Will “Off the Grid” become the mainstream virtual currency game?

Off the Grid is the talk of the gaming world right now, but can it stay on top?

Last week, the battle royale game (released in Early Access) quickly became the top free title on the Epic Games Store, with 148,000 viewers watching countless streamers play it on Twitch. Developed by Gunzilla Games, the game throws players into a reality show-style online shooting experience with robotic limbs that grant them powerful abilities.

However, many players do not know that Off the Grid is actually an Avalanche-based crypto game. In its current early access state, cryptographic elements are not fully implemented. However, the game's GUN token is still in development, with plans for in-game items to be minted as NFTs and traded on the marketplace.

here decryptionGG, of course we are all over the crypto gaming world. Editor-in-Chief Andrew Hayward and reporter Ryan S. Gladwin discuss Off the Grid's initial impact, what it might mean for the gaming world going forward, and the hype. We discussed whether we could maintain it.

Ryan: While reviewing and previewing crypto games, I often felt like the games were trying too hard to be crypto versions of already established titles, rather than being truly innovative. I think this is hindering the growth of the industry. Why play the Web3 version of the game when you can just play the real thing?

Off the Grid, on the other hand, adds an interesting and unique mechanic to the battle royale genre. I believe that Cyberrim's ability to swap out your arms and legs for robotic limbs with fun abilities is a core reason why the game connects with players so much. I have yet to see a game in this genre where players have access to such a wide range of abilities that can be swapped out so easily.

Apex Legends matches that in that characters have unique abilities, but it's a lot of fun to be able to combine them in heated battles.

Andrew: Yeah, we're still figuring out all the things that make Off the Grid more than just a battle royale clone, like jetpacks and limbs, but it gives the game more than just a cyberpunk feel. It certainly gives it a unique flavor. I'm still terrible at games, but that's no surprise. There is no time to pour into it!

But take a look at some of the highlights we compiled from influencers and streamers earlier this week. Without a doubt, Off the Grid already has the viral IT factor that puts games like this in the spotlight. Whether it stays there will largely depend on how quickly it evolves by adding content, and how polished it becomes, but it already has great potential.

Ryan: Speaking of polish, as a PC player I've struggled with how poor the game's performance and optimization is. With a 12th Gen Intel i5 processor and an RTX 4070, you'll have to play at very low settings and a low resolution to keep your frames from dropping below 30 fps. I'm worried that if you have to use a very good computer to do this, it will alienate the more casual audience this game so desperately needs.

Another criticism is that it feels like both shot landing and damage aren't obvious enough to the player. When my shot finds the target, mark the hit marker slap And it makes me feel like I'm really causing damage, which I'm missing right now. Similarly, I took damage during the game and didn't really understand how serious the danger was, so I didn't fight back and ended up dying. But a lot of early access games just don't get it right right now.

Andrew: That's the downside of early access, right? It's a badge you can put on when the match is over generally It's there, but not completely. In this case, Off the Grid feels strong enough to persevere through these early setbacks and flaws. Optimizations will definitely come along with other tweaks and upgrades. And luckily, so far, my experience has been much smoother playing on PS5.

Even if Off the Grid appears in this limited form and needs further polishing, it still dramatically It will be more fully formed and ready to play than most crypto games that claim to be “publicly built”.

I totally understand. That's the idea of ​​decentralization, right? But now I think back to games like Deadrop and Shrapnel that have been built gradually over time, allowing NFT buyers and supporters to get an experience that slowly evolves and that could one day become something special. I hope. Off the Grid, on the other hand, has remained relatively under the radar. boomthere are AAA games that are having a dramatic impact. This could change everything in the crypto game.

Ryan: I completely agree, first impressions are important! Look at Cyberpunk 2077. It was a mess when it shipped, and most people didn't want to revisit it after it was fixed. It took years of additional work to get it to where it was intended to be at launch.

This is the first time we've seen Web3 games break out of the industry bubble, and we're already seeing people opening up to the idea of ​​crypto games as a result. This could be a breakthrough moment for the crypto game. But, and this is very important, the implementation has to make sense. If Off the Grid introduces a system that feels exploitative or pay-to-win, it could cause irreparable damage to the crypto game.

I hope Gunzilla makes it simple and allows skins to be traded on the marketplace. The worst-case scenario would be to create an economy that encourages whales to hoard all of their most powerful weapons, making it no longer fun for the average gamer.

Andrew: In addition to potentially shaking up the notion of building in the public sphere, off-the-grid could also have a profound impact on how the crypto game approaches token and NFT launches. We can help small teams sell NFTs or run play-to-airdrop campaigns around their tokens, and then maybe, just maybe, invest the profits into building and polishing their games. I've seen it often.

Off the Grid didn't do that. Although the tokens are not yet publicly available and the NFT functionality is still in development, it appears they have sold some nodes on the testnet that are currently earning rewards to their owners. In any case, it's safe to say that Off the Grid hasn't focused on cryptocurrencies yet, and we'll see if that ends up being an overall positive.

At least I think it's positive for perception. That being said, I still haven't been able to get Gunzilla Games to clarify their cryptocurrency integration plans, and seeing as other crypto games have announced console launch plans. please don't It also includes a blockchain element, so I wonder why Ganjira doesn't talk about it in detail. I think it's partly to focus on gameplay and not alienate Web2 gamers. But I also wonder if they are still trying to get along with Sony and Microsoft.

No doubt the hype has cooled from last week's reliably expensive marketing barrage, and questions are already surfacing about whether Off the Grid has staying power. That's unavoidable, but it's also a valid criticism. From what I've played and the reaction of gamers, I'm confident that Off the Grid can become a major player, and I'm looking forward to seeing how its success spills over into not just crypto games, but the broader gaming industry. Masu.

Edited by Stephen Graves