What if players could own the characters and assets they built while playing World of Warcraft?
What if they could earn money while playing and be included in decision-making about the game’s future?
Three brothers wanted answers to these questions. They also dared to think they could build it. Lucky for us, two of them are doing just that.
Kieran Warwick and Aaron Warwick have created one of the most thrilling and visually stunning Web3 games to date, Illuvium.
Illuvium is a new genre of gaming, an Interoperable Blockchain Game (IPG), where players’ characters and assets gained in one game can be used throughout the game ecosystem.
The Illuvium private beta went live recently, and with over 30,000 people playing the game already, its user count exceeds 99.7% of live GameFi apps, according to data from DappRadar.
Illuvium is an open-world exploration, NFT creature collector, and autobattler game built on the Ethereum Blockchain. A partnership with the Ethereum layer-2 solution, ImmutableX, has allowed the game to reach new heights, including a rating of AAA. The AAA rating is the gaming industry’s equivalent of a blockbuster.
ImmutableX allows Web3 games to flourish: the technology supports up to 9,000 transactions per second with zero gas fees when players mint, trade, or transfer assets.
Illuvium is the first game to be built on this scale.
The game is a visually rich new-world adventure.
- Play-to-earn.
- Hunt creatures in vibrant colors against a stunning sci-fi background.
- Adventure through and conquer the wild environment to help your crash-landed crew thrive.
Developers are working on building three aspects to Illuvium simultaneously, and the company has 90 artists lending their design talents.
The Three Pillars of Illuvium Gameplay
Illuvium Zero: The founders liken this game level to Clash of Clans or SimCity. Players can build on their land and extract fuel to power different actions in other stages of the game. The company recently raised $72 million in a digital land sale during sluggish market conditions.
Illuvium Overworld: This stage is akin to Pokemon. The game has seven different alien landscapes. Players will have access to assets like jetpacks and mag boots. The goal is to capture Illuvials, deadly beasts who rule this world. Illuvials will be released in sets and will never be reissued. Certain Illuvials will work in partnership with others released at a later date. Players that didn’t see the value in an Illuvial during the first issue will have the chance to buy one from someone on the Illuvium marketplace, IlluviDEX.
“We’re dedicated to making sure these assets stay valuable for the next ten to twenty years.” – Kieran Warwick.
This will keep players engaged for the long haul.
Players can train their Illuvials or upgrade them, creating the team that most suits their game strategy.
Illuvium Arena: Players around the world compete with each other. This part of the game is similar to League of Legends Teamfight Tactics. Players can participate in battles or wager on them. Each round will prove who the strongest ranger is.
Earn While Playing
Throughout the game, players will have the chance to earn cryptocurrency. ILV, Illuvium’s native token, will be earned through playing, completing particular tasks and quests, and winning prizes in tournaments.
Players’ wallets are integrated into the game seamlessly. There’s no connecting a wallet from an outside company. This key feature will be integral to the success of Illuvium. Web2 gamers who may have been confused by wallet integration or felt like NFTs were a scam will be able to store their assets easily while they play.
The company is dedicated to equitable revenue distribution within its community. For example, a portion of the money raised via land sales will be committed to users who have staked ILV tokens. The company’s DAO will receive 10-15%, and the rest will be distributed among the staking community. Staking is available between one to twelve months. These revenue distributions reward the community for getting involved, while smart contracts enable the distribution of funds.
Welcome to the 21st Century of Gaming
Kieran Warwick and Aaron Warwick have set out to show mainstream gamers that Web3 games can be as fun as what they’re used to playing.
Web3 games are unique because of two standout features.
- Decentralization lets the community genuinely participate and be included in decision-making.
- Assets have verifiable ownership and huge potential to grow in value.
The old gaming models are so twentieth century. For too long, game enthusiasts have spent thousands of hours playing games they loved, building characters and assets – for what? If they were lucky, they could sell their assets on the secondary market, but Illuvium has actual asset ownership and marketplace integration.
The Warwick brothers believe players should be rewarded for their time. They grew up playing games and think gamers deserve to own their assets. The company’s current 1.5 million players seem to agree.
With their sights set on nine games under the Illuvium umbrella, the founders are dedicated to this project for the foreseeable future.
“We’re going to be the largest gaming studio on earth,” Kieran Warwick stated.
He may be correct. He’s building a company devoted to providing fantastic game play, real-world rewards, and an engaged community.
It’s going to be a fun adventure to find out if he’s right.
About Kit
Kit Campoy is a former retail professional turned freelance writer. She writes about Leadership, Retail, and Web3. Contact Kit for your content needs.