For the upcoming blockchain-based peer-to-peer racing game Torque Drift 2, Epic Gaming has just provided support to the independent games division.
Epic Games has provided funding to Australian independent game developer Grease Monkey Games, a division of Animoca Brands, to create the new blockchain-based racing game Torque Drift 2.
The Epic MegaGrant will be used to build the motorsport game, which is based on drifting, according to the Fortnite creators. Epic Games created the 3D computer graphics game engine known as the Unreal Engine, which has now been applied to a variety of fields since it debuted in the 1998 video game Unreal.
The Epic MegaGrant, which can range from $5,000 to as much as $500,000, will be used to create a realistic gaming experience that is comparable to other triple-A games that also use the Unreal Engine, according to a statement made by Animoca Brands on August 18.
Grease Monkey Games is creating a play-to-earn (P2E) game, thus the Epic Games funding is significant as a sign of support from the conventional gaming industry, which has frequently opposed blockchain gaming.
The full release of Torque Drift 2 is scheduled for 2024, and gamers will have access to a tuning garage starting in Q3 of 2022. Players can customize their automobile and profile by using nonfungible token (NFT) parts, vehicles, decals, and other goods in the game.
In Torque Drift 2, players will also be able to design their own paint job and car tune NFTs, which can then be shared and sold.
With over 45 million downloads worldwide, Grease Monkey Games is a traditional game publisher that has been releasing original IP games since 2014. They were bought by Animoca Brands in February 2022, and Animoca will help them make the switch to blockchain gaming.
Blockchain-verifiable NFTs are viewed as a mechanism to provide players digital ownership over in-game stuff, in contrast to traditional games where players typically buy in-game items with real money but are subsequently prohibited from withdrawing that money again. As a result, it makes it possible for players to sell their stuff once they’ve finished playing or wish to trade them in for new ones.
P2E models are those in which players receive economic value in exchange for their participation in the ecosystem.
Many detractors of P2E games, including Udi Wertheimer, point out that these games are not as entertaining as traditional games and demand wallets and cryptocurrency purchases before gamers can begin playing.
Others have criticized the use of NFTs in games as a tool for speculative pricing that promotes profiteering over game playability, including Mojang Studios, the company that created Minecraft.
The Sandbox, Axie Infinity, and Phantom Galaxies are just a few of the blockchain-enabled games that Animoca Brands has invested in heavily. Digital property rights are strongly supported by Yat Sui, the co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands, who sees them as heralding a paradigm change toward a more decentralized society.
