Off The Grid’s success demonstrates that the ‘invisible’ blockchain is the key factor.

Off The Grid, a battle royale shooting game with a touch of blockchain, had an amazing start, with 9.12 million wallets created and over 100 million transactions in the first month alone.

But here’s the twist: blockchain in Off The Grid is more of an extra. The game’s graphics and gameplay don’t rely on blockchain, and the NFT in-game items are optional. Players have the choice to use a marketplace on Gunz, an Avalanche subnet, to trade items. A GUN token will soon be introduced as the in-game currency for buying items and skins.

Off The Grid’s success highlights the importance of focusing on solid gameplay, with blockchain elements enhancing the experience for those who want it. This approach helped Gunzilla Games, the studio behind Off The Grid, secure funding from VanEck, joining the other gaming startups that raised $517 million in Q3.

Many players are wary of blockchain in games. Viktoriya Hying, co-founder of B3, a gaming chain, notes that gamers haven’t forgotten past incidents involving game cards being used for cryptocurrency mining. Despite this, some game developers are slowly introducing blockchain elements to their games.

For mainstream gamers to embrace Web3, blockchain needs to be seamless and invisible. Installing wallets and dealing with seed phrases may turn players away. According to game developer Amitt Mahajan, making blockchain elements simple and integrated is key to attracting a wide audience.

Even successful blockchain games like Axie Infinity are mostly offchain. Aleksander Larsen from Sky Mavis, the developer of Axie Infinity, terms most blockchain games as “Web2.5” due to this reason. Fully onchain games require significant technical capabilities, which are still being developed.

When it comes to blockchains for gaming, scalability is crucial. Solana was once the top choice for hosting blockchain games, but newer platforms like Sui, based on Facebook’s Move language, are emerging. Additionally, platforms like Immutable X and Avalanche are making strides in gaming with their unique features.

In the end, the future of blockchain in games is exciting and filled with possibilities. Developers are finding ways to incorporate blockchain seamlessly, enhancing the gaming experience without compromising on gameplay. As the industry continues to evolve, we can expect even more innovations that will shape the future of gaming.