The first-person shooter (FPS) genre is a staple of the video game industry, accounting for over one-fifth of all sales. As such, it’s perhaps unsurprising to see action-oriented releases making their way onto the blockchain.
The crypto gaming ecosystem has grown at an astonishing rate, with players increasingly earning a passive income from completing quests, trading non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and winning in-game battles. One of the most popular play-to-earn releases, Axie Infinity, recently surpassed $4 billion in lifetime sales.
Gamified finance might seem like an odd concept but it’s quickly found an audience, and releases are becoming slicker as creative studios invest in gameplay that can satisfy hardcore players. It was a matter of time before a classic first-person shooter game came to the blockchain realm, and if its developers are to be believed, the soon-to-be-released Epic War will exceed all expectations.
A Cinematic Shoot ‘Em Up
Epic War professes to be the first ever scifi blockchain-based FPS featuring Triple-A graphics, and its appeal lies in its marriage of artistic innovation and sophisticated free-to-play-to-earn integrations. Rather than being built on a single network, the 3D shooter will go live on several of them (BSC, Solana, Polygon and NEAR) in a bid to put players in the driver’s seat.
Characterised by its vividly diverse environments and a vast in-game economy, Epic War is conceived as a massively multiplayer online real-time strategy game (MMORTS), one that compels gamers to join the revolutionary army and throw themselves into dangerous missions against both ‘monster bosses’ and other players in the Open World Gameplay like Elden Ring.
Set in a scorched and hostile wasteland as a result of nuclear holocaust on Planet Kepler-22b, Epic War plays out at breakneck pace as players do their best to shoot down a seemingly never-ending parade of gruesome monsters and evil forces. Along the way, they can earn tokens and NFTs by completing weekly/monthly challenges or winning over the battle matches as well as by trading and renting sought-after materials (maps, weapons, gears, etc) via the integrated peer-to-peer marketplace. Players can also craft their very own NFTs and stake assets to earn yield.
While successful gamers in the console world are afforded little more than bragging rights, success in Epic War is different: the more effective your tankers, snipers and nukers are on the battlefield, the more powerful your character becomes, and the better your prospects of winning rare items like epic weapons and powerful gears. All scifi warriors are customisable and the Unity Engine-powered gameplay ensures the action never lets up.
Free-to-Play, Free-to-Earn
The real-time strategy game was co-developed by a team of blockchain lab and game studios from Vietnam to Japan, ensuring a pleasant synergy between the title’s gaming and crypto elements. Where the latter is concerned, the native $EWAR token functions as a default single currency and is used to purchase all goods in the game. Tokens can also be converted via crypto exchanges and cashed out, or used to influence the game’s direction itself. Yes, like other gamefi releases, Epic War gives token-holders oversight privileges through its eponymous DAO Council.
While the vast majority of play-to-earn games require participants to part with an initial fee, Epic War seeks to popularise a free-to-play, free-to-earn model. Without surrendering a cent, players can enjoy PvE gameplay, qualify for random NFT drops, sell or rent materials, and earn token rewards for their endeavours on Planet Kepler-22b. Fully paid-up players, meanwhile, get to battle other players and even make token bets on the outcome of battles.
Designed to be enjoyed on PC and mobile, Epic War will soon debut its beta PvE and PvP version which gives players a chance to check out the integrated marketplace and staking mechanism. Thereafter, a full launch is expected in Q3 before the first PvP tournament commences in earnest before the year is out.
In all likelihood, first-person shooters will become just as popular in gamefi as they were elsewhere. After all, who doesn’t love slaying two-headed mutants with shoulder cannons? The nightmarish Epic War builds on what has gone before, bringing lucrative defi mechanisms into a state-of-the-art gaming realm. Lock and load.
