Gunzilla Games, an independent and innovative video game company based in Frankfurt, Hesse, has recently pushed a new name into web3 gaming and it does well. Today we are taking a look at the more than popular “Off The Grid,” which is an extraction royale game similar to Apex Legends.
Gunzilla Games is a game development company whose core philosophy is to put players at the forefront of everything they do. Similar to the web3 conversion done by many gaming studios, they want to focus on creating games where gamers can fully immerse themselves, quite literally.
With headquarters in Germany, Ukraine, and Los Angeles and a large team that comprises approximately 130 members, some industry veterans with experience at major companies like Ubisoft, EA, and Blizzard have joined forces in the creation of OTG.
CEO and Co-founder Vlad Korolov, along with Chief Strategy Officer Alex Zoll and Chief Creative Officer Neill Blomkamp, known for directing “District 9,” and Lorne Balfe, a decorated musician with 172 composer credits across movies, TV, and games.
They also have many backers and enough funding to sustain operations long-term. A significant $30M funding round was co-led by CoinFund and Avalanche’s Blizzard Fund. Other venture capitalists include Delphi Ventures, which has a history of backing over 50 projects. Their blockchain (which we’ll discuss later) is validated by Delphi Ventures.
Gunzilla Games Announces $30M in Funding Co-Led by CoinFund and Avalanche
This review of Off The Grid (GUN) was created for informational purposes. This article is not intended for promotion.
If we look at the game that has been launched recently by Gunzilla, Off the Grid is eyed as a cyberpunk-themed third-person Battle Royale (150-player PvP) video game that is focused on being playable on different consoles, including PlayStation, XBOX and even mobile gaming.
As the game is already online, it will also feature a 60-hour narrative campaign and will be the first game with an on-chain footprint to be released on major platforms where most gamers are located.
With action-packed elements similar to those seen in Uncharted, PUBG and Apex Legends, OTG also uses AI with a sentient AI named Voyance that acts as a key player in the game.
The game will feature over 260 unique weapon combinations at launch within the game’s marketplace which brings us to the following topic, the incorporation of crypto elements into the game, more specifically NFTs.
Off The Grid integrates blockchain and uses non-fungible tokens to provide a player-driven in-game economy and complete asset ownership.
Players earn tokens (GUN Tokens) and can use these for transactions or trade within the game. The economic model is built around extracting and securing hexes, which are essentially loot boxes containing various items, and successfully defending them to gain access to the items as NFTs.
These hexes range from common to legendary in rarity and contain different types of gear and accessories crucial for enhancing player loadouts.
Every item that players extract and secure within the game is an NFT on the backend. This integration means that the skins, weapons, attachments, and even character customization features obtained through these loot boxes are blockchain-based assets.
The game is upfront about its use of NFTs, but there is concern about future plans to possibly make the in-game currency available on cryptocurrency exchanges. This could lead to a situation where players can outright buy powerful items and attachments, creating an unbalanced playing field skewed towards those willing to spend more money.
Also, through the use of a token called GUN token, this was an aspect that was not prominently disclosed in its marketing materials, leading to accusations that the company tried to downplay or hide its crypto elements.
Supporters contend Off The Grid aims to appeal to multiple audiences – both as an entertaining game world and as a crypto-powered economic platform. However, the heavy emphasis on crypto-based monetization and the potential for financial speculation has led some to characterize it primarily as a money-making venture rather than an innovative gaming experience. How this will end, we will definitely see soon.
GUNZ is the blockchain-based digital economy platform that lets in-game items be tradable as NFTs on an on-chain marketplace. It went live as an Avalanche Subnet and also offers verifiable transparency for gamers and developers, with its SDK and white-label components that other game developers can use to create their own gaming projects.
The GUN token is being used on the GUNZ blockchain and offers a way that allows players to earn tokens through specific game actions. For example, eliminating five enemies with a grenade could earn a player 0.5 GUN tokens.
Furthermore, the presence of the GUNZ Wallet app, which facilitates the management of in-game NFTs and GUN tokens, confirms the game’s deep integration with cryptocurrency elements.
Although precise details about the tokenomics and utility of the Gun token were not discussed, it is anticipated that the token will be integral to transactions within the game, such as purchasing items, upgrading equipment, or perhaps influencing game development and player interactions.
The token has not launched and cannot be traded, but it can be earned on the platform and exchanged for weapons in-game.
The speculation revolves around whether items, specifically guns on the testnet, will be transferred to the mainnet, which could resemble an airdrop. As it stands, this transfer is speculative, but it points to a broader strategy of accumulating valuable in-game assets that might translate into real-world value.
During this speculative time, players are advised to engage actively with the game’s ecosystem to accumulate potentially valuable items. Players can:
Getting started with Off the Grid is straightforward. Players need to register an account, which involves setting up a digital wallet on the game’s testnet to manage in-game transactions and earnings.
Available on the Epic store and PS5, and XBOX the game’s Early Access phase allows players to experience the future of Battle Royale gaming firsthand.
For more details and to participate, visit the Early Access page at OFF THE GRID Early Access.
Updates about the GUN token listing will be announced on GUNZ’s official Discord and through their newsletter subscriptions.
If “Play Off the Grid” or any similar high-caliber game achieves mainstream success, it could trigger a massive surge in the crypto gaming market, similar to what was observed with Axie Infinity. Axie Infinity’s success led to a market valuation of $44 billion, inspiring confidence and investment in other gaming projects.
“Off the Grid” stands out due to its development on the Unreal Engine 5, promising high-quality graphics and an immersive gaming experience. The game is being developed on the AVAX blockchain, known for its robust support for Web3 games.
Gunzilla Games has raised $46 million with the ambition to redefine the battle royale genre. A substantial investment to say the least, however, the current state of the game as shown has raised many eyebrows and has led to skepticism about where all the talent and money are being directed.
From a gameplay perspective, Off The Grid shows tremendous potential to advance the battle royale formula through meaningful innovations. With the first launch on the most popular gaming consoles, we hope to see GameFi take off for the general public.
Disclaimer: Trading and investing in cryptocurrencies (also called digital or virtual currencies, altcoins) involves a substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for every investor. You are solely responsible for the risk and financial resources you use to trade crypto. The content on this website is primarily for informational purposes and does not constitute financial advice.
Start learning about crypto at YourCryptoLibrary
