Solana NFT Game Star Atlas Launches Playable Demo on Epic Games Store
In brief
- Upcoming Solana-based game Star Atlas just released a playable demo via the Epic Games Store for NFT owners.
- Developer ATMTA also released a toolkit that lets other studios connect Unreal Engine 5-based games to the Solana blockchain.
Star Atlas is arguably one of the most ambitious NFT-driven games on the horizon, although it could be years before the Solana-based outer space strategy game fully takes shape. Eager players won’t have to wait that long to get a small taste, however: a limited demo has just been released via the Epic Games Store.
Launched today as part of a live-streamed event, Star Atlas: Showroom is a pre-alpha demo of the Unreal Engine 5 technology powering the game. It lets Star Atlas NFT owners explore a 3D environment and view the ships and vehicles in which they’ve invested.
Star Atlas is currently only offering access to people who own the NFTs: they can earn an access key by owning a ship and joining one of Star Atlas’ in-game factions. Michael Wagner, CEO and co-founder of Star Atlas developer ATMTA, told Decrypt that the demo also features a single non-NFT ship to explore, and that some access codes will be given to select non-owners.
A screenshot from the Star Atlas: Showroom demo. Image: ATMTA
Later this year, the Showroom demo will be expanded to include additional features, including multiplayer capabilities, chat functionality, and the ability for NFT holders to take their ships out for a flight. An NFT is a blockchain token that represents ownership of a unique item—in this case, digital spaceships and other vehicles that can be used in a video game.
In addition to launching its own first playable taste of Star Atlas, the developer also today released a toolkit to make it easier for other developers to bring their own Unreal Engine 5-based games to the Solana blockchain.
A screenshot from the Star Atlas: Showroom demo. Image: ATMTA
The Foundation Software Development Kit (F-KIT) is an open-source SDK that lets Unreal Engine 5 developers integrate the Solana blockchain, letting users sign transactions to complete in-game actions.
Unreal Engine hails from Fortnite creator Epic Games, and is widely used across the video game industry, as well as for TV shows and movies.
Releasing the F-KIT as an open-source tool means that “mainstream studios,” as Wagner put it, “now have a faster path” to creating games on Solana. He said that other builders could also take the kit and extend it to other networks, such as Ethereum. For his team, however, it’s also a way to encourage others to “build experiences that extend the Star Atlas universe.”
Star Atlas made a number of other announcements today, including updates to its governance structure via a DAO and path to full decentralization of the game’s economy and ecosystem, as well as an upcoming digital graphic novel that establishes the lore for the sci-fi game.
Wagner explained that ATMTA is developing two different clients for Star Atlas: the glossier Unreal Engine 5 version that the firm only plans to release via the Epic Games Store—although not in a formal exclusivity deal, an Epic Games spokesperson told Decrypt—and a simpler web-based WebGL version.
All of the game functionality will be available through both versions, but the Epic Games Store version will require a gaming-capable PC to run.
The Epic Games Store is a popular platform for PC games, with over 194 million users claimed as of the end of 2021. And unlike its chief rival, Steam, the Epic Games Store is OK with games that utilize NFTs and blockchains, so long as they follow the platform’s regulations.
Just recently, Mythical Games launched the first NFT-based game on the platform: Blankos Block Party, a color online playground that the studio claims had more than 1 million total users before it hit the Epic Games Store. Another NFT-based game, Gala Games’ shooter GRIT, is also set to release via the same marketplace.
The Star Atlas: Showroom demo is just a light taste of the future, complete game experience, which sounds like a much more robust affair than your average crypto game today. Major games take time to develop—and in this case, Wagner envisions another five or six years of development on Star Atlas.
But the Showroom launch suggests the kind of incremental release schedule that ATMTA has in mind, Wagner said. The Showroom itself will gain more features by year’s end, and then by the end of 2023, the team plans to release a complete “vertical slice” of the game—that is, a fully functional (but limited) chunk of gameplay that shows what the full game should be like.
“We still have a long road ahead,” he said. “But the idea is to continuously release these iterative features so that you’re constantly getting more engagement.”
Editor’s note: This article was updated after publication to clarify that Star Atlas does not have an exclusive deal in place with the Epic Games Store.
Stay on top of crypto news, get daily updates in your inbox.
Your Email
Solana’s Prodigy NFT Game Star Atlas Drops Playable Demo. Can Moshnake Keep Up?
The GameFi sector of crypto has been rapidly taking over the traditional gaming industry since the rise of Axie Infinity in 2021.
This unique gaming model attracts players by allowing them to earn passive income while having fun with their favourite games. GameFi represents what is known as Play-to-Earn (P2E) blockchain games that provide economic incentives to players through utilising cryptocurrencies (NFTs) and blockchain technology to create a next-generation virtual gaming experience.
In doing so, gamers can earn in-game rewards by completing missions, fighting other players and advancing through the different game levels. As part of this process, they can also convert their in-game assets into fiat money on various crypto exchanges and NFT marketplaces. Although each GameFi project adopts its own mode of playing and the in-game economy, one feature remains untouched across all blockchain games: in-game items can be exchanged for fiat money and thus provide players with a source of income. Today’s editorial will consider the first-ever AAA* blockchain game Star Atlas and an up-and-coming Moshnake classic nostalgia.
Let’s dig in.
Solana Is The New Superstar Gaming Blockchain
Although quite a few crypto games, most notably Axie Infinity, have used the Ethereum blockchain to build their in-game economy, recently, a new trend began to occur. Star Atlas, the most anticipated blockchain game, instead of siding with Ethereum, went for its alleged killer, also known as Solana blockchain. One of the reasons the crypto flock can’t get enough of this game is because it is not just a simple outer space strategy but a completely immersive experience, similar to No Man’s Sky, a hit game on PlayStation, but with the ability to earn money.
One has to understand that this is a massive improvement for crypto gaming, as before, most of the blockchain features were quite simplistic in their gaming capacity. Even Axie Infinity felt limited in terms of world-building, but this is not the case for the Star Atlas. However, this game is unique not only because of its next-level graphics, exciting plot and gaming opportunities but rather because of the blockchain it utilises.
Solana is well known to be one of the fastest blockchains on the market, which also has meagre transaction fees and is super sustainable. Needless to say, to process one block, the Solana blockchain uses less energy than a single google search! This is why many believe Solana could become the foundation for crypto gaming to flourish on a large scale because of its low carbon footprint. And while it will take a couple of years for Star Atlas to be fully completed, right now, you can try playing the demo version, which we very much urge you to do.
Moshnake: Nostalgia Game That Has It All
Unlike Star Atlas, Moshnake follows a different trajectory by capitalising on different strengths. Namely, just like the classic Nokia version, this game is super accessible and requires very little from the players to enjoy. Centred around the idea of battle royale, players compete against one another by rising in the ranks through various tournaments.
In order to enter the game, players must do two things: purchase an NFT through an MSH token, essentially an avatar for your snake, and a VEN token, which you have to deposit before entering the arena.
