Crypto gaming company Immutable announced Wednesday that it will let players avoid transaction fees on its upcoming Immutable zkEVM network, thanks to a feature that will allow game developers to “sponsor” such gas fees for players.
Games that are built on Immutable zkEVM, a gaming-focused Ethereum scaling network announced in March, will be able to enable the feature. Such a move could make it more affordable for players to try new games, and potentially remove significant barriers to broader adoption of blockchain gaming.
“There are a number of standards in the blockchain space that mainstream players are simply not willing to accept:gas costs fall into that category,” Michael Powell, head of Immutable Product Marketing, said in a statement.
“To really appeal to all gamers, Web3 games must be able to provide players with a familiar and streamlined user experience, making the blockchain components as effortless and native as possible,” said Powell.
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Players using the upcoming Universal Gamer Profile System Immutable passport will be able to avoid gas costs for games sponsored by their developers. Immutable says it will self-sponsor gas costs for all games for a “limited time” when the zkEVM mainnet launches early next year.
To make their games gas-free, game studios can deposit money into a special smart contract wallet, so that Passport users’ fees are automatically paid without appearing in front of players. Immutable believes the costs to studios will be negligible compared to the benefits.
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Ultimately, Immutable zkEVM and Passport want to deduct gas fees from players and push for a monetization model in which studios treat gas costs as infrastructure costs. Company believes this will lead to smoother onboarding and higher transaction conversion rates.
Currently, more than 200 games have committed to building within Immutable’s broader ecosystem, with titles such as Shardbound, MetalCore and Space Nation launching on the Immutable zkEVM network.