Originally posted 11MAY2023 on Medium.com by @real.busstechno

Full disclosure: I’m a bit of a gaming nerd; not the kind that wears neon spandex suits to conventions, mind you. I just enjoy indulging in a quality game with a compelling storyline and top-notch graphics. Something to get lost in. I also recently acquired an Anbernic, so have been playing throwback games like the Legend of Zelda series.

In fact, it was gaming that brought me back into the crypto scene in early 2021. (I had taken a hiatus following the 2017–18 bull run, after taking a break from 2013–2014, after taking a break from mining BTC in 2009. Whew!) Specifically, I stumbled upon a crappy click-mining game on the WAX Blockchain called Alien Worlds. It was a grind, but somewhat rewarding. The game paid out NFTs that allowed me to upgrade my account and, in turn, ‘mine’ more and better NFTs. The game loop consisted of mining, receiving NFTs, using them to upgrade my account attributes, or selling them on the marketplace for crypto. Although the game wasn’t exactly thrilling, it clicked (pun intended) with me and showed the potential that gamification could have on blockchain and vice-versa.

Fast forward a few years and I have been fortunate to immerse myself in hundreds of Web3 projects, participate on research teams, and write dozens of articles over crypto & blockchain gaming for Web3 communities. Here is 50 or so outdated public articles before I started solely writing for closed groups [shameless resume plug].

From that first mouse click on a Web3 game, I have enjoyed searching for gems that could be THE breakout game that pulls in the wider non-crypto gamers. One such upcoming project with the potential to amass the masses is Overworld Play.

Overworld Play is an upcoming cross-platform (Console, PC, Apple, Android) free-to-play MMORPG sandbox that strives to focus on social gaming experiences using community driven/user generated content to create collective storytelling experiences. It will encompass isometric gameplay with anime inspired graphics, customizable characters, land governance and customizability, an in-game blockchain based economy, and PvE & PvP play options.

response mostly from ChatGPT:

An MMORPG sandbox is a type of massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that offers players a large, open world to explore and interact with, often without strict objectives or goals. This allows players to engage in free-form gameplay, creating their own stories and adventures through player-driven interactions and events. In essence, it is a virtual sandbox where players have the freedom to create and shape their own experiences.

More like* Eve Online, Star Wars Galaxies, or Dark Age of Camelot *-if you’ve never heard of these titles before, have you ever gamed bruh? Roblox is an online gaming platform that allows user-created games across different genres.

No, Xterio, a separate (yet deeply interrelated) entity the Overworld CEO co-founded, is a platform and VC funded. Overworld is a studio whereas Overworld Play will be the first game from Overworld… a bit confusing but more on that later.

*source: *fortyseven communications via businesswire

Jeremy Horn: CEO & Founder. He is also the Co-founder/COO of Xterio. Concurrently, he is the VP & Head of Innovation at FunPlus the mobile game developer/publisher known for King of Avalon, Guns of Glory, and* State of Survival*. He also has over 12 years of experience in the gaming industry as VP Business & Strategy of Jam City, General Manager of TinyCo, and as a producer at Gameloft and Ubisoft, assisting production of top-grossing mobile titles Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Marvel’s Avengers Academy, Family Guy: Quest for Stuff, Star Wars: Smuggler, and more.

John Harris: Undisclosed Staff position. Vice President- Tech, Innovation for Xterio. Previous: Co-founder — DNArt Inc, CTO — Plus3Network.com, Founder & CTO — Red Robot Labs

James Hall: Creative Director. Previous work includes Creative Director — PUBG:BG, Concept Development — DOTA 2, Lead Concept Development/Lead UI/UX Designer/Animator/FX Artist — Monster Kingdom 2, Concept Development/UI/UX Designer — Ice Age Village

Michael Maurino: Undisclosed Staff Position. Concept Artist. Lead Concept Artist — Hidden Leaf Games. Previously: Counterplay Games, Incredible Dream Studios, Proletariat Inc., Wavedash Games, Symbiotic Entertainment, Riot Games

sources: gamespress.com; funplus.com; pocketgamer.biz; LinkedIn; james-hall.me

The relationships between the entities mentioned in the above paragraph header are quite complex, to the point where mapping them out would require several rolls of yarn and a lot of patience. So here’s the rundown:

Xterio is the exclusive Web3 “partner” of FunPlus games. It is a F2P cross-platform game developer and publisher co-founded by Jeremy Horn and incorporated 11APR2022. It has not publicly disclosed its co-founders.

FunPlus put up extensive capital during Xterio’s $40M SAFT which closed Q3 2022. It is also where Jeremy Horn is still listed as working as the VP, Head of Innovation. Additionally FunPlus has committed use of its tech stacks and resources to support Xterio.

LibeccioTech Singapore is the operating/holding company of Xteriotech Singapore PTE. LTD. Together with Xterio, $2.5M was fronted as initial funding to create Overworld in early 2023.

Overworld is a game studio partnered with Xterio and will release its flagship game Overworld Play most likely in 2024–25. Its first major release under the Overworld brand will be the Incarna NFT tentatively scheduled for late Q2 or early Q3 2023. Additional ecosystem NFTs will become available roughly every 6 weeks following the Incarna mint.

XPLA is a Tendermint (Cosmos SDK) based L1 chain that focuses on blockchain gaming. Specifically they try to attract and transition Web2 games into Web3. XPLA was a SAFT investor in Xterio. Xterio and XPLA are strategic partners and Xterio games will utilize XPLA for Web3 wallet and digital asset integration.

Noteworthy Investors and Partners of Xterio include: FunPlus, Makers Fund, Animoca, Hashkey Capital, Kucoin, Huobi, Merit Circle, and many more.

There are intertwined relationships between the corporate structures, personnel, funding, and ownership of FunPlus, Xterio, Overworld, and XPLA. It appears that FunPlus is trying to somewhat obfuscate their involvement in Xterio and Overworld, likely due to their status as a Web2 gaming developer and publisher. There are still many traditional gamers who are skeptical of Web3 gaming, and FunPlus may not want to alienate their existing customer base. However, with minimal online investigation, the links between these companies are easily found.

From personal experience running high value businesses in the past, having multiple separate legal entities is perfectly normal. Separating assets separates liabilities and provides legal protection as well as possible tax benefits.

Also, you may be wondering why the companies are incorporated in Singapore. News flash, it’s nothing nefarious. Singapore has beneficial tax incentives for newly created businesses, a steady financial industry, favorable corporate governance laws, pro-business and open markets. Additionally, Singapore has a semi-positive approach to crypto and blockchain regulations, making it a popular destination for blockchain-based startups in the past.

As you can see from the samples in this article the artwork is very clean and professional. It will be easy to translate the NFT and concept art into a game and add complexity.

Since it hasn’t been publicly announced I am going to make the assumption that the conceptual artwork has been created by Michael Maurino based on the similarities to his Artstation samples. However, the official Overworld Twitter account has explicitly stated that Creative Director James Hall directs the overall artistic vision.

Native Token: Manacite $MNCT. Used for the in-game economy and will be tradeable on secondary markets. It is an ERC 1155 token and will be associated to the player’s Overworld dashboard.

NFTs:

1. Incarna: The Incarna NFT is the Genesis Overworld digital asset. Through staking it allows for accrual of Manacite, which is used to purchase coordinating assets such as a Domain, Workers, and additional undisclosed items.

2. Overworld Key: The Overworld Key is a limited (100–150) edition NFT that provides early supporter privileges such as a free airdrop for all future NFT drops including the Genesis Incarna, Whitelist to purchase additional Incarnas, bonus $MNCT, and extra TBA benefits.

3. Domains: This is the land within Overworld; it is extremely limited and scarce. Workers are used to upgrade and build upon the Domains. They are used for governance. Purchasable via Manacite.

4. Workers: AI-driven NPC companions. Purchasable via $MNCT.

5. Three more items are slated to be uncovered that are purchasable with Manacite, see below.

NPC Workers will adapt based on the player’s commands and priorities. They will have unique personalities and skills that govern their reactions to in-game situations. These Workers…uh… work even when you are offline allowing a casual gamer to continually improve upon their domains without being needy NPC attention-whores.

These AI-driven companions have different talents and require the player to equip the Workers with specific in-game items such as armor and weapons in order to reach their full potential. They are the player’s Domain villagers, shopkeepers, military force, and quest mercenaries. Additionally, if the player chooses they may rent their services out to other players or sell them on the secondary market.

The Workers will be available to purchase with the native $MNCT token available to Genesis Incarna NFT holders.

1. Overworld has a highly experienced doxxed Game development team.

2. CEO Jeremy Horn is active in the NFT and crypto space and appears open to feedback from the Overworld community and Discord.

3. They are introducing unique/underused game mechanics such as the AI always-on NPCs.

4. Art is professional and appealing.

5. Generally, I would consider the scope too large for a new venture but given that multiple games are being developed concurrently as well as releasing Age of Dino in 2023, I believe with their talent pool that Xterio/Overworld can pull this off. Especially with the support from FunPlus.

6. They are treating their company(ies) and IP in a professional manner which lends credibility, unlike many Web3 native companies.

7. Highly active and responsive Twitter account with over 40K followers.

1. Not many Art samples and no NFT sneak peeks have been shown.

2. The optics of corporate complexity and obfuscation by all of the entities involved is a little off-putting, but I understand the methods as well as the apprehension of possibly losing their core Web2 audience.

3. No gameplay.

4. Website is barebones.

5. It’s still being developed so game information is scarce.

It’s still early in the development cycle for Overworld and there are many things coming in the near future for the game. For one, an A-List Actor is contracted to do some voice-over work for the game trailer… My money is on either Patrick Stewart or possibly Orlando Bloom, since he did work with FunPlus on King of Avalon. They also have a marketing blitz coming in the next month or two.

Ultimately what really matters is if the game is enjoyable when it is released. Nice art, good marketing, recognizable voices- none of it matters if the game isn’t fun or intuitive to play.

Overworld Play could easily be a game that brings traditional gamers to Web3 if the vision they have is properly translated and clunky Web3 transactions are near transparent to the user. Nonetheless, I’m glad experienced game developers and publishers have been entering the blockchain space and I look forward to what Overworld and Xterio have in the pipeline.

Thanks for reading, if you like what you saw and want to see more please give me a follow and/or share this article on social media.

Disclosures:

1. I own a couple Overworld Key NFTs, which I purchased on secondary, that grant me early supporter privileges within the game ecosystem.

2. I used ChatGPT to proofread and edit portions of this article, however all context, wittiness, and bad jokes are my own.

3. As a researcher & writer I much prefer to go straight to the source to ask questions. I previously sent over some questions to the Overworld team to find out more about the game; unfortunately I didn’t get any answers prior to publishing this article. Everything in this article is based on OSINT gathering and my own opinions. If I receive a response I will either update this article or write another with the interview.

4. Nothing in this article should be construed as financial advice or a suggestion to purchase/not purchase anything. Please be responsible and conduct your own due diligence.

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