B-Side Games has finally launched the beta version of Chainmonsters on iOS and Android. Following delays and reports of fine-tuning, the mobile release of the closed beta represents another milestone in the game’s long journey to a wide audience.
The Chainmonsters beta version on iOS and Android follows the earlier released PC version, which launched late last year. For those unfamiliar with this expansive MMORPG, imagine a blockchain-based version of a well-loved Gameboy game from the late 90s. You direct your avatar through various territories. Meanwhile you discover and catch an array of Chainmons (as the community calls them). Furthermore you engage in battles with a long line of opponents.
Built on the Flow blockchain, Chainmonsters’ player-driven economy allows people to find, earn and buy a variety of NFTs. Players can then sell these or use them upgrade their Chainmons’ skills and strengths. While NFT trading is not a prerequisite to take part in the game, users require a connected Blocto wallet in order to play.
Word of the Chainmonsters mobile beta launch on iOS and Android hasn’t come without some corresponding on-chain action. There’s been a spike in activity over the past 24 hours, with a 174% increase in transactions. In addition there has been a 205% increase in users. While we can’t link these rises to B-Side’s announcement, we’ll keep an eye on the data as news hits the market.
Blockchain MMORPGs: breaking new ground
Following the above, Chainmonsters is one of a raft of games that take its inspiration from Nintendo’s legendary Pokemon series. This is unsurprising, given the original Pokemon’s first players are the ones creating today’s new games; but it will be interesting to see how the current crop of developers move out of the shadows of Ash and Pikachu and create their own stories and paradigms. Some of the titles attempting to forge this new path are Illuvium, Ethermon and of course Axie Infinity.
Occupying a space similar to Chainmonsters in the gaming world, Axie Infinity is slightly further along in identifying what an original and sustainable model might look like in the future. By looking at their roadmap, we might get a glimpse of how Web3 gaming will evolve towards something era-defining.
Axie Infinity has drawn comparisons with Pokemon since its debut in 2018. Sky Mavis’s offering certainly has the cute graphics of its forebear and a collection of cuddly little battle critters to collect. But as gamers currently play the game, there’s little gameplay variety and the barriers to entry can be prohibitively expensive.
But recent news of Axie Infinity: Origin would suggest the company wants to make the game more accessible. The big January announcement of Axie Infinity’s Builders Program was followed up with a tweet from Axie’s co-founder, Jihoz Zirlin. He said that 1,500 developers have already applied to start building games based on the original Axie Infinity concept. The community already works on Axie WarKart and looks set to take the Axie universe to the next level.
So maybe one way of creating the new future is by putting the tools in the hands of the crowd. If the internet truly is becoming decentralized, then who better to create tomorrow’s world than the networked hive mind of a million enthusiastic gamers? With the right platforms and proper incentives, this generation’s Pokemon could be just around the corner.
