With its impending listing on the Epic Games Store, which is home to wildly popular games like Fortnite, blockchain-based game Illuvium is poised to reach millions of PC and mobile gamers.
Illuvium, an interoperable blockchain game created by Illuvium Labs, will be available on Epic's shop starting on November 28. This comes after months of preparatory work to ensure the game satisfies Epic's requirements.
In an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph before to the Epic launch, Kieran Warwick, co-founder of Illuvium, describes how the game has changed to accommodate a wider player base and adhere to the platform's compliance and regulatory requirements:
"The outcome of these efforts has improved our product and secured Illuvium a position on a top gaming platform."
Unreal Engine 5 was used to construct the game on the Immutable X network. Three distinct game genres situated inside the Illuvium universe will be available when it launches in beta on Epic Games. These include the open-world adventure game Overworld, which is described as a "creature capturer reminiscent of beloved classics," the autobattler strategy game Arena, and the city-builder Zero, which can be played on PC and mobile devices and is connected to the other games. According to Warwick, their strategy of creating distinct game modes and genres is meant to draw in a larger gaming community.
"Through the release of three distinct games in three distinct genres, we have greatly expanded our market reach. The only problem is that getting here has taken a lot longer than expected, says Warwick.
Warwick's team has modified their strategy in an attempt to enroll people, given that blockchain games with nonfungible token (NFT) components have found it difficult to become popular. He points out that one of the main causes of the sluggish uptake of blockchain gaming is the entrance hurdle for players who are not Web3 natives:
"The idea that you need a wallet and a lot of money merely to test out the game is one of the most annoying aspects about NFT games. Wallets are no longer required, and playing is free. This, in our opinion, is the only path to widespread acceptance.
Web3 venture capital businesses such as Animoca Brands have brought attention to the reluctance of major game publishers to list titles that use Web3 technology, as Cointelegraph previously reported.
In the past, CEO of Animoca Brands Robby Yung expressed concern that major players are still unsure about the ramifications since they think Web3 integration will circumvent current business models that depend on distribution fees.
Similar to these feelings, Warwick claims that a multitude of variables contribute to the prevalent mindset. One aspect is the integrity of the game design; some opponents contend that the inclusion of NFTs might result in pay-to-win mechanisms or have a detrimental effect on the design by putting monetization ahead of player pleasure.
Another factor to take into account is regulatory issues. Warwick points out that NFTs and blockchain technology are still "in a grey area in many regions."
"Regulators may have issues with NFT games, which could have an impact on their viability and legality."
NFTs and bitcoin market volatility, in addition to the seeming pervasiveness of fraud, are additional obstacles that worry conventional publications.
However, Illuvium's impending IPO is encouraging for the whole blockchain gaming sector. As their game joins the ranks of some of the most played mainstream games of the past several years, Warwick calls it a significant milestone.
"This is a significant advancement. "Web3 gaming is the next big thing in the crypto space, as people have been saying for years," says Warwick in closing.
Over the past year, Web3 gaming investors have backed early-stage teams creating blockchain games with a more methodical approach. The implications of a protracted bear market for cryptocurrencies have made this necessary and required industry venture investors to conduct more due diligence.
