Long-standing video game publishers Arcade Distillery have confirmed plans to develop a range of games that will incorporate Ethereum-powered non-fungible tokens (NFTs), ready for play on the Sony PlayStation 4. A new arm of Arcade Distillery – a studio that has historically built games for PS Vita, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch – was recently unveiled, with Blockchain Distillery focusing on the integration of NFTs into more video games in the years to come.
Luc Bernard, CCO, Arcade Distillery, confirmed in an interview: “We were doing a small work-for-hire gig for a blockchain game company that died fast.
“We understand what’s awesome about blockchain, but everyone was copying CryptoKitties. It’s cool but very specific.
“So, we thought we can make a blockchain game for consoles. And that’s what we’ve done.”
Great News for Crypto Investors and Console Gamers
The inclusion of NFTs is great news for console gamers. Players will be allowed to buy in-game collectibles such as weaponry, vehicles, power-ups and special characters, and retain each collectible via a private key. All NFTs used within new video games will be secured using cryptography, preventing any form of cyber-hacking and tampering of players’ in-game collectibles. The only way a hacker could gain access to in-game collectibles connected to an NFT is through the private key.
Presently, there are many non-blockchain video games featuring in-game collectibles that are purchased using fungible tokens, leaving them more open to cyber-attacks. If a gamer’s Sony PlayStation 4 network account was to be hacked, the criminal would gain immediate access to their in-game collectibles and could transfer them out of the victim’s gaming account and into their own due to their fungibility. Furthermore, there would be no way of retrieving the collectibles as the fungibility makes them virtually impossible to trace.
The burgeoning use of Ethereum-powered NFTs for video games will also enable gamers to ‘trade’ in-game collectibles between one another. Fiat currency and cryptocurrency can be used to purchase NFTs from fellow gamers too, giving players an innovative way of cashing in on their in-game progress with fiat cash in exchange for their NFTs.
Blockchain Distillery’s First NFT Game
Blockchain Distillery’s first game to feature NFTs on the PlayStation 4 is Plague Hunters. As with other blockchain-based NFT games that have proven to be a success – including CryptoKitties – Plague Hunters’ in-game assets, such as its weaponry, units and other items, will be pegged to NFTs. The trailer of the new game says: “Build your army of hunters. Train them and prepare them for battle. Trade your hunters on the blockchain-based marketplace with other players.”
It appears that Plague Hunters will be available to play free of charge once it is released in Q1 2019. Reports suggest that the game has already passed Sony’s stringent review process. A version of Plague Hunters will also be made available on the Nintendo Switch, but this won’t feature NFTs. Nor will any future versions developed for the Xbox One and smartphone devices.
Featured image source: Flickr