A number of individuals with over a century of combined experience in the gaming industry which worked at important developers such as Nintendo, Microsoft, and Electronic Arts have gathered to form 8 Circuit Studios, a video game publisher focused on using blockchain technology. 8 Circuit Studios aims to create a new ecosystem for gaming that enables gamers, developers, and publishers to collaborate and reap the benefits of their work.

By using the advantages of blockchains and cryptocurrency, 8 Circuit Studios believes that the Metaverse (a digital universe created by authors William Gibson and Neal Stephenson and presented in Ready Player One, TRON, and The Matrix) is just a step away from actually existing. In the Metaverse, users can travel to various virtual environments, keeping the illusion of reality during the course of their journey.

“At 8 Circuit Studios, we believe that games are portals to new worlds and experiences. By leveraging the power of blockchains and cryptocurrency, game developers finally have the last piece necessary to build a functional Metaverse. Step one is making blockchains easy and fun to use, while the second step is showing people they can actually own their digital stuff in a completely new way. With blockchains, players never have to ask for permission from an authority to give, trade or even sell their digital assets.” explained James Mayo, Navigator and President of 8 Circuit Studios.

8 Circuit Studios uses the Ethereum blockchain to create, distribute and secure digital assets (which are based on Smart Game Objects) that can be owned and store, along with digital currency in a wallet.

The development of Smart Game Objects will eliminate the walls between game worlds, while also proving a platform that will facilitate ease of access for gamers and developers alike. Players will have complete ownership of their Smart Game Objects, while game developers and publishers will be exposed to new means of developing even more engaging games.

To better show how Smart Game Objects work and the real-world appliances of Ethereum’s blockchain, two games are under development: Alien Arsenal: Battle for the Blockchain, which will be released in Spring 2018, and the self-aware A.I. dedicated D-PARC, in 2019.

Alien Arsenal: Battle for the Blockchain will be a mobile game for iOS and Android, being a co-op boss battling game where players work together with others to overthrow raiding bosses and win prizes and glory along the way.

Players can also collect and evolve a collection of aliens, which they can later trade, buy, sell and/or gift them with absolutely no restrictions on the Ethereum blockchain. Alien Arsenal was created to offer a fun and easy interaction with blockchains without needing to download wallets, plugins or require in-depth knowledge about the world of cryptocurrencies.

D-PARC is a deep space survival game made for consoles and Windows-operated PCs, which enables players to develop a character on the blockchain. D-PARC merges first-person shooter gameplay with intergalactic battles. Players occupy an A.I. that can either choose to save the last remains of the human race by sacrificing itself or choose to forge its own destiny in the galaxy.

With a team so experienced in gaming that recognizes the potential of blockchain, the new games which will be released will certainly impact the gaming industry.