NFT
Gaming-focused Web3 startup and NFT marketplace fractal Fractal Studio, or FStudio, has announced a three-part product from the company says video game developers can more easily add crypto integrations to their titles without having to code.
FStudio gives developers the ability to “build,” “acquire,” and “monetize” their projects, according to a statement. Developers can convert in-game assets into NFTs enable credit card payments for in-game crypto items with FStudio and create their own in-game NFT stores.
“It’s been about 18 months since we started the company, and I feel like we’ve spent decades in crypto in that time,” Fractal co-founder Justin Kan, who previously co-founded the streaming platform Twitch. Decrypt in an interview.
FStudio users can also add their games to Fractal’s desktop game launcher for app-based games, which already includes about 150 titles. Meanwhile, browser-based games may appear on the Fractal web platform.
“Fractal is like an arcade,” Kan said. “We’re creating this space where all these games come in, and the players can try them out.”
Over time, Fractal has evolved from being known as a game oriented NFT marketplace on Solana and other networks to be both a Web3 game platform and launcher for users. Now with FStudio, it’s also dipping its toes into developer software.
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FStudio allows game developers to run their own tournaments with prize money, create events, run giveaways and give players rewards, and create a “crafting” mechanism that allows gamers to earn prizes.
“Asking players to become investors is not a winning strategy for most,” Fractal wrote in a blog post about its approach to Web3 gaming.
Instead, Fractal offers a Web2-friendly approach that the company says will appeal to mainstream gamers and game developers alike — building an organic gaming economy rather than one that attracts “flippers.”
Gaming to earn saw a sudden surge in popularity that peaked in 2021 with NFT games like Axie Infinity, but the model has yet to be accepted by the mainstream following the collapse of that game’s economy. Since then, many proponents of cryptogaming have advocated instead for games that offer optional crypto elements and put gameplay above all else.
“It has to go back to people having fun,” Kan said. “I think we kind of tried out the experiment where it was like, ‘Can we create an economy where everyone plays for money?’ And I don’t think that works in the long run, it’s not sustainable.”
“The games need to be fun experiences to compete with Web2 games,” he added.
