OVAL3 is a Play to Earn blockchain game that immerses rugby fans in the world of Web3. This ecosystem is a blend of NFT trading cards and strategy, where the performances of your favorite players in real life determine your place in the rankings and allow you to win rewards.
OVAL3: the blockchain game that brings rugby into the Web3 era
OVAL3 is a fantasy rugby game that lets you manage your own rugby team in a Web3 version. The principle is simple: field 5 players whose performance in real-life matches determines their score in the game.
The higher your team’s score, the more you can qualify for better rewards in virtual competitions. Rugby players are represented as cards, actually being non-fungible tokens (NFT), although the game also has Free to Play features.
How does OVAL3 work?
Propelled by BAMG Sports, OVAL3 takes its inspiration from Fantasy Rugby World (FRW), a sort of Web2 predecessor.
Whether in the free version or the Web3 version, the rules of OVAL3 are the same: during each game session, you choose 5 cards from your collection, symbolizing the different positions of a 15-a-side rugby team:
- A heeler or prop card to symbolize the front row (numbers 1 to 3);
- A second card for a 2nd or 3rd row (numbers 4 to 8);
- The third card will be a scrum-half or fly-half (number 9 or 10);
- The fourth card will be a wing, center or back (numbers 11 to 15);
- A fifth and final card for the position of your choice.
Team composition on OVAL3
As explained above, your team’s score will depend on your players’ performances in real championship matches. To this end, OVAL3 holds exclusive rights to over 2,300 players, playing in France’s Top 14 and Pro D2, as well as in the USA for Major League Rugby (MLR) teams.
To build your team in the Web3 version of the game, you can buy cards from other OVAL3 players, as well as via an auction system, where 150 new NFTs are added daily.
Each rugby player (whom OVAL3 is authorized to use) sees his or her card declined in the following way through different rarity editions:
- 100 limited editions,
- 20 rare cards;
- 5 super rare cards;
- 1 unique edition.
So, depending on the type of cards you own, you can take part in more or less prestigious leagues, with rewards that increase in quality accordingly.
These include NFT cards to add to your collection, prizes in MATIC and OVL3 tokens, team jerseys, match tickets and experiences with real-life players.
The price of a card is also influenced by factors such as NFT rarity, player popularity and score. The latter is updated every week according to the player’s results in matches.
Example of a player’s score on OVAL3 with Antoine Dupont
As for the blockchain on which these NFTs are hosted, it’s Polygon PoS (MATIC).
What are the roles of the OVL3 token?
To accompany its NFTs, the OVAL3 game is preparing to launch a token at the heart of its ecosystem: the OVL3.
This will replace the MATIC, currently used for trading NFT cards on the secondary market and at auctions.
While the precise utility of the OVL3 token has yet to be defined, a number of ideas are being considered. For example, the OVL3 could be locked to take advantage of a liquidity mining program, but could also benefit from bonuses on in-game winnings.
Other possible applications include the creation of a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) for which the OVL3 would act as a vote in ballots. To support this vertical, OVAL3 has partnered with RugbyDAO, a platform supported by Animoca Brands.
In addition, OVL3 could take on the characteristics of fan tokens, to serve as a means of payment on match days with partner clubs, or unlock fan experiences.
OVAL3 achievements, partnerships and roadmap
A first review of OVAL3
So far, OVAL3 has already achieved several encouraging milestones in the development of its Web3 game.
First of all, in terms of partnerships, we mentioned the MLB, as well as the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) for the Top 14 and Pro D2. Thanks to this, over 45 clubs and their players are present on the game.
As for its ambassador, OVAL3 has seen things in a big way, as it is no more and no less than international scrum-half Antoine Dupont, playing for Stade Toulousain and crowned best player in the world in 2021.
To date, OVAL3 has also raised $1.8 million from private investors in exchange for equity stakes, $1 million in anticipation of the launch of the token in the seed phase, and $1 million with certain launchpads such as DAO Maker.
To date, the game’s marketplace has generated over $500,000 in sales volume, while $50,000 in earnings have already been redistributed in 3 months. Since September, the platform has recorded 2,500 daily players and over 10,000 registrants in total.
Since the marketplace opened in April 2023, ahead of the game’s launch, 35,000 cards have been sold. Buyers competed to acquire these cards through 400,000 bids via the auction system.
The most successful club was Stade Toulousain, which alone generated $70,000 in revenue, while its number 9, Antoine Dupont, saw his unique card go for $6,000.
OVAL3 roadmap for 2024
Still in full development, OVAL3 has a busy roadmap for 2024.
The OVAL3 token has been listed since December 20 on the centralized exchange Bitget, and also has its own liquidity pool on the decentralized exchange Uniswap. The platform plans to list its token on other exchanges in early 2024.
Single-card holders will soon be able to take part in a dedicated tournament, with substantial rewards, while a player-versus-player feature will be introduced.
In addition, a new leading rugby league has also signed an exclusive partnership with OVAL3. This partnership will be revealed shortly.
Conclusion on Web3 OVAL3 game
Through its various mechanics, we’ve been able to see the richness of OVAL3 in a number of ways. Indeed, this Web3 fantasy rugby game is likely to interest rugby fans in many ways. They’ll be able to focus on the “collecting” aspect of the game, thanks to the NFT cards, as well as the purely Play to Earn aspect, as they seek to bring together the best possible players and win rewards in virtual competitions.
What’s more, while some may be looking to acquire as many players as possible from their favorite team, others may prefer to concentrate on finding the stars of tomorrow, with a view to reselling their cards at a higher price in the future.
In this way, OVAL3 can satisfy different types of profile, from speculators to collectors, while also having the potential to interest Web3 oval ball enthusiasts.
Of course, there’s still a lot to build on OVAL3, and the game is still in its infancy. As we’ve seen time and again, the GameFi market is a highly competitive sector, in which it can be difficult to evolve.
Despite this, BAMG Sports’ fantasy rugby game offers some promising features, so it will be interesting to follow its achievements over the years, in its aim to bring ovaly into the Web3 era.
