In the past few years, game developers have been hoping to transform the economic systems of traditional games by using the Web3 value circulation network, handing over the control of virtual assets to users, and allowing assets to freely circulate in the market.
In the history of Web3 game development, two popular games, CryptoKitties and Axie Infinity, have emerged, but their vitality is not strong. The lack of playability and design flaws in the economic system only allowed them to experience a short-lived popularity.
Now, a CSGO-style FPS shooting game called Matr1x Fire is here. In addition to the Web3 “standard” of on-chain economic systems, Matr1x Fire pays more attention to playability.
During the testing phase from August 8th to August 28th, some players expressed their recognition of its playability, considering it as another ray of light breaking through the Web3 game circle. With great anticipation, whether Matr1x Fire’s economic system design is sustainable will be the key to its success or failure.
A playable shooting game in the Web3 world
From August 8th to August 28th, a small group of gamers gathered in the FPS shooting game Matr1x Fire, similar to CSGO, every evening from 6 to 11. They controlled virtual characters dressed in cyberpunk style and engaged in online battles using various firearms.
This game is not much different from traditional FPS games, but in the eyes of players, it is a pioneering test, and they are likely to witness the resurgence of Web3 games.
The biggest difference between Matr1x Fire and games like CSGO is that it is built on the Web3 value network. All in-game coins, firearms, and items are game data that cannot be arbitrarily modified in the background. They are digital assets that are confirmed and cannot be tampered with after being put on the chain.
Matr1x explains the necessity of doing this: The Internet has created a great history in the past few decades, but users have gradually realized that they are living in a “digital black hole” where their created game items and social media do not belong to them. However, in the technological cycle of the Metaverse and Web3, this situation will change forever. “In the new platform, we will return the personal digital sovereignty of game items and other digital assets to users, share the income generated with the community, and create our own metaverse and Web3 world together with all participants.”
This design brings a new game economy cycle system, where the characters, firearms, and other items purchased by users can freely circulate through the blockchain network. The game will no longer be a bottomless pit of recharge without a return.
In fact, this is also the concept that Web3 game developers have been advocating. If this is the only achievement, Matr1x is not particularly special, because putting the economic system on the chain is no longer a great innovation.
However, what sets Matr1x apart is its emphasis on significantly improving the playability of Web3 games that were previously not fun. To achieve this, Matr1x has done a lot of preliminary work.
Matr1x Fire Game Screenshots
Public information shows that the team members of Matr1x have an average of more than 8 years of game development experience, and most of them are senior gamers, which gives them a mature understanding of whether the game is fun or not. In February this year, Matr1x completed a Series A financing of $10 million, with participation from Hana Financial Investment, Hashkey Capital, Amber Group, and SevenX Ventures.
Prior to the game’s open beta testing, Matr1x has already released a coherent storyline, covering cyberspace, Mars immigration, and interstellar expeditions. It is reported that the development team has built a novel with millions of words, which is currently being serialized.
In terms of game development, Matr1x will create three mobile games with a unified worldview, namely Matr1x Fire, which is currently being tested, as well as Matr1x War and Matr1x Evolution. Compared to CSGO, which only supports PC and consoles, Matr1x Fire is a mobile game that can run on both iOS and Android, reaching a wider range of players.
FPS mobile games have higher difficulty than general game development, requiring consideration of map terrain, vertical space, blocking points, bullet hit kill time, bullet flight trajectory and speed, crosshair, maneuverability, shooting feedback, and other factors. Based on feedback from testing, Matr1x Fire has received some positive reviews.
Tester “Oranges” said that the game’s special effects are cool and comparable to the artistic effects of some popular web2 shooting games; the game modes are somewhat nostalgic, reminiscent of middle school days, simple and fun. However, the project team hopes to keep up with new trends and develop more new modes.
Whether or not it can be successful depends on the sustainability of the economic system
According to data companies, shooting games have been a major player in the mobile game category in recent years, ranking sixth in the US iOS market and generating approximately 6% of market revenue.
Although there hasn’t been a new popular shooting game in the market for a while, the previous success of “Call of Duty Mobile” has prompted many AAA developers to turn to the mobile platform. Currently, several leading developers are launching promising competitors, including “Fearless Contract,” “Apex Legends,” “Battlefield,” and the mobile version of “Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier.”
Choosing the shooting game category should be a carefully considered decision by Matr1x after thinking about “playability”. After all, choosing a popular category for development means there is no need for excessive marketing and education in the early stages, and more players will flock to it and quickly get the hang of it.
On social media, Matr1x Fire has been hailed as the “God of One Shot” by some players, hoping that it can break the development constraints of Web3 games.
Looking back, Web3 games have experienced two major waves of popularity. In 2017, CryptoKitties, developed on the Ethereum blockchain, caused the first wave of blockchain games. Its gameplay was very simple, allowing players to buy, sell, and breed virtual cats. It was like a cryptocurrency version of electronic pets. In 2021, Axie Infinity exploded in popularity. Players can control small creatures called Axies to battle, breed, and trade them. It is like a Web3 version of Pokémon.
However, the lack of gameplay was a common problem in early blockchain games. The aforementioned games can be more accurately defined as “gold farming games” because the in-game economic value can be circulated, and the primary goal of many players was to make money rather than enjoy the game. As the token supply within the Axie Infinity system continued to increase and prices fell, players quickly lost interest, and Axie failed to shoulder the glory of the rise of Web3 games.
When Matr1x brought a first-person shooter game to the Web3 world, the attention of the Web3 community was once again captured. Whether Matr1x’s economic system is sustainable, based on the primary demand of Web3 game players for “gold farming,” became an important factor in determining its success.
Currently, players participating in the Matr1x game can play by obtaining a free trial pass or purchasing a higher-level pass NFT. The game features over 30 different weapons and items, each with various skin NFTs divided into different levels. Additionally, characters, avatars, and trophies in the game are presented in the form of NFTs.
Gun showcase in the game
In addition to items, the game has two types of tokens: FIRE and MAX. FIRE is a token obtained in the game, which can be used to upgrade characters or open loot boxes. MAX is a governance token that allows holders to vote in the community and participate in the co-creation of content and gameplay.
Compared to Axie, Matr1x Fire does not have a breeding system and does not continuously generate “mining machines.” The game token FIRE has various consumption mechanisms, while the total supply of MAX is limited to 1 billion and will never increase. In order for the economic system to be sustainable, Matr1x needs to design a reasonable relationship between the production and consumption of FIRE, and provide enough use cases for MAX. At the same time, for rare item NFTs, Matr1x must also set the drop rates reasonably to prevent the circulation from becoming too high and causing a significant drop in the market value of rare items.
The Matr1x Fire economic system is still in the testing phase and has not officially launched. The development team needs to carefully consider various factors to prevent the game from spiraling into a death cycle like Axie.
Matr1x Fire is expected to be officially launched soon. The marketing campaign for Matr1x is also ongoing. One highlight is that Matr1x plans to organize esports events around Matr1x Fire to expand its influence and attract more players from the Web2 world.
For the Web3 world, Matr1x Fire bears the expectation of breaking the monotonous situation of blockchain games being “boring and all about grinding for gold” and prioritizes playability. The attempt to break the boundaries has already begun, let’s see how it attracts a wider range of gamers.
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