Web3 gaming gains competitive advantage as Maniac Panda Games joins Cointelegraph Accelerator

As the Web3 gaming landscape expands day by day, regular players who like to play popular games like PUBG, Fortnite or Apex Legends are starting to take notice. However, there is still a technical barrier before Web3 gaming can reach a wider audience. Players need gameplay elements they are familiar with to warm up to blockchain games that usually come with technical jargon like play-to-earn (P2E), nonfungible tokens (NFTs), or crypto wallets.

The gaming world is no stranger to blockbuster titles that initially began as an adaptation of literary work. From The Witcher series to the first Bioshock (which was inspired by Ayn Rand’s dystopian classic Atlas Shrugged), using books as a world-building reference is a tried and tested method for game developers. An upcoming Web3 game applies the same formula, building a virtual world around a fantasy saga to create the familiar feeling of “becoming someone else in an alternate world” for players.

Inspired by the imaginative Outer Ring saga of novels of the same name, written by Daniel Valdés-Araiz, CEO of the company, Outer Ring MMO is set in a universe full of lore with five species divided into four different factions, all fighting for control and resources. The game is an online multiplayer role-playing game (MMORPG) with extensive gameplay that combines multiple components including PvP, PvE, housing, and crafting in a massive sci-fi themed metaverse.

Using the third-person perspective, players can compete against each other, interact with brands and in-game businesses in real-time, socialize, and monetize time spent in-game. Known for their Valorant exploits, major esports club Team Heretics announced that they will be joining the Outer Ring MMO PvP experience.

A defining feature of Web3 gaming is its user-centric economy, where players can own, trade and monetize gaming-related assets. Because blockchain technology enables the creation of an economic infrastructure in Web3 games, native tokens or NFTs created on the same network can act as both an in-game asset and a crypto asset that can be traded on different marketplaces. Similarly, the player-driven economy in Outer Ring MMO allows users to generate in-game assets and items and then convert them into NFTs. Through this process, players who own objects can generate value by selling them.

Introducing a Scavengon, one of the 5 playable races in the game. Source: Outer ring

In terms of tokenomics, Outer Ring MMO is built as part of the developers’ Galactic Quadrant (GQ) ecosystem. It would use the same GQ token as the board currency, while Exocredits (EXO) will act as the in-game currency. Other games launching within the same ecosystem that are playable early on include racing game RacerLoop, trading card game Underground Waifus, and gambling title CryptoDuels.

Developers at Maniac Panda Games, the gaming arm of Nexxyo Labs – a 300-employee Spanish studio considered one of the largest Web3-native video game studios in Europe – aim to seamlessly connect Web2 and Web3 gaming. The studio aims to bring Web3 gaming to the masses through their flagship AAA tier game, developed by former talent at Rockstar Games (the studio after Grand Theft Auto), Ubisoft and Electronic Arts. Cointelegraph Accelerator selected Maniac Panda Games as a participant in the program with the aim of boosting adoption in Web3 gaming space.

Launched in 2023, the Cointelegraph Accelerator program aims to help emerging Web3 enterprises reach a wider audience and act as a catalyst to help them reach their Web3 potential. By becoming part of the program, Maniac Panda Games will tap into Cointelegraph’s global audience and its established leadership in the crypto and blockchain media landscape since 2013.

Aside from Cointelegraph Accelerator, Outer Ring MMO has seen interest from organizations across a wide range of industries, including Baskonia-Alavés basketball club, movie theater chain Kinépolis, and decentralized finance app DexTools. All of them have made deals to tap into Web3 by the hand of Outer Ring and have their respective functional presence and in-game integrations to interact with users and players. Following the closed pre-alpha release of Outer Ring MMO, scheduled for June 28, 2023 for PC and Mac operating systems, the team will continue to develop the game’s player-driven economy and expand the overall GQ ecosystem with more strategic partnerships.