Xai, the gaming-centric Ethereum network built on Arbitrum scaling technology, could add a heap of games by year’s end thanks to a new collaboration with a prominent indie gaming curator called The MIX.
The MIX, or The Media Indie Exchange, says that it could launch more than 100 games on the layer-3 Xai network before the end of 2024 and that we should see the first of those games live within 60 days. No games have been confirmed yet, however, as they will be announced individually.
“We already have a number of games confirmed and a large pipeline of games that we expect to confirm in the short term,” The MIX owner and co-founder Justin Woodward told Decrypt’s GG. “By the end of the year, we anticipate deploying at least dozens, if not over 100, games to Xai through this partnership.”
Over the last 12 years, The MIX has served as connective tissue between indie game developers, publishers, and the media, presenting curated gaming showcases and developing content around such events. With those connections in place and having shown hundreds of games via its events, The MIX now aims to onboard some of those creators to Web3.
In many cases, it appears that the games coming via The MIX will be completed “Web2” games that can be adapted for the blockchain market via Xai’s software development kit (SDK)—though the company will also help facilitate crypto games being built from scratch for Xai.
“Xai offers an SDK that simplifies the process for Web2 games and their users to access the advantages of Web3 through a straightforward implementation,” said Woodward. “Many games will utilize this technology, which is completely abstracted from the user experience.”
“A smaller group of games are building Web3 foundations from the start,” he added. “It will be exciting to see the creativity of indie game developers experimenting with Web3 tech.”
Woodward said that the Xai implementation in upcoming games could bear a “striking resemblance” to how game publisher Valve has allowed players on the Steam platform to buy and sell in-game items in Web2 games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. But unlike in traditional games, players won’t be locked to a certain storefront or marketplace.
“Ultimately, it’s up to the game developers to determine how they utilize it,” he added.
The MIX lives in the traditional gaming space, albeit aligned more with indie creators than major publishing giants. Even so, there’s been plenty of skepticism around crypto games in the Web2 world. On the other hand, game studios are reeling from mass layoffs, and the industry is in disarray. Are game developers coming around to crypto distribution channels?
“There will continue to be some pushback,” Woodward admitted, “but developers have been more responsive to Xai because the Web3 elements are pushed behind the scenes and don’t affect the user experience.”
“It’s also important to acknowledge how Web3 has helped indie game developers bootstrap community,” he added. “When examining Xai’s socials, it’s clear they have built a rabid community ready to play games by leveraging their technology. This presents an opportunity for indie game developers to connect with and grow their audience. Blockchain is merely a technological component.”
The MIX is currently holding an event at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco in collaboration with gaming content studio Kinda Funny.
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