Interpreting Binance Launchpool's New Project GUNZ: Team Secures Over $100 Million in Funding, Is the Metaverse Gaming Sector Heating Up Again?

Original Title: "Chain Game Back on Track? Preview of the First Battle Royale Game Off The Grid to Simultaneously Launch on PC and Console"

Original Source: DeepTech TechFlow

Editor's Note: On March 27th, Binance Launchpool launched the 66th project GUNZ (GUN), which is the AAA game "Off The Grid" L1 public chain developed by the game developer Gunzilla Games. GUN has a total supply of 10 billion tokens, with an initial circulation of 645 million tokens (6.05% of the total token supply), and the Launchpool allocation is 400 million tokens (4% of the total token supply). The GUN token serves as the native token of the game and the core of the OTG economic system. This article provides a detailed introduction to the game's background, gameplay, economic system, etc. Can the previously struggling chain game sector regain market attention due to the listing on Binance?

This article was first released on October 25, 2024, and some data may have changed. For the latest project updates, please visit the official website. The full text is reprinted by BlockBeats below.

Chain games have been struggling and have become a tacit consensus of the previous bear market, with most game projects quietly disappearing.

However, not all practitioners are bearish on the game sector.

For example, Delphi Ventures partner Piers Kicks recently posted to cheer for the game developer Gunzilla Games and its upcoming flagship game Off The Grid.

According to Piers' post, Delphi Ventures has placed a heavy bet on Off The Grid, making it the largest investment in the gaming sector. The game has also gone through 5 years of development by a team of 300 people, with a total investment in the game reaching $90 million.

On a side note, the estimated cost of Black Myth Wukong was previously revealed to be around 300-400 million RMB, roughly making the investment cost of Off The Grid even higher than Black Myth.

But as the old saying goes, after the whale falls, all things are born. In the chain game sector, it may be that when all things fall, only then does the whale rise.

In the context of numerous blockchain gaming projects failing one after another, what sets Off The Grid apart?

It is reported that Off The Grid plans to simultaneously launch on PC and console platforms (PS5/XBOX) within the next 60 days, marking the first time a blockchain game has launched on multiple platforms at the same time.

Moreover, let's not forget that PC and console players are often hardcore gamers who despise any pay-to-win elements and the smell of on-chain grind. For a blockchain game to succeed, it must strike a delicate balance in gameplay, graphics, on-chain economy, and marketing targeting this player base.

In an environment where blockchain games are generally looked down upon, can Off The Grid truly set an example for a "good game"?

Inviting Industry Leaders for Scriptwriting and Special Effects to Attract VC Investments

In the gaming industry, a successful title typically relies on two key elements: people and money.

The former refers to the development team, and the latter refers to financial support.

What does Gunzilla Games, the developer behind Off The Grid, bring to the table?

Established in 2020, Gunzilla Games is a relatively young company, but it boasts a solid team lineup and size. Currently, the company has around 340 employees, including many veterans from the gaming industry.

The core development team of the company mainly comes from the former Crytek Kyiv studio. This team was involved in the development of the popular online shooter game Warface, which attracted over 140 million players and generated over $1 billion in revenue. Additionally, team members have worked on renowned game series such as Far Cry and Crysis, as well as the development of the CRYENGINE game engine. At its peak, CRYENGINE drove cutting-edge graphics in games and provided technical support for many major titles.

Interestingly, the company has also enlisted Neill Blomkamp as a co-founder and Chief Creative Officer. Blomkamp has directed sci-fi blockbusters like District 9 and Elysium, bringing top-tier visual and narrative design to Off The Grid with his unique visual style and profound social insights.

Simultaneously, the game's 60-hour campaign storyline is penned by renowned sci-fi author Richard Morgan. Morgan is the author of best-selling novels like Altered Carbon, which have been adapted into popular Netflix series.

This is a bit different from the blockchain games we've seen before. They seem to have put a lot of effort into the script and special effects, aiming more towards a premium single-player game.

However, we'll have to wait for the official release to see the actual quality. After all, we can't be sure if this is just a big name endorsing the game or if they actually participated in its production.

Speaking of the financial side, the article mentioned that Delphi Ventures invested $6 million to become the largest validator and node operator on Gunzilla's GUNZ blockchain platform (source of funding: Coindesk).

In March this year, Gunzilla Games completed a $30 million funding round. This round was led by CoinFund and Avalanche's Avalanche Fund, with participation from renowned institutions such as Republic Capital and Morningstar Ventures.

With ample funding available, how polished will this game be?

Cyberpunk Battle Royale, Battle Royale Gameplay + On-Chain Items

The core gameplay of Off The Grid is actually Battle Royale, the classic mode seen in games like PUBG. A group of players competes for resources on a carefully designed map, aiming to be the last one standing.

However, this game incorporates more sci-fi and cyberpunk elements.

The game is set in a dystopian future, where on a massive battlefield called "Teardrop Island," participants from around the world engage in a ruthless "reality show" for a huge prize pool.

In the game's setting, all participants must amputate their limbs to use advanced prosthetic technology on Teardrop Island. This is not just a unique setting but also a core game mechanic. Players can gain various special abilities by swapping different prosthetics, such as a grappling hook, reconnaissance drones, or a quick dash. This design brings unprecedented tactical depth and flexibility to the game.

In terms of map design, OTG has created the largest Battle Royale map to date. Players can navigate between towering skyscrapers using their character's jetpack and prosthetic special abilities, enabling fast aerial movements. This highly flexible movement system not only increases the game's excitement but also encourages a more aggressive playstyle.

But how does this relate to on-chain activities?

OTG has introduced a mode called Extraction Royale. Players collect HEX cubes on the map, which represent blueprints for weapons, attachments, or prosthetics.

Players need to take these cubes to specific extraction points for decoding, while also defending against other players who covet your loot. After successful extraction, these items will be "3D printed" into the player's inventory, effectively minting the assets on the blockchain in the background.

To put it simply, this gameplay is a mix of off-chain battle royale and on-chain loot box mechanics.

The main gameplay involves battling to win loot boxes, which can then be opened. The items inside are turned into assets such as NFTs on the blockchain, with the player's account linked and a transaction logic set up.

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 an in-game extraction mechanism and minted on the blockchain.

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

It is worth mentioning that OTG has adopted a seamless integration approach to deal with on-chain issues. The parts of the game involving cryptography have become optional rather than mandatory, gradually attracting players to the blockchain in a completely optional manner.

Although the finished game product has not been seen yet, features like social login, built-in wallet, hidden entry and exit points, and gas fee abstraction are likely not to be missing.

On-Chain Economic System Outlook

In OTG, players obtain in-game item NFTs through the extraction of HEX cubes as described above. This process cleverly combines game mechanics with blockchain technology, making asset minting a natural extension of the gaming experience rather than a somewhat detached external operation.

At the same time, the GUN token is the core of the OTG economic system. As the game's native token, GUN plays multiple roles in the game ecosystem:

a) Medium of Exchange: Players can use GUN to buy, sell, or trade NFT items on the in-game market.

b) Governance: Players holding GUN tokens can participate in critical game decisions, such as voting on new features or adjusting economic parameters.

c) Staking Rewards: Players can stake GUN tokens to receive additional in-game rewards or privileges.

d) Creator Incentives: Content creators can earn GUN tokens by creating game content such as custom skins or maps.

e) In-Game Fees: Certain advanced features or services may require payment in GUN tokens, such as speeding up manufacturing processes or unlocking special areas.

It is worth noting that the game has its own blockchain network called GUNZ, which is essentially an Avalanche-based subnet. By establishing a dedicated subnet to ensure fast and low-cost transactions, there is ample room for future expansion and optimization.

Public data shows that the GUNZ testnet has been running for nearly a year, processing 27 million transactions and accumulating over 220,000 registered wallets.

In the GUNZ subnet, validator nodes play a crucial role. They are not only responsible for validating and confirming all in-game transactions but also collectively maintain the security and stability of the entire network, with specific functions as follows:

a) Transaction Validation: Nodes are responsible for validating and confirming all in-game transactions, ensuring the security and reliability of the economic system.

b) Network Maintenance: Nodes collectively maintain the operation of the GUNZ network, ensuring the continuous and stable operation of the in-game economy.

c) Participation in Governance: Some nodes may have voting rights to participate in important network decisions.

d) Reward Mechanism: Participants running nodes may receive GUN tokens as a reward, further incentivizing community participation in network maintenance.

In the current design, the core of the ecosystem is 10,000 validators, which are responsible for processing transactions and minting all in-game items. From an investment perspective, these validator nodes are attractive because players must pay them USD-denominated in-game item minting fees; additionally, validators also collect commissions from all transactions of their minted items in the secondary market.

Supporting Off The Grid game is the full suite of Gunzilla ecosystem tools, including wallets (running on iOS and Android), marketplace, and blockchain explorer. Interested players can check real-time data displayed by the GUNZ testnet explorer here.

Currently, if you want to playtest the game early, you can only do so by filling out a form and answering questions on the official website's "Pioneer Program," selecting your gaming platform (console or PC), and then waiting for the game's official selection before receiving a playtest invitation.

Finally, it is important to emphasize that until the game is seen as a finished product, it cannot be said to have moved away from the "low-level fun" of gold farming and achieved pure gameplay.

In fact, the crypto world may not even need pure gameplay; but if the on-chain economic system can become a mature carrier of the "loot box model" without overshadowing everything else, then this game Off the Grid can still be looked forward to a little.

After all, with a free game available on PC and PS5/XBOX, there are still those who like to try their hand at freeloading.

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