Crypto Gaming Shakeup: ’Raini: Lords of Light’ Collapses While ’Eve Frontier’ Charges Into Open Trial
Another crypto gaming project bites the dust—just as Wall Street 'experts' start nodding approvingly at blockchain pivots.
The Fall of Raini
The lights are going out for 'Raini: The Lords of Light,' another play-to-earn casualty in an ecosystem where tokenomics often trump fun. Servers shutting down July 15—investors left holding speculative NFTs can now use them as digital tombstones.
Eve’s Risky Gambit
Meanwhile, 'Eve Frontier' launches its open trial, betting big that spaceship battles and resource grinding will fare better than fantasy card games. Early metrics show... moderate enthusiasm (read: no catastrophic player drop-off yet).
The Bottom Line
Crypto gaming still hasn’t found its 'World of Warcraft' moment—but at least the failures are getting more entertaining to watch. Pro tip: Maybe stop tying every in-game potion to a leveraged trading pair.
Top stories
Raini Studios announced that it will shut down its Avalanche-based NFT card game Raini: The Lords of Light on July 21. The competitive card battler, similar to Hearthstone and available on Epic Games Store, will distribute 2 million RST in token rewards (about $3,800 worth) before closing.
The fantasy-themed game, which incorporated crypto culture references (like Dogecoin and Sam Bankman-Fried) and humor, initially launched NFT cards on ethereum in 2021 before moving to Avalanche. Despite paying over $1 million in rewards to thousands of players, the studio said that declining player numbers made the game unsustainable to maintain.
Raini Studios will pivot to upcoming action games Lucha Throwdown and Uncaged: The Jon Jones Brawler while implementing a deflationary tokenomics model. The RST token is up 60% over the last week, but remains down nearly 99% from its 2024 peak price.
CCP Games is offering a 10-day free trial (June 27-July 7) for Eve Frontier, an Ethereum-based MMO spinoff of Eve Online. The space survival game allows players to harvest resources, build bases, and earn Grace points convertible to permanent Eve Points that track a player's legacy via a leaderboard.
The trial follows the recent launch of New Era Founders Access, which removed the previous NDA restrictions on early players. The game features cycles (or seasons) where short-term progress resets, but long-term rewards persist. Built on Ethereum's Redstone network, Eve Frontier will use multiple currencies including tradable Eve tokens and in-game-only LUX tokens.
CCP Games raised $40 million in 2023 for this blockchain adaptation, and CCP Community Developer Ben Sisson told Decrypt that players of the original, hardcore space sim Eve Online have shown interest in this new twist on the franchise.
“Overall, the response across the board to Eve Frontier leveraging blockchain in the way that we have, especially as it relates to modding and third-party development, has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Sisson. “It is becoming clearer to gamers that this is the technology that allows us to unlock our vision for the game that they want.”
ICYMI
The magic of @Cirque is coming to the metaverse ✨
We’re partnering with Cirque du Soleil to bring breathtaking performances and immersive storytelling to The Sandbox 🤝
Announced live at @NFT_NYC the curtain rises on a whole new experience. Stay tuned 🎪🌐 pic.twitter.com/OJDLoeDqe7
— The Sandbox (@TheSandboxGame) June 25, 2025
Few know this:
Off The Grid runs natively on Apple Silicon and just received a major optimization update.
You can now use the “Low” graphics setting (equivalent to PC’s “Low”) for optimal performance on Mac.
Tested on: Apple M4 Max, 128GB RAM. pic.twitter.com/WLMw0iAaaV
— meatport (@meatportmusic) June 26, 2025
Your legacy begins here.
Genesis PFP Free mint is coming soon👑
Get your FINAL spot on: https://t.co/9U0S1pwqi5 pic.twitter.com/EvQ2THM12S
— Anichess (@AnichessGame) June 24, 2025
