Off The Grid: Can This Web3 Game Revolutionize Mainstream Gaming

OTG plans to log in to PC and console platforms at the same time. This is the first time for chain games to log in to multiple terminals at the same time.

Web3 gaming funding peaked between February and March, with monthly investments ranging from $60 million to $100 million. However, this only accounted for 41.35% of the transaction volume in the first quarter of 2022. Compared to other cryptocurrencies, Web3 Gaming’s market capitalization has fallen by 33% since the beginning of 2024, while other cryptocurrencies have only fallen by 14%.

Despite the challenges, Web3 games have huge potential. First of all, Web3 games are still an active area, accounting for 30% of all dApp activities and with 2.1 million daily active wallets. At the same time, with the continuous development of technology and the improvement of user experience, Web3 games are expected to become an important driving force in the cryptocurrency field.

Recently, Delphi Venture partner Piers Kicks posted a post to cheer for game developer Gunzilla Games and its upcoming flagship game Off The Grid.

According to Piers’ post, Delphi Ventures has made a big bet on Off The Grid, making it the largest investment in its gaming track. At the same time, the game has also gone through five years of development by a team of 300 people, and the total investment in the game has reached 90 million US dollars.

As a digression, the estimated cost of Black Myth Wukong was previously revealed by the game producer to be 300-400 million yuan. Based on this rough calculation, the investment cost of Off The Grid is even higher than that of Black Monkey.

In the context of the failure of many blockchain game projects, how can Off The Grid succeed?

01 Cyberpunk Battle Royale

OTG is developed by crypto game developer Gunzilla Games. It is currently available in early access versions on Epic Game Store, PlayStation 5 and Xbox. After being introduced by many game anchors, OTG quickly became popular and has been available on Epic Games since mid-October. It topped the list of free games on the Store and received at least hundreds of thousands of live views on the Twitch streaming platform alone.

OTG inherits the mechanics of classic battle royale games such as Call of Duty and Apex Legends, but its cyberpunk-style equipment and props give players a richer experience. In addition to firearms, players also use jets to The backpack allows for more flexible movement, as well as the ability to replace and use mechanical prosthetics with different capabilities within the game. Gunzilla said that, excluding skins, it expects to launch more than 260 unique weapon combinations in the future.

In terms of map design, OTG has created the largest battle royale map to date. Players can use the special abilities of the character’s jetpack and prosthetic limbs to shuttle between high-rise buildings and achieve rapid air movement. This highly flexible movement system not only adds to the excitement of the game, but also encourages a more aggressive play style.

It is worth mentioning that OTG introduces an extraction battle (Extraction Royale) mode. Players collect HEX cubes on the map, which represent blueprints for weapons, accessories, or prosthetics.

Players need to bring these cubes to specific extraction points to decode them, while defending against other opponents who want your loot in the process. Upon successful extraction, the items will be “3D printed” into the player’s inventory, effectively minting the asset onto the blockchain behind the scenes.

The game does not have a traditional in-game store. All items entering the economic system and peer-to-peer market are obtained by players through the in-game extraction mechanism and minted onto the chain.

This design not only ensures scarcity and true ownership of items, but also brings more dynamics and player participation to the game economy.

02 Can it launch an impact on the mainstream?

The “semi-finished products” launched by OTG can instantly become popular games on the Epic Mall, once again allowing Web3 game enthusiasts to see the dawn of “hope”.

According to AVASCAN data, as of October 15, the transaction volume on GUNZ has exceeded 50 million and the number of unique wallets has exceeded 5.6 million. In addition, according to SullyGnome data, the game has been watched for more than 2 million hours in the first week.

From a mediocre reputation to unprecedented popularity among mainstream players, in addition to its excellent quality, Gunzilla Games’ great success in marketing and promotion is another major factor. It sponsored many well-known game anchors such as Ninja, Timthetatman and Ludwig Ahgren to live stream trials. After playing, it attracted a lot of attention and gradually attracted the participation of more anchors or bloggers.

However, it is difficult to predict whether OTG can maintain traffic after gaining great attention.

First, there are no clear signs that gaming will gain traction in the fourth quarter in the current market. Additionally, a large number of issuances are expected over the next six months, which may increase competition and further disperse liquidity.

For example, the loudest ones include:

EVE Frontier

A single-shard survival game set in a dark, dystopian space where humans struggle to survive and rebuild a broken world; in March 2023, CCP announced that it had raised $40 million for the development of the game.

MetaCene

A blockchain-based MMORPG set in a surreal post-apocalyptic world; players use various NFTs to redefine civilization.

Avalon

Built using Unreal Engine 5 and integrating multiple blockchains; players use their NFTs to explore the world while competing for cryptocurrency and rare NFT rewards; the game setting is inspired by the legend of King Arthur and the alternative history of the Templars.

Big Time

A multiplayer action RPG for PC that combines fast-paced combat with an open game economy.

summary

As more and more crypto games enter the mainstream market, the industry will see huge room for growth. Hopefully games like Off The Grid, EVE Frontier, MetaCene and Avalon will have a positive impact on sentiment in the Web3 and Web2 markets. This type of content should still be considered the best Trojan horse in the cryptocurrency space and there is reason to be optimistic in the short to medium term.