WOA: War of Art — a multiplayer Web3 game developed by Gatsby Games, set in the dystopian city of Neo York where art has become both currency and power. At its core, it’s a shooter blending hero-based and extraction mechanics: players plan daring heists on artifact vaults, compete with rival teams, and attempt to extract their loot. The project is designed as a free-to-play live-service experience with extensive customization of characters, hideouts, and vehicles, while ownership of in-game assets is secured through blockchain and Immutable’s infrastructure.
- Concept and Setting of Neo York
- Gameplay and Core Mechanics of War of Art
- Technological Architecture and Blockchain Layer
- Economy, Tokens, and NFT Assets
- Partnerships, Community, and Outlook for WOA
Concept and Setting of Neo York
The world of WOA unfolds in the techno-dystopian city of Neo York, where cultural value defines power. The project’s motto, “art is currency, power, and worth fighting for,” sets the tone for a world where creativity itself is under siege. WOA is built as a free-to-play live-service title that immerses players in daring heist missions, where they must outsmart defense systems, rival crews, and climb the social ladder through customization and progression.
What defines WOA’s identity:
- Dystopian Neo York — a city-state where the struggle for art is the struggle for control.
- Genre Fusion — a base FPS/TPS framework fused with hero-shooter and extraction gameplay (infiltrate → loot → escape).
- High Stakes — real risk and real reward: failure costs resources, success brings prestige and rare assets.
- Live-Service Model — a continuously evolving experience with seasonal events and content updates.
- Customization and Social Capital — avatars, hideouts, and vehicles serve as both personal expression and economic progression.
This design creates a dark yet vibrant world where every frame glows with rebellion and symbolism. Neo York isn’t just a backdrop — it’s a metaphor for digital resistance, uniting players, artists, and technology into one shared story.
Gameplay and Core Mechanics of War of Art
At the heart of WOA lies the heist/extraction loop. Teams plan infiltration, choose their heroes and tools, hack defenses, and clash with rival crews before escaping with their prize. The “5v5” structure emphasizes tactical roles, route choice, and a balance of risk and reward. Successful extractions yield resources and rare items (including NFTs), while failure costs time and loot — keeping every run intense and meaningful.
The live-service model introduces expanding modes and events: competitive battles, PvE encounters, seasonal missions, and cosmetic updates. This structure, proven in major shooters, enhances player retention and engagement. In WOA, it’s amplified through on-chain ownership, ensuring that progress isn’t just in-game but also marketable and lasting.
Technological Architecture and Blockchain Layer
WOA operates as a hybrid system of centralized game servers + decentralized asset ownership. Its core infrastructure is powered by Immutable — including Immutable’s zkEVM and marketplace ecosystem — providing scalability and near-zero gas fees for NFT transactions. Gatsby Games has confirmed its strategic partnership with Immutable, with WOA already featured in the Immutable catalog.
| Component | Role in WOA | Benefit to Players/Project |
|---|---|---|
| Immutable zkEVM / L2 | L2 layer for asset operations | Scalable, gas-free NFT transactions and secure trading. |
| Immutable Catalog (listing) | Game visibility within the ecosystem | Exposure to Web3 gamers and shared marketplace integration. |
| NFT Smart Contracts | Minting and trading unique assets | Transparent ownership and liquidity of digital items. |
| Central Game Servers | Matchmaking, physics, anti-cheat | Real-time performance and fair play consistency. |
| Live-Service Content Pipeline | Regular content updates | Long-term engagement, seasonal goals, and player retention. |
The blockchain layer integrates seamlessly with gameplay, running transactions in the background so players can log in using email or custodial wallets — aligning with Immutable’s goal of frictionless onboarding for mass adoption.
Economy, Tokens, and NFT Assets
The WOA economy revolves around player ownership of digital assets: weapons, skins, vehicles, hideout items, and digital art pieces serving as primary loot. This system enhances the thrill of successful heists and fuels a secondary market. Listing within the Immutable ecosystem ensures liquidity and follows standard Web3 gaming practices for NFT circulation and trading.
The main design challenge is to prevent “value leakage” and inflation. For sustainable balance, the team must regulate rare item emissions, introduce resource sinks, and maintain long-term item utility across seasons. Proven mechanisms — such as seasonal limits, event-driven scarcity, and deflationary loops — can keep the in-game economy healthy and responsive. These principles, common to successful Web3/Web2 ecosystems, are directly applicable to WOA’s live-service framework.
Partnerships, Community, and Outlook for WOA
Partnerships. Strategic alliances are essential for Web3 projects. WOA’s core collaboration with Immutable provides access to scalable Layer-2 solutions and native NFT integration. This reduces entry barriers for players while ensuring secure, low-cost transactions. The Gatsby Games team also maintains active communication — sharing development milestones, NFT giveaways, and gameplay teasers to strengthen brand awareness and community growth.
Community. Gatsby Games fosters long-term engagement through its blog, “design pillars” publications, and the dedicated WOA website, emphasizing a narrative-first philosophy where story and world-building lead gameplay. This transforms WOA into an artistic platform where creativity itself becomes rebellion. Such an approach nurtures organic community growth and inspires user-generated content — fan art, theories, short films, and mods — deepening immersion without aggressive marketing.
Risks. Like most Web3 titles, WOA faces challenges: a missing full whitepaper complicates tokenomics evaluation, while balancing risk-reward loops demands precision. High competition among shooters and varying NFT regulations globally pose additional hurdles. Long-term sustainability will depend on technical stability, content cadence, and secure smart-contract execution.
Outlook. WOA’s foundation is solid — a unique “art as currency” concept, Immutable-based infrastructure, and a refined live-service strategy. If Gatsby Games achieves smooth onboarding, fair matchmaking, and consistent asset value, the title could emerge as one of the standout Web3 shooters of 2025–2026, merging cyberpunk aesthetics with decentralized economics.
