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Author: 0xAkina
Gm onchain gamers!
WASD is back from a smol ETH Denver (And Primodium induced) break to keep exploring the onchain gaming ecosystem with you all!
In the past, we’ve taken a look at various L1s and L2s with growing onchain gaming communities like Optimism, Arbitrum, Base, Starknet, and Solana.
Today, we’re going to take a look at another one that launched just last week: Blast.
Blast is an Ethereum L2 developed by the same team behind Blur.
https://x.com/Blast_L2/status/1726747087906464024?s=20
The network is unique in that it offers yield on ETH and stablecoins through rebases by depositing its underlying funds into Lido and RWA protocols.
This yield, combined with a highly effective points and airdrop campaign, has helped Blast attract more than $2.78 billion in TVL and a litany of developers.
(The implementation of these tactics also generated plenty of controversy, but that debate is beyond the scope of this piece.)
While many are building DeFi projects, the network is also beginning to foster an onchain gaming ecosystem.
This begs the question…
…Can Blast becoming a leading venue for onchain games?
Let’s take a look at the some of the actual titles building on the L2 to find out!
Doomsday is a survival game.
Set centuries in the future, in Doomsday, you’ll compete against others to establish stations across the Omega Galaxy and emerge as the last player standing.
Doomsday runs over rounds which have two phases:
The “Expansion,” where players pay ETH to mine (i.e., create) settlements represented by NFTs.
The “Wasting” where these stations are randomly eliminated until a final one remains.
The last player standing at the end of the Wasting phase will earn all the ETH spent on minting and upgrading settlements.
Doomsday has held 4 rounds since 2023, with the most recent, “Survival of the Blasts,” coinciding with the launch of the L2.
Overall, I think Doomsday is pretty cool.
I like having the opportunity to earn some ETH, and the mining process is a fun, interesting way to onboard players into the game.
I’m also a big fan of the lore, which is far more fleshed out and interesting than that of many other onchain titles.
With all that said, there is a high barrier to entry to playing Doomsday.
As of writing, a minimum of ~$100 was needed to get a settlement.
In addition, Doomsday is not a game you can play for hours upon hours, which may lessen its appeal for those who want an all-encompassing experience.
Cambria: Duel Arena is an MMORPG.
Part of the broader Cambria ecosystem, in Duel Arena players battle in 1v1, Runescape-esque duels.
These duels utilize a stake-to-play mechanism where you can wager ETH or other tokens, with the winner taking home these assets.
In addition, players can earn EP (Essence Points) for the upcoming Cambria airdrop by playing and staking ETH.
We covered Duel Arena in our guide to the Base ecosystem, but much has changed since it was announced that the game would be deployed on Blast.
For starters, the team shipped Excaliber, a new mechanism in which players can earn a jackpot from accumulated fee revenue based on the amount of ETH they stake.
There have also been several new gameplay updates, including:
The ability to trade in-game items for ETH directly with other players
Spectator bets where anyone can bet on a brawl
Improved onboarded via an embedded wallet and Web2 platforms like Google and Discord
Whether on Blast or Base, Duel Arena is as fun as ever.
It’s a well-designed degen game that’s now deployed on a degen chain.
I’m a big fan of the new additions, the improved UX, and (of course) the opportunity to win some ETH.
War3 is an MMO wargame created by Boffee.
Currently in development, in War3 you’ll battle against other players for control over territory in an open world.
The game will utilize a token WAR3, though the exact way it will be implemented is still unclear.
However, we do know that the token (along with Blast incentives) will be distributed 100% to the community via airdrops.
(Including onchain gaming Guilds like WASD!)
Although we don’t have much information on the specifics of War3’s gameplay, I’m nonetheless eager to try it out when it launches (It’s set sometime later this month).
There are many other interesting Blast-based projects that I’ll be watching over the coming weeks.
These include:
Blast’s onchain gaming is not as robust as Redstone, Base, or Starknet.
However, it still has a lot of potential.
The L2’s incentive mechanisms, such as native yield and airdrop campaigns, have worked, helping it garner significant liquidity and developer interest.
The chain is filled with interesting degen projects across sectors – And between Doomsday, Degen Arena, and War3, that’s certainly true of its games.
Yes, two of these titles have migrated from other networks, and War3 is not yet live.
However, should they and others be successful, I can see a world in which Blast carves out a niche as a venue for more heavily financialized onchain games.
It’s still very early days.
But I would not fade Blast.
Disclaimer: WASD is one of the guilds receiving the WAR3 airdrop.
Fire Eyes is a leading organization for onchain governance.
They are active players and contributors to onchain games, and care deeply about furthering the development of the Ethereum and DAO ecosystems.
Fire Eyes is a great outlet for any team looking for in-depth feedback on community sentiment and token design.
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