The competition between bigger budget web3 video games vying to be the first titles to truly break into the mainstream may finally become more intense with their release. “Shrapnel,” a Call of Duty-style crypto game on the Epic Games Store.
The online gaming store boasts a PC user base of over 230 million gamers.
“Shrapnel” will compete alongside other popular blockchain-based video games such as “Star Atlas” and “Illuvium,” which are available in stores in “early access” form. The first iteration of a game is often released under the “Early Access Gameplay” classification, allowing the company to build a community around the title while also releasing versions that allow it to continue developing and tweaking the gaming experience.
Neon Machine, the game studio behind “Shrapnel,” describes the game, set in a dystopian world, as a “AAA first-person abstract shooter.” The team behind the title includes former employees of big names like Xbox and Electronic Arts, the company said in a statement.
The developers believe their approach to early access games is unique. “Unlike traditional AAA game release schedules, where studios don’t tell the community about gameplay and design until it’s fully finalized, ‘Shrapnel’… involves the community at every stage of development leading up to free release. A game you can play in 2025,” Neon Machine said in a statement.
Putting cryptocurrency gamers in the ‘driver’s seat’
As gaming evolves, Neon Machine is confident that players will embrace: Customize “every aspect of the game, from characters and weapons to in-game maps.”
“o“Our early access gameplay execution puts players in the driver’s seat, helping us move toward blockbuster-caliber AAA first-person shooters,” said the CEO of “Shrapnel,” after previously leading HBO’s digital products group. Incumbent Mark Long said.
While no blockchain game has gained a foothold in the mainstream gaming world, which is a multibillion-dollar annual business, Neon Machine sees early interest in “Shrapnel” as strong given the game’s stage of development. The company said its online community on Discord has more than 100,000 members.
Measuring online community is not necessarily a clear indicator of enthusiasm or gaming activity, but “illuvium 
ILV
+0.78%
” and “Star Atlas” each have over 170,000 members on their Discord servers.
Last October, the ‘Shrapnel’ team raised $20 million. In the Series A financing, Polychain Capital is leading the round. Griffin Gaming Partners, Franklin Templeton and Brevan Howard Digital are also investors. The project raised a total of $37.5 million, according to the statement.
According to CoinGecko, Shrap, the native token of “Shrapnel”, has a market capitalization of approximately $68 million.
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