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Long-time video game creator Atari is teaming up with Hong Kong-based Animoca Brands to create blockchain versions of popular games RollerCoaster Tycoon Touch and Goon Squad.

The new versions are set for launch sometime after June 2019. They will utilize non-fungible tokens (NFTs) backed by blockchain technology to ensure that tokens are unique and cannot be copied.

RollerCoaster Tycoon Touch simulates theme park management and has over 19 million downloads worldwide. It’s a spinoff of RollerCoaster Tycoon which was developed in 1999 and features sequels that span multiple platforms, such as PC, mobile apps and consoles.

Goon Squad is a card-based fighting game available on iOS and Android systems where users battle mobsters to create a criminal empire.

Yat Siu, the co-founder and chairman of Animoca Brands, who started his career working with Atari and using Atari computers, says the big games are perfect for blockchain.

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“The RollerCoaster Tycoon franchise is, like many of Atari’s properties, a true evergreen, having been around for two decades. Given the strategic and commercial elements of this incredibly fun simulation, it is a perfect candidate for blockchain adaptation.”

As blockchain penetrates more infrastructure, from gaming to logistics to payment rails to cryptocurrency exchanges, it verifies how the technology can operate under the hood, optimizing networks and platforms, without consumers or users necessarily being aware. It’s that seamless integration that can lead to mass adoption.

Speaking to Forbes, Andrew Colosimo of blockchain gaming platform Xaya says,

“I think gaming definitely has the potential for being a catalyst for bringing more of the masses to blockchain. Gamers, particularly PC gamers, are normally somewhat technical and typically enthusiasts who like new technology, and blockchain does need that bit of expertise at the moment. From our point of view – we know there is going to be a market for blockchain gaming but it needs to be approached carefully.”

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