Epic Games plans to add around 20 blockchain games to its marketplace by next year. The development studio behind Fortnite continues to go against the grain of other major players in the video game industry
Epic Games bets on blockchain games
The famous video game development studio, Epic Games, plans to add many new blockchain games to its marketplace by next year. As a reminder, the studio is behind one of the most played games in recent years, namely Fortnite.
Currently, the Epic Games Store platform already offers five games that use blockchain technology, including non-fungible tokens (NFT). According to Steven Allison, a manager at Epic Games, there are plans to add around twenty new games over the course of the year.
Note, however, that these will not be developed by Epic Games’ studios directly. They will simply benefit from the expertise of the teams and an important promotion, facilitated by the proven reputation of the Epic distribution studio.
List of blockchain games on the Epic Games Store
Currently, Blankos Block Party, Core and Chainmonsters are already playable and available on the marketplace. Among the new ones, we expect Grit, Delisior or Superior, produced by Gala Games. Epic Games representatives said that the gameplays and statistics of the games look promising, but that they wanted to wait for the launch of the next ones to take a position on the future of this sector.
2023, the year of the GameFi?
Allison believes that 2023 and 2024 will be pivotal years in the development of the blockchain game industry. A view shared by many in the metaverse industry, including Yat Siu, founder of Animoca Brands.
According to data from the website DappRadar, investment in blockchain games and metaverse industry projects got off to a strong start in 2023. However, the sector was really shaken by the bear market.
Indeed, 2022 was a particularly difficult year for GameFi companies. Axie Infinity and Crypto Blades, two games that had been on a roll, saw the price of their NFTs drop. Axie’s AXS, for example, has plummeted by 95% from its all-time high.
Moreover, the other video game giants are not necessarily inclined to continue their Web3 projects. In January, Ubisoft said that its attempt to get into NFTs had failed because “gamers don’t get it”.
While this is positive news on the surface, Epic remains cautious in its approach to the relationship with these games. The platform is not responsible for any financial transactions or customer contact. Their only role will be to oversee game security and provide visibility. Indeed, Epic Games is aware of the reputation of certain companies in the industry and does not wish to host fraudulent projects.
