In recent years, the fields of Metaverse, gaming, and NFTs have been at the forefront of innovation within the blockchain space. Recently, NEAR and its venture capital partners have allocated a substantial $100 million to support gaming and metaverse projects within its ecosystem. This injection of funds is set to propel the development of immersive digital experiences, enhancing engagement in the rapidly evolving landscape.
On November 15, NEAR unveiled Simple Nightshade, a sharding protocol designed to empower developers in effortlessly building decentralized applications (dApps) centered around gaming, metaverse, and NFTs. With high transaction speeds, robust security features, and user-friendly interfaces, Simple Nightshade is poised to attract creative developers looking to create unique gaming and metaverse experiences for millions of users. Below, we delve into some of the standout gaming and metaverse projects occupying the NEAR ecosystem.
Highlighted Gaming and Metaverse Projects on NEAR
1. TaoBao Maker Festival
The TaoBao Maker Festival, held from July 17 to 25, 2021, at the Shanghai National Convention and Exhibition Center, provided a platform for young Chinese artists to showcase and sell their artworks through an exhibition. NEAR Protocol collaborated with Web3Games to assist Huang Heshan, an acclaimed NFT artist, in building his collection on NEAR, promoting and selling his creations.
Heshan created the “Toorich City Series,” a special collection of NFTs on Paras representing digital real estate assets. Among the collection is the Bu Tu Garden Community, featuring a set of 10 luxurious villas designed for families. Heshan expressed his delight in working with NEAR Protocol and Web3Games, stating, “With NEAR’s support, I’m impressed by how users, even those without previous crypto experience, can easily mint an NFT and interact with the blockchain. If I were to release NFTs on legacy blockchain platforms, I would often have to pay hundreds of dollars for one NFT, but with NEAR – an eco-friendly blockchain – the cost is just $1.”
2. Reality Chain
Reality Chain is a multi-chain metaverse operating on the Octopus Network – NEAR’s appchain network. This platform leverages immersive features, allowing users to elevate their everyday activities and gaming experiences. Specifically, each player can utilize NFT avatars and interact with other NFT items, including walls, floors, and various in-game assets. Players can also communicate and message one another, enhancing the sense of reality. Additionally, gamers have the ability to stake the native REAL token to embark on entirely new metaverse adventures.
3. OP Games
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In the Web3 gaming sphere, OP Games aims to change how users buy, own, and trade in-game assets. Historically, gaming platforms have tended to monopolize by locking digital collections within their ecosystems, preventing users from exchanging items across different games. The cost of developing a game is monumental, with minimal involvement from gamers themselves. OP Games is tackling this issue by transforming its entire gaming portfolio into fractionalized NFTs, enabling players to own a portion of a game and co-own the project. By doing so, players can profit if a game succeeds, while also influencing gameplay dynamics through a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO).
Recently, the project has garnered over $8 million in investments, fueled by a desire to attract more gamers into the Web3 realm while supporting their innovative initiatives. With backing from NEAR Filecoin/Protocol Labs, OP Games plans to develop and build over 500 games on NEAR by the end of 2022.
4. Hash Rush/Vorto Network
Vorto Network serves as an online marketplace, allowing users to store assets and items within their game accounts, enabling them to buy and sell various other items. Hash Rush is a real-time strategy (RTS) game operating on Vorto Network, transporting players to the enchanting realm of Hermeian to build, battle, and trade commodities. The game incorporates a play-to-earn model, attracting many players and stimulating the digital economy. The research team aims for a public launch of the game in early 2022. In October, Vorto raised $4 million through a closed funding round, further boosting its developing ecosystem. To date, over 9,000 NFTs have been minted on this network, and Hash Rush has generated $100K in revenue.
5. Feiyu
Feiyu is a social networking platform built on NEAR, allowing users to showcase their creativity by sharing memes and GIFs, effectively creating an entirely new and engaging metaverse experience. With the feature of meme generation integrated within the app, anyone can create and share their products with the wider community outside the NFT marketplace. Users participating in this platform will receive incentives such as earning through native tokens or receiving in-game items as NFTs (costumes, weapons, etc.).
By constructing the app on NEAR, Feiyu is able to create a “non-crypto” experience for users, removing barriers such as requiring users to sign up for wallets or obtain tokens from centralized exchanges to cover gas fees. This is a smart move to attract more regular internet users into the blockchain sphere.
6. Paras
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Paras is an NFT marketplace built on NEAR, designed to promote the adoption of unique digital collectibles. It provides users with the opportunity to mint, buy, or sell authentic art trading cards rapidly and affordably. Recently, the research team launched Boom Boom! – the first mini digital comic series on NEAR. Paras is also on the verge of launching PARADIGM – its inaugural comic series, which will introduce new features. Within the last 30 days, Paras has facilitated over 30,000 transactions with a trading volume reaching $44,000, demonstrating a growing interest among users for unique collectibles on its platform.
7. Mintbase
Mintbase is an online platform and utility for NFTs, allowing users to mint and sell their NFTs in the form of art, music, and more, while also creating their custom markets. Users can also integrate virtual reality (VR) technology when minting NFTs. The platform offers NFT auctions, storefronts, and a lucrative royalty system, all facilitated with incredibly low transaction fees and NEAR’s capacity for rapid transactions with up to 100,000 transactions per second.
Mintbase has achieved several milestones: it has set up 544 NFT contracts, launched a store for NFTs named “Openbase,” and rolled out various new functionalities to make the project’s website more user-friendly.
8. Satori
Satori is an innovative NFT platform and marketplace specifically designed for renowned artists and musicians. By choosing NEAR as its development foundation, Satori aims to ignite the next “creative renaissance.” The project seeks to implement a unique business model where artists can confidently present their NFT artworks directly to consumers, eliminating intermediaries and allowing them to profit from their work.
Since its establishment, Satori has pursued what NFTs promised to build – a fair economy benefiting both creators and their audiences. The project plans to launch in January 2022, aiming to mint over 5 million NFTs in the first quarter and reach various top-tier artists and over 10 million audiences.
9. Metaverse AI
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Metaverse AI is in the process of developing an Open Metaverse on Web 3.0, featuring engaging applications like digital human creation tools, social metaverse experiences, and virtual celebrities. Thanks to NEAR, Metaverse AI’s advanced tools will enable users to create anonymous identities and high-fidelity 3D avatars, assisting them in owning, maintaining, and transferring their identities and valuable assets within the Metaverse.
The virtual celebrity development industry is predicted to be a billion-dollar market with broad applications across commerce, advertising, and more. Metaverse AI has partnered with NVIDIA to develop products around virtual celebrities that can generate significant revenue. The project’s development team has previously built VR/AR products at major companies like Facebook, Google, and Snapchat, receiving support from notable investors such as Kleiner Perkins, Animoca Brands, Draper, and Delta Blockchain Fund.
10. NEAR Lands
NEAR Lands is a multiplayer blockchain-based game set in a vibrant 2D world. Built on NEAR’s sharding protocol, developers are creating a pixelated land-based game that emphasizes community interaction. On NEAR Lands, players can create their characters and items, communicate with friends, and connect with other players in this online gaming universe. Players also have the freedom to explore different areas of the game as they wish, enriching their immersive experience.
In summary, NEAR’s aggressive investment strategy in the metaverse, gaming, and NFTs highlights its commitment to fostering innovation and community engagement within the blockchain ecosystem. By empowering creative developers and enabling users to explore unique digital experiences, NEAR is setting the stage for a groundbreaking future in interactive technology and decentralized finance.
