As Ethereum continues to fall further below US$200, headlines worldwide unanimously call for a death to Ethereum. Whether or not that is truly the case is very much up for discussion. However, in the niche of blockchain gaming, Ethereum is dying, as huge costs and inhibitions are driving game developers to alternative networks. Here are the top 5 blockchain games you’ll find somewhere other than Ethereum.
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5. KittyCash (SkyCoin)
Like everything surrounding the Skycoin ecosystem, KittyCash is a bit of a head scratcher. At the surface level, the game appears poised to be somewhat of a CryptoKitties knockoff, but a deeper dive suggests there have been several months of fruitful development. Upon launch, players will, similarly to original kitty game, collect and trade virtual cats. However, KittyCash also plans to offers leveling and care systems for each player to interact with and nurture their virtual pet, kind of like Tamagotchi on the blockchain. Currently, players who join the Telegram and interact with the devs can reserve a free kitty. The game also plans to pioneer the Obelisk feature, which grants every node on the network their own blockchain.
4. Rare Pepe Party (Bitcoin)
Rare Pepe Party is the PEPECASH-based trading card game that always seems to be just around the corner. When the game is released, players build decks out of cards minted with PEPECASH via the Counterparty (XCP) protocol upon the Bitcoin blockchain, where they can compete against one another or in a single player story mode in a Hearthstone-like card game. The game will feature booster packs, which will include a number of Rare Pepe assets that are only to be circulated via the game itself. There are currently plans to incorporate Lightning Network functionalities, too.
If Rare Pepe Party releases, it will be one of the greatest blockchain games ever seen. Rare Pepe enthusiasts, who have been waiting for over a year, remain hopeful to this day. Developers still appear to be active, so fingers crossed for RPP.
3. Huntercoin
Huntercoin is the true grandfather of blockchain gaming. The blockchain-based MMO is also the longest-running blockchain game in existence, with over four years of continuous activity. In Huntercoin, players organize into teams and compete across the terrain to collect coins (HUC) as they continuously generate with each block. Huntercoin represents the first and only existing Human Mining blockchain game- the block rewards themselves are primarily distributed as earnings to players. Even to this day, players are competing to earn hundreds and sometimes thousands worth of HUC every single day.
2. Steem Monsters (Steem)
Steem Monsters is the first blockchain game to pick up steam (excuse my pun) on the Steem network. It is a collectible card game with mechanics that seem to draw inspiration from Magic: the Gathering. The game is currently in a crowdfunding phase, where supporters can purchase card backs to be used in the gameplay as it is released.
What makes the game so enticing, more than the gameplay itself, is its nature as a Steem-incubated project. The Steem blockchain is unique in its autonomous funding protocols: content is incentivized and continues to grow due to the networks ability to generate coins to fund its content creators and participants at sustainable rates. The fact that this blogging platform has now spawned a blockchain game is phenomenal. The nature of Steem also means high scalability and no transaction fees for Steem Monsters, a huge accomplishment not seen through Ethereum and most other blockchains.
1. Treat Fighter (XAYA)
Treat Fighter is the pioneer game behind the XAYA network, a custom blockchain dedicated to gaming. From TrickyFast Studios, Treat Fighter is a collectible strategy game, where players craft (or bake, if you will) candy armies to complete expeditions and compete in tournaments against other players. XAYA is an evolution of the pioneer Huntercoin experiment, and currently stands alone as the only third generation blockchain in the gaming niche to provide fast, free, and infinitely scalable blockchain gaming.
As part of the XAYA ecosystem, players can expect they’ll later be able to transfer their virtual assets and achievements from Treat Fighter to other environments on the network. The game is currently in late beta, and is set to launch on October 1st. As XAYA is still undergoing its public sale on Liquid, this launch signifies great progress for the platform.
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