Ultra’s EMPIRES Launches Closed Alpha, Pioneering Web3 Gaming Economy

Ultra's Black Ice Studios has unveiled the closed alpha for EMPIRES, a groundbreaking Web3 strategy game that transforms players into economic stakeholders. This isn't just gameplay—it's digital nation-building where every mined resource and governance vote carries real weight on-chain.

The game's July launch establishes the first interconnected ecosystem where player-owned assets persist across multiple titles. EMPIRES shifts focus from combat to economic warfare, with its synergy to CITADELS creating a rare strategy-action hybrid in blockchain gaming.

Unlike traditional games, EMPIRES implements full asset ownership through blockchain infrastructure. Territories, research trees, and resource flows exist as permanent, tradable assets—a radical departure from centralized game economies.