What is Off the Grid？The Popular New Battle Royale

The blockchain game ‘Off the Grid’ is unique in that it prioritises gameplay above tokens and integrates blockchain technology.

Keyy Takeaways；

• Top streamers have joined a cryptocurrency-backed Web3 game.
• The distinction between gaming and blockchain has become more hazy with this new shooter.
• Crypto has been made completely optional; feel free to play with or without it.

There are a lot of new things to know about the battle royale shooter “Off the Grid,” which debuted in early access but swiftly became one of the top-grossing free-to-play blockchain games on the Epic Games Store.

Prioritising premium gameplay over incentive token mechanics, the game offers a center-first approach to blockchain gaming. Blockchain integration will serve as an afterthought rather than the game’s primary selling point.

Players can guarantee ownership of in-game assets like skins and weaponry by minting them as NFTs on Avalanche’s AVAX network GUNZ. This opens the door for people to trade in-game stuff for real money on secondary markets.

What is Off the Grid？

In order to mint NFTs that represent in-game assets like skins and weaponry, “Off the Grid” employs blockchain technology via an Avalanche AVAX subnet named GUNZ. This would establish an autonomous blockchain economy. The price of AVAX increased by over 9% in just one week after Epic unveiled the game.

This game, created by Gunzilla Games and based on the Avalanche blockchain, combines a more traditional battle royale mode with blockchain technology, providing a unique experience that has attracted players and crypto enthusiasts alike.

The game granted players ownership of these things because they were coined on-chain. Consequently, this would pave the door for secondary market trade. Beyond the usual in-game purchases, this increases value and ownership. This is due to the fact that assets can be useful and profitable for their owners.

This is significant since the game is a AAA title, which is like a blockbuster movie in the gaming industry. Additionally, this signifies a departure from the present model of Web3 gaming. Token awards were typically the main attraction in competing games, rather than the gameplay itself.

Traditional blockchain games have a bad reputation for offering incentives that make individuals join for the sole purpose of the rewards, leading to a precipitous decline in user count immediately following the airdrop. While blockchain elements bolster the ecosystem rather than propel it, ‘Off the Grid’ prioritises its immersive gaming experience.

What is Web3 and How Is Off-Grid Utilising It?

Off the Grid leverages blockchain technology to access the expanding possibilities of Web3, a decentralised internet that grants people greater agency over their data and transactions through the usage of blockchain.

Similar to NFT ecosystems, Web3 allows users to trade in-game items for real value in the game’s peer-to-peer marketplace. By eliminating middlemen and guaranteeing decentralised, transparent, and secure transactions, this blockchain-based system grants participants complete control of their digital assets.

Off the Grid makes use of Web3 to improve the gaming experience without requiring users to get involved with crypto. Anyone interested in using the trading platform can learn more about decentralised ownership and its advantages. Meanwhile, players who like more conventional approaches to gaming will have a great time with the game regardless of whether or not they use blockchain technology.

Blockchain-Based Video Games to Centre on Experience, Not Coins

The decision to incorporate tokenization into the design is in line with the demands made by industry experts for blockchain games to prioritise an immersive gameplay experience over tokenization itself. But there are still certain obstacles to wider blockchain gaming acceptance, such as the complexity of combining crypto wallets.

According to a poll by Elympics, the Blockchain Game Alliance, and PlayToEarn, more than 10% of people have never played a blockchain game. This suggests that making the onboarding process easier for new users is crucial for the industry as a whole.

‘Off the Grid’ is focusing on a more game-centric strategy rather than incentive token mechanics in an effort to make blockchain gaming more attractive and sustainable.

Blockchain Gaming: Overcoming Obstacles to Adoption

After its release, ‘Off the Grid’ surpassed several of Epic’s other big hits to become the most popular free-to-play PC game on the Epic Games Store. Its popularity on the trending list is more evidence of the game’s success. With almost 148,000 spectators last Friday, the game was the most-watched game on Twitch, proving its success on the platform as well.

So, for the time being, early access is only available on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5, and it only supports a single map and game mode. The GUNZ token-based in-game economy is live, but the blockchain’s essential features, such rare weaponry and stuff based on NFTs, are still missing.

There has been a massive marketing push for ‘Off the Grid,’ which has contributed to the game’s recent meteoric growth. Popular streamers like Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag have been streaming the game, and gameplay footage have been flooding social media with the hashtag #OTGpartner.