Ecological players break through one million, a list of 13 games worth paying attention to Immutable

Original author: Zen, PANews

At the beginning of this year, the game public chain Immutable launched the beta version of the Immutable zkEVM mainnet supported by Polygon, marking the official start of its rapid ecological development. In the second quarter, with the launch of 'Guild of Guardians' and the release of the 'Main Quests' reward program, which claims to be the largest Web3 game mission and reward program in history with rewards exceeding 50 million US dollars, the integrated game player identity solution Immutable Passport has achieved tremendous growth, with the number of registered users officially surpassing one million, doubling in just May alone.

Immutable zkEVM aims to provide a dedicated chain for game developers, which combines the advantages of zk-rollup technology with the Ethereum ecosystem, featuring EVM compatibility, low cost, massive scalability, and enterprise-grade security. In addition to supporting game infrastructure, Immutable has also started providing funding to game developers. In March of this year, Immutable, in partnership with venture capital firm King River Capital, and Polygon Labs, established a $100 million Web3 gaming fund, 'Inevitable Games Fund' (IGF). Immutable and Polygon Labs will seek investment opportunities, while King River will manage the investment process and deploy funds in game studios and Web3 infrastructure companies.

Thanks to its technical foundation and financial support, Immutable zkEVM quickly attracted a large number of game developers to settle in. According to Robbie Ferguson, co-founder of Immutable, in the first 5 months of this year, Immutable has signed contracts for 147 well-funded games, surpassing the total for the entire year of 2023. In the next 5 months, they plan to launch more than 60 games. Among the 200+ games, over ten are clearly focused on 'main missions' at present. What are these games? And what outstanding performances do they have? PANews will take stock of these games in this article.

Illuvium

A game world composed of multiple games, including the simulation management game Zero, the open world adventure game Overworld, the auto-battler strategy game Arena, and the NFT collection game Beyond. Each game has unique gameplay mechanisms targeting different player groups, but they are interconnected through the extraction and utilization of resources across different games. The blockchain game Illuvium launched its Open Beta testnet at the end of May and is available on the Epic Games Store, offering versions for Windows and macOS. Illuvium has completed four rounds of financing, with a total funding of $65 million, and investors include IOSG Ventures, Framework Ventures, Animoca Brands, Spartan Capital, and Polygon Ventures. In addition, Illuvium raised approximately $72 million in 2022 through the sale of Illuvium Zero land.

Guild of Guardians

A rogue-lite mobile role-playing game inspired by Diablo and Dungeons & Dragons, developed by Stepico Games and published by Immutable. Guild of Guardians was globally released on May 15th this year, simultaneously launching on the Apple iOS App Store and Google Android Play Store. Prior to its release, the game had already amassed over 1 million pre-registered players. On its first day, the game saw a more than 20-fold increase in daily active users and briefly ranked in the top ten on the Android and Apple app stores in the United States, the Philippines, and Singapore.

Hunters On-Chain

A top-down casual, PVE action-adventure game, free to play on web, Android, and iOS. Hunters On-Chain is developed by the blockchain game developer and publisher BoomLand, whose team members are experienced gaming professionals, claiming to have been responsible for the release of over 200 games, with a total download volume exceeding 1.5 billion. Hunters On-Chain offers various gameplay modes based on PvE and PvP, including fast-paced hunting mode, cooperative mode to protect the king, special challenges to hunt bosses, dueling mode against other players, and a 10-player battle royale mode called 'Bounty Hunter'. Hunters On-Chain recently launched the Play To Airdrop event, which will include two seasons, each lasting for one month, with a total prize pool of 250 million $BOOM tokens.

Baby Shark Universe

An open-world underwater ocean-themed role-playing game where players can create their own game content such as items, maps, etc., interact with other players, and expand the game based on their choices and actions. The game developers have over ten years of experience working at the Korean gaming company Nexon. Baby Shark Universe will offer various metaverse-based gameplay, including battles, collecting and crafting, and NFT trading between users. It will also eventually support user-generated content (UGC) functionality, where users can create and contribute their own content. In May of this year, Baby Shark Universe announced that it had completed a seed round of financing with a valuation of $34 million, with investors including Animoca Brands, CREDIT SCEND, Sui Foundation, Comma 3 Ventures, and others.

Storm Warfare

A free collectible card game with the theme of World War II. Currently available on Windows and macOS, and plans to be released on iOS and Android mobile platforms in the near future. The cards in the game are divided into four different types: units, vehicles, artillery, and support. Each card has its own attack and defense attributes, as well as different characteristics and abilities. By collecting cards and building decks, players will simulate deploying troops on the battlefield of World War II and engage in battles with other players. The goal is to reduce the enemy commander's health to zero to achieve victory. Storm Warfare has an in-game market where players can buy, sell, or trade NFT cards and items. From June 28th to July 12th, Storm Warfare will launch a tournament, offering a prize pool of over 50,000 IMX tokens and over $50,000.

Space Nation

A large-scale multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) with a space opera theme, the game stands out with its vast futuristic world, complex characters, and intricate narrative, gaining strong support from partners and VCs. The game has already received a total investment of $50 million, with backers including Foresight Ventures, Lighthouse Capital, SevenX Ventures, HashKey Capital, Arcane Group, etc. The story is set in the fictional Telikos Star Cluster, a deep space frontier inhabited by various races of builders, warriors, and survivors. Players will assume the role of an interstellar spaceship captain, embarking on an adventurous journey, facing deadly pirates, traversing dangerous environments, and uncovering secrets and wealth. Space Nation is currently conducting the Space Odyssey 101 event, offering rewards including 1 million OIK, closed beta 2.0 access codes, and fuel.

Katana Inu

A battle game with a humanoid Shiba Inu as the main character, different characters have various combat styles such as martial arts, magic, and melee. The game modes of Katana Inu mainly include a battle royale that allows up to 60 players to fight in an open-world environment, as well as arena battles of 1v1 and 3v3. The game adopts the 'Play-to-Earn' mechanism, and its NFT market allows players to exchange in-game items such as skins, hats, and clothes for the game's native token $KATA. As of June 25th, the fully diluted valuation of KATA token is approximately $40 million, with a decrease of about 32% in the past month. Recently, Katana Inu has partnered with the popular meme token Baby Doge on BNB to launch a limited edition NFT series, limited to 1000, which will be released on June 27th.

Rebel Bots: Epic War

A casual game that combines MOBA mechanics with trading card gameplay, already available on the Apple iOS App Store and Google Android Play Store. In the game, players will control their unique robots, each with special abilities and roles, to outsmart and defeat opponents. The game emphasizes teamwork and strategy, requiring players to make decisions that can potentially turn the tide of battle in an instant. What sets this game apart is its integration of collectible cards, allowing players to collect various robots, abilities, and enhancement items, each robot and card being a unique NFT. By participating in matches and achieving victory, players can obtain loot boxes containing random cards and items.

Battle Bears Heroes

Is a top-down 3v3 shooter game that includes various gameplays such as mini MOBA, deathmatch mode, battle royale mode, campaign mode, etc. Its predecessor, the Battle Bears series, has been downloaded over 40 million times, including Battle Bears -1 and Battle Bears 1: Zombies. BBH is a revamped version of the classic BB GO in 2010, which includes new heroes, PvP mode, and a new version of Battle Bears -1 with the same nostalgic cutscenes. Due to differences, BBH chose to part ways with Ronin in March this year and announced that it will be released on the Immutable zkEVM a month later. It is expected to be officially launched in July and pre-registration is currently open.

Zoids Wild Arena

Zoids Wild Arena is a collectible card game developed by ACT Games and entered the Immutable ecosystem in May this year. The game is inspired by the popular ZOIDS anime series under TOMY Company, Ltd., a well-known toy manufacturer in Japan. The card features dinosaur and animal-designed mecha robots and can be traded, collected, and battled. Specifically, players use 30 cards to build decks for 1v1 battles, and each player can use their pre-built deck. In the game, players take turns using their cards and win by reducing their opponent's life points to zero using different strategies.

Paradise Tycoon

A simulation multiplayer role-playing game developed by game studio Empires Not Vampires. Its gameplay mechanism is similar to Stardew Valley. Players own a tropical island in the game and must make it prosperous through series of operations such as organizing, crafting, and decorating. In February last year, Empires Not Vampires completed a $1 million financing round, with investors including Shima Capital, Zee Prime Capital, etc. The game is currently in the public beta version 2.0, supporting in-game resource trading and NFT trading for crafting items and blueprints. Paradise Tycoon was initially developed on Avalanche and later moved to Immutable. Its second season, Play-to-Airdrop, will be launched on June 27th, and players can participate for free.

Arena of Faith

ArenaofFaith is a 5v5 MOBA game with a theme of battles between gods and humans. Developed by VORTEX LABS, it is available on the Apple iOS App Store and Google Android Play Store. The basic gameplay of ArenaofFaith is similar to games like Honor of Kings. In the game, 10 players are divided into two teams and compete to destroy the opponent's crystal to win the game. The outcome is determined by factors such as economic development, controlling the lanes, and team battles. Each match lasts about 15 minutes and requires both individual skills and teamwork. In May last year, ArenaofFaith announced that it had completed a $1.75 million seed round of financing led by Chain Hill Capital.

Astra Nova

A story-driven Web3 role-playing game built on the Unreal Engine 5 game engine. Astra Nova's gameplay blends exploration, combat, strategy, and community-driven storytelling. Players can customize their character, choosing from races and classes that survived the destruction of the five worlds. The game challenges players to explore the vast landscapes of Astra Nova, from treacherous wilderness to the ruins of ancient civilizations. In March of this year, Astra Nova landed on the Steam store; In April of this year, Astra Nova announced the closing of a $1 million funding round with major investors including Hashgraph Ventures, Oxbull, MoonEdge and others. Astra Nova is currently working on a series update for the first chapter, "The Fall of Saerinda", and its second level is expected to launch at the end of this month.