The upcoming Ember Sword mmo will use blockchain technology to give players actual ownership of in-game land and items.
Online games generate a ton of revenue. Whether you’re playing World of Warcraft, Fortnite, or League of Legends, players are always striving for cool in-game items. Such items are normally found in loot boxes, which players usually spend a lot of money on, or sold in the game’s cash shop. However, ownership of said items is not absolute when it comes to players. Once you have an item, you really can’t sell it to another player. An upcoming mmo, Ember Sword, is looking to change that reality through the use of blockchain technology.
Using Blockchain to Enable Player Ownership
Ember Sword is an mmo that looks to do things a bit differently. Many massively multiplayer online games promise that players can impact the in-game world, but the reality is that they really do not. Ember Sword is taking a different tack by allowing players to purchase, own, and develop in-game land.
The game uses an in-game currency called PIXEL tokens. It is this virtual currency that players can use to buy land within the game, as well as other in-game items. The mmo is harnessing blockchain technology and giving players true ownership of their items. This means that land, costumes, weapons, etc. can be traded or sold for PIXEL tokens.
Mark Phillipe Laursen, founder of Couch Studios, says:
As avid MMORPG players, we grew tired of static ‘theme-park’ universes where we can engage with everything in the world, but never truly change or evolve it, much less own it and the items we’ve gathered within it.
A True Player-Based Economy
The fact that Ember Sword is using blockchain technology to enable player ownership means that the gamers will be fully running the in-game economy. A lot of online games promise this, but the use of loot boxes and lack of true ownership actually ensures that the game’s developers keep a tight rein on how the economy functions. In Ember Sword, all special items are non-fungible collectibles.
Laursen notes that this is a radically different model than the one used by today’s online games. He says:
Most free-to-play MMORPGs monetize through pay-to-win mechanics and non-transferable cosmetics in an attempt to increase revenue by locking down the cash shop economy. With Ember Sword, we’re putting players in charge of evolving the world and its economy instead, because to us, creating an engaging and fair universe is much more important than heavily monetizing players – opting instead for an optional monthly subscription and marketplace fees.
Ember Sword promises to feature classless combat and lots of player choices. Gamers can create new items, emotes, monsters, and skins that could appear in the game. The fact that players actually own their items and can dispose of them how they please could lead to a massive influx of players looking to express their creativity and be rewarded for it, not to mention monetizing their gameplay.
If Ember Sword is successful, it could be the next Second Life where people can actually make a living by being an active member of the game’s community. Envision a talented artist making and selling in-game artwork that is used to decorate players’ in-game homes. Then there’s the fact that land ownership allows players to develop the land and use it in multiple ways to generate PIXEL tokens.
Ember Sword uses the Ethereum blockchain for its foundation. PIXEL tokens are ERC-20 tokens, and they will be tradable on exchanges after the game launches. There is a PIXEL pre-sale in November. The free-to-play game will initially launch as a PC title (both browser and desktop client) but will eventually expand to mobile devices.
Do you plan on playing Ember Sword? Let us know in the comments below.
Images courtesy of Ember Sword, Shutterstock, and YouTube/@So Couch Studios.