Epic Games, well known for the blockbuster title 'Fortnite,' has released its first NFT game on the platform, dubbed 'Blankos Block Party,' powered by Mythical Games. Blankos Block Party was released as an open beta around two years ago by Mythical Games, and it has since claimed that over one million players have engaged with the title. The game includes a series of collectible digital vinyl toys known as 'Blankos.' Blankos are non-fungible tokens that may be bought, improved, appraised, and sold inside the game environment.
While Blankos Block Party is a blockchain game with NFTs representing avatar designs and accessories that can be purchased and sold on the game's marketplace, Mythical Games is focusing on the game's enjoyment element and ownership economics.
"We're not pounding the table and proclaiming that this is a Web3 game and that it's on the blockchain. That distinguishes us. You don't need to know what a wallet is. You don't need to understand cryptocurrencies to play it," Mythical Games CEO John Linden told VentureBeat.
The news comes only days after Gala Games revealed that its Western-themed shooter Grit would be the first Web3 game to be released on the platform; yet, as of this writing, the title is still unavailable in the Epic Games store.
According to a DappRadar analysis published in April, blockchain gaming activity increased 2,000% year on year in the first quarter. However, when it comes to mainstream acceptance, it still confronts obstacles.
Part of this is due to storefronts' unwillingness to host Web3 games. While Epic CEO Tim Sweeney has stated that he is open to Web3 gaming, competitor Valve prohibited blockchain-based games from its distribution platform Steam last year.
