Play a Temple Run game with your pals to steal the golden Idol from an Aztec temple, or spend your weekends with friends playing a multiplayer PUBG game, all while satisfying your late-night appetites with food and chilled soda – it's all worth your time and attention!
Thanks to the ever-evolving cutting-edge technologies, the world has witnessed a vast and massive impact on the gaming industry, businesses, revenues, and the tech industry itself. Furthermore, the induction of NFT technology has diversified the gaming landscape with its nifty, secure, and industry-leading aspects.
Consider how much you know about NFT game development beyond its full name, "Non-Fungible Tokens."
What are NFTs?
How many of you appreciate the distinctiveness of your prized possessions? Your smartphone, for example, is dear to you; you won't exchange it for someone else's. The reason is that you have some personal attachment to or have become accustomed to it, and you don't want to let that go.
Any object with such irreplaceability and scarcity should get protected. Let's take this example to the digital world; an NFT is a digital asset with unique qualities and attributes that don't match another NFT. Since each NFT is unique, security becomes crucial for NFT owners.
Therefore, each NFT has a unique value and distinguished information stored in a blockchain. These NFTs could be a piece of creative art, music, game character, GIFs, domain names, videos, in-game assets, avatars, etc. However, cryptocurrencies (Dogecoin, ether, bitcoin) are exchangeable digital assets used for online trading.
We can't forget to mention smart contracts while we highlight non-fungible tokens. Smart contracts manage the NFT's transferability and the automated execution of sale agreements without any mediator's involvement.
Examples of NFT Games
Why have NFTs become a hype in the gaming landscape?
Well, NFTs have offered the opportunity for P2E game development. The NFT play-to-earn games have become the center of attraction for gamers, and game developers and more people are inclined toward NFT games.
According to the statics, you can identify a huge number of players were interested in NFT games as of January 2022.
Moreover, an annual report generated from the blockchain alliance shows that NFT games have generated 2.32B USD in revenue in the Q3 of 2021. Moreover, the P2E sector and the in-game true ownership capability of assets have been the reason why the blockchain-based NFT games embrace rapid success.
Alien Worlds
This p2e sci-fi adventure game revolves around NFT-based alien species with an exciting storyline revolving around how players will trap the alien and get their services like mining on land plots using various tools. The game consists of click-mining and trillium staking.
TLM is the cryptocurrency of the Alien world, and players will use TLM tokens for NFT trading purposes, winning battles or successfully complete mission.
The value of a single share of TLM was $0.14 with the circulation of 914 million in-game TLM coins as of April 2022, and as of January 2022, the number of user accounts was 1,160,000 recorded.
Also read: All NFT games to date
Track9
Track9 is another play-to-earn (P2E) NFT game example that enthrall players in a realistic dog racing scenarios with an engaging 3D interface while also earning through betting. The dog characters are built as NFTs that the user can breed to enhance their attributes, increasing the chances of winning the race and selling them at a higher price.
The storyline is based on realistic racing environment as there are eight gates that follow the first-come, first-serve rule, while the race winning dog will be awarded the best in-game reputation, which ultimately increases their value and will be sold at a great price on the OpenSea.
However, the Tyson coin is used to make the trade possible, and the player is required to connect a wallet to MetaMask for in-game trading.
Axie Infinity
Axie Infinity is another example of an NFT p2e game based on the fighting genre. The Axies are Ethereum-minted NFTs that users breed, collect, raise, use in battle, and trade with users. Moreover, players can customize their Axies or choose them from different Axie types. Players will be rewarded with the love potions on winning the battle and can sell them for AXS tokens.
Moreover, more than eight million players are registered to this NFT-based game, and almost 2.8 M active players enjoy playing it daily. Hence it has been increasing the crypto asset-based economy. Around 23% of AXS tokens were circulating, which means 60.9 M AXS, while each AXS share value was $66 as of April 2022.
But what would you’d have to do to develop an NFT game?
NFT Game Development Checklist
So, here’s an important NFT project checklist to consider when you decide to build an NFT game. So, let’s dive right into it!
Conceptualization
Game development requires an immaculate vision and a nifty idea that can turn out to be the best and most robust game that rocks the tech industry. A game conceptualization comprises unique and creative ideas, market research, scope analysis, and untiring effort until your idea gets transformed into an exhilarating game.
Ask yourself: what game genre would you like – shooters, sports, action-adventure, roleplaying, party games, or multiplayer online battle aroma (MOBA)? What model would be the best accordingly? What type of audience will you attract?
What would be the mechanics and potential features of your game? Decide on the game size and carry out thorough research on your game idea.
Tip: building a game prototype or minimum viable product (MVP) could help you test your game idea with an actual audience and help you improvise your idea with conceptualization.
Also read: Build NFT P2E games with Unity game engine.
Game Design
After a clear conceptualization, a game’s success heavily relies on how you implement your idea into game design. At this stage, you design game characters, environment, components, and features while keeping the user experience in sheer focus.
Moreover, a well-thought game design layout should fit best with aesthetics, storyline, goals, rules, and above all, keep you targeted audience engaged for a longer period.
A game design stage involves a game design document (GDD) that elaborates more on the UI/UX design. This document address P2E economics, NFT asset design, templates, and themes and ensure the seamless integration of blockchain elements like cryptocurrencies and NFTs.
Tech Stack
When it comes to game development, Unity, Unreal Engine, Three.js, etc., are the most popular game engines which enable game developers to enhance their development experience with 2D and 3D interfaces, efficient tools, and scripting API that results in building incredible games.
To build a Play-to-earn NFT game, your tech stack will be blockchain – Ethereum, Tezos, Solana, Flow – and you’ll need to authenticate users, look closer for game graphics, build in-game assets, implement a smart contract generator, connect a crypto wallet, introduce your game on the NFT marketplace – OpenSea, Binance, Rarible, Nifty Gateway and more – for in-game NFT trading purpose.
Crypto Gaming Wallet
NFT play-to-earn games require crypto gaming wallets that enable users to securely store, invest and make transactions with wallet-compatible game currency. However, since many NFTs use the Ethereum blockchain, they are connected with the Ethereum wallet.
Some best crypto gaming wallets are the Metamask, AlphaWallet, Math Wallet, and more. However, when choosing your NFT wallet, ensure your wallet's multichain support, high security, and cross-device compatibility.
Smart Contract
As mentioned above, a smart contract is the essential part of the NFT games that ensure the security of assets from both ends – buyer and seller. These contracts are automated, and the system executes the action when the pre-mentioned conditions get verified.
Smart contracts provide security, a smooth agreement process, save time, and eliminate the involvement of intermediaries.
Blockchain for NFT Game Development
Ethereum
Ethereum blockchain offers cryptocurrency (ETH) and a secure platform to build dApp games and provide support for Smart contracts. In addition, this blockchain-powered technology offers NFT game development with digital assets that can be conveniently transferred with other Ethereum-compatible game accounts.
Thanks to the Ethereum blockchain, many NFT games are now a part of the rapidly evolving game industry.
In NFT games, the Ethereum wallet enables users to store ether while they use a private key secure their ether. Ethereum has become the best blockchain-powered platform for NFT game development.
Tezos
Tezos is an open-source blockchain that offers peer-to-peer transactions and enables smart contract deployment. Tezos offers secure code which permits developers to craft high-value assets. Since people govern this platform, it empowers the result-driven collaboration and upgrades the network that makes this technology stand out.
Moreover, Tezos smart contract uses formal verification to ensure security and reliability. The native token of the Tezos blockchain is Tez, symbolized as XTZ, which interacts with dApps, offers network security, and engages users in gaming, art, and more.
Solana
Solana is another blockchain platform that uses a proof of history and proof of stake mechanism for fast transactions, and just like other blockchain platforms, it can run smart contracts. Many games like DeFi lands and SolaJump have earned great popularity with this blockchain-based platform.
Its native token is SOL which can be used for staking – stake your Solana tokens and gain rewards. Users can also use SOL for fee payment which is associated with smart contracts and other transactions.
Flow
Flow uses the PoS mechanism that permits users to participate in the ecosystem after ensuring a specific number of FLOW tokens. Flow has been serving as a top blockchain in the development of games, assets, and applications.
It has proved to be developer-friendly technology that reduces complexity as compared to other apps. Flow enhances the developer’s experience during project development, testing, and deployment. This blockchain technology is backed by DeFi apps, dev tools, and marketplaces - making the development process convenient.
Read More: NFT Gaming Platform Development – a New Era in Technological Advancement
How does Cubix help Develop NFT Games?
Cubix has been serving the software development industry for more than a decade and enjoy being among the leading game development companies serving the tech industry with stellar projects. With smart strategies and a nifty approach, Cubix kick-starts the NFT game project while keeping the NFT project checklist upfront.
To acquire incredible NFT game development services, get in touch with the pro game development team.
