blockchain, by trading NFT pins and playing a P2E mobile game.

Olympic Games Jam: Beijing 2022 is the Winter Olympic's official play-to-earn multiplayer mobile game, created in collaboration between Animoca Brands-owned nWayPlay game studio and the International Olympics Committee. The app is currently only available on the Google Play store for Android phones, with no official release date for iOS devices yet. In the Olympian spirit, Cointelegraph played the newly launched game and reviewed the experience.

Olympic Games Jam: Beijing 2022 Unveiled! Learn more about the new Play-To-Earn game here: https://t.co/q7dRTFCkmk #NFT #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/93rUDpmMj4
— Olympics Games Jam (@OlympicGamesJam) February 3, 2022

The game flow aims to mimic the real-life olympics: players compete in real-time with up to 20 other gamers around the world in winter sport mini games until a champion is awarded. The sports are snowboard - slalom, snowboard - slopestyle, freestyle skiing and skeleton. Players have to earn their way through elimination rounds.

The game was developed to get fans to earn and buy Olympic NFT digital pins. Although no initial purchase is necessary to play, there are tiers of gameplay and difficulty that require earning certain amount of tickets, the green icons below, and gems, the purple icons below, to continue playing. According to nWayPlay, Olympic NFT pins generate tickets to be used in matches rewarding gems. A player's gem balance is connected to an nWayPlay account, and the more gems the more pins can be acquired to play in more advanced matches.

The first step is to customize and name an avatar. Initially there are only four male avatars available to choose from. Outfits, headwear, accessories and gear changes unlock as players advance in the competition. Country/region must also be selected.

The first elimination round is Snowboard - slalom. There is a brief waiting period while the app looks for a certain number of other players to join in order to start. Competing against bots as well, a player must finish within the top 10 to qualify for the next race.

While going down the slopes, players control avatars with just a finger. When snowboarding slalom, the idea is to pass near flags and gain a speed boost. The second round is skiing and players where players can perform jumps. Then during slopestyle snowboarding, players can perform tricks off of rails and ramps to score points. In round 4, skeleton racers must stay within their lane to maximize speed. There are also power-ups that make the player go faster and resist hazards. If you place within the top three, then you can continue to play.

Overall it is a an enjoyable and entertaining way to pass time and participate in a small way to the Olympics. I question, however, how effective Olympic Games Jam will be in the long run as a blockchain game. Without pins, a player must spend a lot of time on the app in order to unlock levels tiers of play.

Crypto.com co-ops with esports host Twitch Rivals for global crypto outreach

November 3, 2021 Coin Telegraph

Blockchain Game

The multi-year partnership aims to increase local crypto adoption in the esports landscape across the globe.

Twitch Rivals, an esports tournament host featuring Twitch streamers and pro gamers, has onboarded crypto trading platform Crypto.com as a global marketing and cryptocurrency platform partner.

The multi-year partnership will see Crypto.com as an official partner of Twitch Rivals in the Asia-Pacific region, aiming to increase local crypto adoption in the esports landscape. According to Kris Marszalek, co-founder and CEO of Crypto.com:

“With well-over 1 billion gamers worldwide, fans of gaming and esports are digital natives, for whom cryptocurrency is inevitable.”

The deal also entitles Crypto.com to have category exclusivity, in-stream branded segments, media placement, and activations at Twitch events, starting with Twitch Rivals — a two-day event to be hosted in Las Vegas on Thursday.

In addition, Twitch Rival will feature Crypto.com-branded advertisements on more than 250 broadcasts worldwide. According to a Twitch spokesperson, the partnership with Crypto.com is aimed at driving engagement for tech-savvy users.

Leading game-development company Ubisoft recently expressed interest in building blockchain-centric games. As Cointelegraph reported, Ubisoft CFO Frédérick Duguet highlighted the potential of blockchain technology in the gaming industry:

“Blockchain will enable more play-to-earn that will enable more players to actually earn content, own content, and we think it’s going to grow the industry quite a lot.”

Duguet also said that Ubisoft is working with small-scale blockchain companies to understand the technology’s impact on the gaming industry, “And we want to be one of the key players here.”

Twitch previously added a tipping feature back in December 2019 allowing users to tip streamers with a U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin called MenaCash. As a part of the deal, viewers can use the MenaPay mobile app to view Twitch streams and tip their favorite players in real-time.

In addition, blockchain-based internet browser Brave also supports crypto tipping on streaming platforms such as Twitch, YouTube and Twitter.

Massive airdrop and AXS staking catapult Axie Infinity to a new all-time high

October 1, 2021 Coin Telegraph

Airdrop

Axie Infinity's price surged to a record high above $118 following the release of a huge airdrop to early supporters and the launch of staking for AXS token.

Airdrops have become the cryptocurrency ecosystem’s equivalent of stimulus checks over the past couple of years and further proof of this can be evidenced from popular protocols like Uniswap and dYdX which rewarded their early adopters with token drops that are now worth $30,000 to $2 million.

The latest protocol to surprise its userbase with a wallet fattening airdrop was Axie Infinity (AXS), a blockchain-based battle game that has risen in prominence over the course of 2021 as users embrace its play-to-earn (P2E) gaming model.

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that since bounding off a low of $47.92 on Sept. 21, the price of AXS has stormed 145% higher to establish a new record high at $118.00 as its 24-hour trading volume surged from $421 million to $1.95 billion.

*AXS/USDT 4-hour chart. Source: TradingView*

Three reasons for the recent surge in AXS price over the past two weeks include the introduction of staking features for the AXS token, the release of a community airdrop early adopters and the increasing popularity of play-to-earn gaming protocols.

AXS launches staking

The growth of decentralized finance in 2021 has shone a spotlight on the ability of crypto holders to put their tokens to work and earn a yield through providing liquidity or staking.

In an effort to capture some of this momentum, as well as improve the overall tokenomics of the AXS token, the team at Axie Infinity announced the launch of staking capabilities on Sept. 30. This excited members of the community, and to date, holders have already staked nearly 9.8 million AXS in just two days.

*AXS staking dashboard. Source: Axie Infinity*

And it’s not just your average crypto user getting in on the staking action, as recent tweets show other gaming platforms in the crypto ecosystem, including Yield Guild Games, have announced that they are now staking their AXS holdings as a way to help increase the value of their respective ecosystems.

We are now staking all of our $AXS ($16.45M) from our treasury. Looking forward to the juicy AXS staking rewards! pic.twitter.com/mTNQiKCXXp
— Yield Guild Games (@YieldGuild) October 1, 2021

Axie Infinity is currently offering an APR of 240% for stakers with the rewards coming from a dedicated pool of 78.3 million AXS tokens that have been set aside by the team.

AXS airdrops tokens to early adopters

A second reason for the spike in price and activity for AXS was this week's community airdrop which rewarded users who engaged with the protocol prior to October 26, 2020.

Thank you @AxieInfinity! I received 4905 $AXS. Worth more than nearly everything I had at this time last year.

Being a part of the Axie community is an incredibly rewarding experience. Socially, Intellectually, and Financially.

Thank you @AxieInfinity! https://t.co/2NEsU3MlfL
— Artic (@Axie44) September 30, 2021

According to the team, 10,000 wallets were selected based on a snapshot that was taken on Oct. 26 to receive a share of the 800,000 AXS airdrop, depending on the wallet’s level of activity.

The more active users like the pseudonymous Twitter user ‘Arctic’ received larger allocations that are now worth nearly $500,000, while less active accounts received smaller allocations that are nonetheless still significant in terms of dollar value, especially in the more economically disadvantaged parts of the world where many Axie Infinity players reside.

Feels good to be an #AxieInfinity early believer 68 AXS received and ready for breeding. Trust the process https://t.co/FpzHa56Y6E pic.twitter.com/nNlXeBhpPG
— squarrre (@Sorareuk) September 30, 2021

The rising popularity of play-to-earn gaming

Another reason for the recent growth seen in Axie Infinity is the strength of the P2E gaming model which many analysts say will be the breakout sector in 2021.

Axie Infinity was actually the game that kicked off the P2E rally earlier in the year and this momentum translated to an uptick in other P2E protocols like Illuvium (ILV), Chain Guardians (CGG) and MyNeighborAlice (ALICE).

*Top 5 gaming protocols by the 90-day change in USD price. Source: Messari*

The P2E gaming sector of the crypto ecosystem has been gaining momentum in recent months as users begin to discover the benefits of playing a game that rewards participation, as opposed to the dominant free-to-play model which offers in-game purchases but leaves users with little to show after months of gameplay and investment.

According to data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro, market conditions for AXS have been favorable for some time.

*VORTECS™ Score (green) vs. AXS price. Source:* *Cointelegraph Markets Pro*

As seen in the chart above, the VORTECS™ Score for AXS climbed into the dark green zone on Sept. 26 and reached a high of 87 around 35 hours before its price began to increase by 55% over the next three days.

The NewsQuake™ service from Cointelegraph Markets Pro registered two significant news announcements prior to the price rise, including a listing announcement from Bitstamp exchange and the team's announcement that AXS staking had launched.

The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cointelegraph.com. Every investment and trading move involves risk, you should conduct your own research when making a decision.

Altcoins take the next leg up after Bitcoin price holds $47.5K

October 1, 2021 Coin Telegraph

Bitcoin Price

ROSE, AXS and ICX notched 20% gains after bulls took control of the market and sent BTC price above $47,500.

Bullish sentiment returned to the cryptocurrency ecosystem on Oct. 1 after a 10% spike in the price of Bitcoin (BTC) lifted it above the $47,500 level and resulted in the liquidation of more than $270 million in short positions.

The altcoin market quickly followed suit with a majority of the tokens in the top 200 registering double-digit gains for the day.

*Top 7 coins with the highest 24-hour price change. Source:* *Cointelegraph Markets Pro*

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that the biggest gainers over the past 24-hours were Oasis Network (ROSE), Axie Infinity (AXS) and ICON (ICX).

The allure of privacy draws traders to Oasis Network

The Oasis Network is a privacy-enabled blockchain designed for open finance and the creation of a responsible data economy.

VORTECS™ data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro began to detect a bullish outlook for ROSE on Sept. 30, prior to the recent price rise.

The VORTECS™ Score, exclusive to Cointelegraph, is an algorithmic comparison of historical and current market conditions derived from a combination of data points including market sentiment, trading volume, recent price movements and Twitter activity.

*VORTECS™ Score (green) vs. ROSE price. Source:* *Cointelegraph Markets Pro*

As seen in the chart above, the VORTECS™ Score for ROSE began to pick up on Sept. 29 and climbed to a high of 74 on Sept. 30, around three hours before the price increased 60% over the next two days.

The spike in price for ROSE comes as Ethereum (ETH) compatible networks that offer better scalability rise in prominence with the Oasis Network, outperforming many competitors thanks to its built-in privacy features.

Axie Infinity launches staking and sends airdrops to early adopters

Axie Infinity is a blockchain-based play-to-earn battling game that allows players to collect, breed, raise, battle and trade token-based creatures known as Axies, and earn an income in the process.

According to data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro, market conditions for AXS have been favorable for some time.

As seen in the chart above, the VORTECS™ Score for AXS spiked into the dark green zone on Sept. 26 and reached a high of 87 around 35 hours before the price began to increase by 55% over the next three days.

The surge in price for AXS comes following the implementation of staking capabilities for AXS holders as well as a community Airdrop which distributed 800,000 AXS tokens to early adopters of the game.

ICON rallies ahead of its mainnet upgrade

ICON is a general-purpose blockchain protocol and aggregator chain designed to host decentralized applications and facilitate interoperability between separate networks.

Data from Cointelegraph Markets Pro and TradingView shows that after hitting a low of $1.38 on Sept. 29, the price of ICX rallied 45% to a daily high at $1.93 on Oct. 1 as its 24-hour trading volume spiked 385% to $362 million.

*ICX/USDT 4-hour chart. Source: TradingView*

The jump in ICX price comes after the release of wrapped ICX, which is compliant with the ERC-20 standard and can be used interoperably with decentralized finance on Ethereum. The upgrade is part of the protocol’s final preparation before implementing the ICON 2.0 mainnet upgrade.

The overall cryptocurrency market cap now stands at $2.079 trillion and Bitcoin’s dominance rate is 43%.

Guild of Guardians pre-game registrations hit 133K as NFT sales surge

June 10, 2021 Coin Telegraph

Blockchain Game

Guild of Guardians was developed by Stepico Games, a Ukraine-based game developer, and published by the Australian-based marketplace Immutable.

The community behind Guild of Guardians, an NFT-based role-playing game, appears to be enthusiastic about the forthcoming title after they snatched up nearly all of the NFTs that were part of the so-called founder’s sale.

Since going live earlier this week, Guild of Guardians’ NFT sale has raised over $3 million, the company announced Wednesday. The title raised $2 million in the first hour of the founder’s sale and $2.8 million in the span of 24 hours.

The sale featured a collection of playable in-game NFTs ranging from $200 to $100,000 in value. The NFTs will become playable once Guild of Guardians launches on mobile devices in the first half of 2022.

Pre-game registrations totaled 133,270, according to Derek Lau, game lead for Guild of Guardians. “Over 50% of all sales came via referrals — indicating that the community was sharing with each other, and there is a real 'share-to-earn' aspect in place,” he said.

Yield Guild Games, which represents a collective of nearly 15,000 gamers and investors woh generate yield from NFT-based games, was among the most prominent contributors to the founder’s sale, snatching up the “Mythic guild” NFT for $100,000.

Yield Guild Games founder Gabby Dizon said Guild of Guardians “ticked all the right boxes” with respect to graphics, gameplay, mobile readiness and guild systems”

“We are always looking for the next good play-to earn-games, and Guild of Guardians piqued our interest. We spoke to the team, and we're happy with what we found; they have polished graphics, interesting gameplay; we like that it is mobile-based and that they have the guild system [...]”

NFTs have been one of crypto’s most dominant storylines this year. Although sales are down 90% from the market peak, the outlook on the industry remains favorable as crypto-collectibles create new use cases.

As Cointelegraph reported, Metaplex has become the latest high-profile NFT marketplace to enter the sphere. Launched on Solana earlier this month, Metaplex allows creators to earn “perpetual royalties” for their work.

mobile games