Of the many blockchain gaming projects on display at NFC Lisbon, Life Beyond stands out as one of the most notable. Developed by Life Beyond Studios and acquired by Animoca Brands in 2022, this game features a team made up of seasoned video game industry veterans. Their ambitious goal is to establish the “AAA” standard within the Web3 realm.
TL;DR:
- Life Beyond is a standout blockchain gaming project showcased at NFC Lisbon, developed by Life Beyond Studios and acquired by Animoca Brands in 2022.
- It offers a sci-fi adventure set in a spatial metaverse where players build a civilization on the remote planet of Dolos, fight threats and claim land.
- The ambitious goal is to evolve into a metaverse where players can socialize, transact and participate in various activities, with a dedicated community of 50,000 gamers actively participating in the game’s development.
Life Beyond, a spatial metaverse
Set in a science fiction universe, the game let the players go on an adventure to build a civilization on a new world. Humanity, having colonized Mars, begins to seek resources outside the solar system. After the discovery of a wormhole, humanity gains access to a remote planet called Dolos.
In this persistent world, players, known as Agents, fight an expanding and dangerous threat. As agents clear the land, they can claim it and build anything from houses to hospitals, bakeries to taverns.
Life Beyond’s ambition is to evolve into a metaverse, where players can socialize, transact, and engage in various activities. “I’ve been obsessed with the metaverse since 2014”says Life Beyond co-founder and CEO, Benjamin Charbit. “At the time I was working on Assassin’s Creed and was specifically dealing with the multiplayer aspect. Than I read Neal Stephenson’s first book, Reamde. And then I thought the future of social platforms is in combining social experiences with open world gaming.”
Looking back on his own experience as a gamer, he is certain that the social aspect alone cannot provide a gateway to a metaverse experience. “Playing is how we develop emotional bonds,” he explains. “Life Beyond is a social adventure. We are all coming together to settle on the planet Dolos.” Last year, 20,000 players went on a mission to explore the planet, but had to retreat after being attacked. They are now in a spaceship orbiting the planet.
What are the next steps?
As of today, Life Beyond has 50,000 playersS.”Our current community consists of 50,000 hardcore gamers who are excited about Web3.” Charbit explains. “They are here because they love gaming and what Web3 is all about. They actively participate in the development of the game and are stimulated not only by financial opportunities, but also by social recognition”.
According to Charbit, critics who focus on real metaverse and blockchain gaming projects seem rather unfair. For him, one had to accept that we are still in the early stages of something that will develop over many years. “In the traditional world, I would never have given Life Beyond access until the game was completely ready. It’s important to understand that we’re still early in the cycle and quality will come. We just open the door earlier than usual.”
For now, Charbit plans to keep building by involving the community. “We have started an exciting cycle where we release updates every month, covering different aspects such as storytelling and gameplay,” he says. “Currently we have a battle simulator where players can challenge each other, compete in competitions with prizes. This is an opportunity for us to collect maximum feedback and improve the game based on player experiences.”
Another development approach is to forge more connections between the virtual and physical worlds. Charbit, citing an upcoming announcement, emphasizes that onboarding reputable brands is a critical aspect of this process.
Ultimately, building links with other gaming and metaverse projects is also on the roadmap.