Why Parallel?

Introduction

This article covers thoughts on Parallel and other CCG/TCG gaming franchises. Nothing contained in this article constitutes investment advice and the opinions expressed here are my own, and do not reflect the views of Parallel, or any other party. The intention of writing this is to crystallize thoughts as to why I believe Parallel will be a top global gaming franchise.

Thank you to my co-author/editor Notsofast for his valuable contributions.

First, let’s ask ourselves a question.

What is Parallel?

Parallel is a sci-fi gaming franchise powered by NFT technology. The first deliverable for the Parallel franchise is a CCG, which stands for collectible card game. This game consists of trading cards which are battled against an opponent, or multiple opponents depending on game style. The team has alluded to the fact that various team based modes of play will be available.

Five ‘parallel’ factions are available for play. Those factions are as follows:

Marcolian — Colonists of Mars, scientifically adept, originally referred to themselves quite literally as “Mars Colonists.” They sought to create the perfect civilization, devoid of their ancestors’ mistakes on Earth. Yet as their beautiful and ideal metropolis grew, so did their egos. The Marcolian are determined to further their position of scientific superiority by claiming Earth and the possibilities that the Priming has unlocked.

Shroud — They were once Earth’s finest. Sent into the depths of space, long before Earth’s collapse, aboard the New Dawn. A mission fuelled by optimism for humanity to start an additional chapter on Kepler-1649c. They were scientists, farmers, explorers, thinkers, artists, even warriors. Everything humanity would need to carve out a new home on a distant planet. That was their hope, but they were instead met with misfortune. An undetected singularity tore every molecule of the ship and its occupants apart as it drew them in. They did not reach their destination, but they did go where no human has ever fathomed. They are forever changed. They are the proxies of the black hole that birthed them.

Earthen — They are the survivors that were left behind after the great exodus. As such, they remained loyal to Earth. Evolution has connected them with all things natural, and since the Priming came to fruition, that connection grew exponentially stronger. As the other Parallels seek to control Earth, they will wield nature’s forces to maintain their long standing harmony. They are the conduits by which Earth shall defend itself.

Augencore — The Augencore opted to remain in space. Instead of colonizing land, they made their ship their permanent home. They skillfully mine resources to continually expand their base of operations to small planet proportions. To survive their brutal and demanding way of life, the Augencore embraced mechatronic and bionic technologies, modifying and augmenting themselves with great proficiency. They live by the belief that form follows function. Machines and humans, as one… and they want Earth down to its core.

Kathari — Colonists of Europa (Jupiter’s moon), were constrained to eat genetically modified mass produced foods which over time made them infertile. As such, they resorted to cloning as a means to continue life. Soon after, they embraced genetic manipulation as their salvation and sought to optimize the human genome. The Kathari are physically perfect, both in capability and aesthetic. They are as stunning to behold as they are stoic and synchronous. Although they choose a simple and delicate way of life, in great numbers they are formidable with intense precision. Yet even in their organized perfection, they crave the chaos of individuality, and yearn to know if Earth now holds the key for a natural — but purified — way to create life.

*Descriptions above come from the Parallel webpage.*

The backstory is that a cataclysm occurs on Earth around the need to create sustainable energy in the not so distant future. This cataclysm prompts those on earth to flee in four ships, with one group being left behind. This is where we get the five parallels, they are reflective of each of the directions the four ships went, and of the group left behind. Driven by time, distance, and hard choices these groups evolved to be distinct from each other biologically, and in terms of motivations. The story is fascinating and I recommend you read more about it here.

So taking a step back, we need to understand the CCG genre that Parallel intends to compete in, so that we can understand it’s chances at success. The likelihood of success for Parallel is driven by extrinsic factors; the competition and landscape in which they intend to play, and intrinsic factors, i.e. the decisions made by the Parallel team in the creation of their franchise and game. The final variable to consider in success outcomes is resources. All three will be covered in this piece.

CCG, a genre ripe for disruption?

Collectible card games are an exciting and lucrative genre with curiously few standouts. Major CCG franchises include games like Magic the Gathering, Hearthstone, Yu-gi-oh, and Pokemon. I say curiously few standouts because you can think of other gaming genres like RPG or FPS and probably name many more standout franchises, with significantly greater net popularity.

For example, Grand Theft Auto has had an estimated >140 million players, making this single game title more popular than both Hearthstone and Magic the Gathering combined. Super Mario series has sold 388 million copies, making it’s total sales volume greater than all CCG games combined. But more than the net popularity, because certain titles in the CCG genre are quite popular, the point is how few relative standouts there are compared to other genres.

We see growth and projected growth in the sector CCG overall, but lagging market penetration compared to another similar type of game, the board game. Board games are similarly analog, communal, and less immersive than other types of games.

Grandview Research notes that, “rising casino culture is expected to drive the adoption of playing cards to win cash. Card games also teach some valuable social skills such as verbal communication, group interaction, and improved personality development among others.” This generally describes the rising ‘play to earn’ phenomenon in gaming, and how that can drive growth in this sector. More on how Parallel will tap into that later.

All things considered we have to ask ourselves, why have so few CCGs titles gripped our collective hearts and minds compared to other game styles? We know the sector is important and is growing, so what gives?

I think one part of the answer is that CCGs have historically been less immersive and immediately engaging than first person shooters or role playing games. In Call of Duty you have a controller and are flung into battle immediately. In Skyrim you wield magic abilities and battle CGI dragons. Compare this to CCGs, a historically tabletop card game genre, and this difference becomes apparent. Travel to play physical versions of CCGs with peers can also be difficult, especially with Covid concerns.

CCGs are of course now modernized, with engaging digital versions of play available. But still, these digital versions don’t quite match up to the immersiveness or engagement of modern shooters or RPGs. There is also not much diversity of theme and style among leading CCG franchises. Magic and Hearthstone are both magical high fantasy. Pokemon and Yu-gi-oh are both cartoon/anime monster type games.

I think we can reasonably assess that there is room for some disruption here. A game that increases engagement levels to approach those of FPS or RPG and brings a unique style/theme that diverges from what we see in major TCG titles stands a good shot of getting people’s attention and keeping it, and expanding well beyond the projected 9% CAGR for the industry at large. Adding more ways to actually *own* the assets you play with also provides an avenue for disruption.

But it’s obviously still no small task creating a more immersive CCG than already massively successful franchises. Others have tried. What intrinsic factors give Parallel a chance to succeed where others have failed?

Let’s take a look at some fundamentals.

First, the art.

Art is critical to the immersiveness of a trading card game. It’s the first thing we see when we play the game, what is on the face of the card. Thus, top tier art is something that can clearly differentiate a great TCG franchise from a decent one.

Parallel has great art in spades.

I don’t really need to say much here, the art speaks for itself. Without question Parallel has the most impressive art I’ve ever seen in a card game. The team of Oscar Mar, Nacho Yague, Oscar Cafaro, Dhenzel Obeng, and a new as yet undisclosed artist, have worked collectively on AAA game titles like Valorant, Assassin’s Creed, and Splinter Cell, and even done design work for companies like Adobe.

To browse more of the card art, visit the Parallel Opensea page.

Next, the lore.

Outstanding lore is also critical to a sense of immersion and the success of a modern TCG franchise. Lore is what really binds us to the new universe once we are hooked visually by the art. I am a huge lore buff who reads WoW, Elder Scrolls, and other lores for fun, and think Parallel is genuinely some of the best I have ever seen.

Parallel lore is driven by the five parallels themselves, and the story of a quest to return back home (Earth) and battle over a perfect source of energy. The flight from Earth, the subsequent unique evolutionary paths each parallel took, and now the return to Earth as the goal and catalyst for battle make for many rich major narratives and subplots to drive the story forward. The concept of Paragons, discussed in greater detail later, allows for main characters for each faction, which further strengthens narrative potential. Furthermore, by diverging from the classical anime monster or high fantasy themes common in TCGs, instead opting for Sci-Fi, Parallel can offer a new type of modern and future looking story to appeal to new audiences.

Energy struggles, international crisis, fighting for one’s home. These are a mix of current zeitgeist and timeless themes that, when wrapped in a beautiful sci-fi artistic wrapper, create powerfully dynamic story potential. Development of comics and film seems inevitable, and the Parallel team has talked about their desire to pursue various forms of media around the franchise.

Outside of art and lore there are other factors to consider when evaluating the possibility of success for Parallel. Having a beautiful and exciting story is not enough, the game itself must be dynamic and compelling.

Based on what we know, what are the chances Parallel as a TCG will be dynamic and compelling? Let’s assess.

Making an innovative game

The stage for disruption of CCG gaming has been well set. The originating and largest franchise, Magic: The Gathering, has become a juggernaut money printer with its deluge of new product releases, relentless power creep rendering older game pieces obsolete, and separate walled-garden approach to its uncollectible digital card and game component.

New CCGs with innovative playstyles and enticing rarity design have made competitive inroads, but launching a CCG is extremely risky and expensive, and most would rather appeal to the kids’ niche intending to grow into a nostalgia cash-cow, or leverage an already global children’s brand such as Pokemon into a CCG offering, bolstered by the rest of the franchise. MTG generally dominates and enjoys Lindy-curve continuance due to a confluence of many of these factors: appeal to all ages while especially serving its nostalgia; practiced, continued gameplay balance alongside creation of powerful new game pieces; and physical and digital play options.

But new technologies, and specifically NFT technology, can be harnessed to challenge Magic. Here is how Parallel intends to do that.

Unique Mechanics

• A Physical and Digital Experience. Parallel will offer physically collectible card gaming and digitally collectible card gaming merged by an AR/Metaverse layer. Click here to see how that looks.
• Paragons. Paragons are the leaders for each Parallel. In game the Paragons function as playable champions for each race, which form macro playstyles and add dynamic gaming elements. They make for an exciting twist on classic CCG gaming. For more on Paragons, listen here.
• Paradox. The second of the ‘3 P’s’, Paradox is a voting system that allows members of the Parallel community to steer the direction of the ecosystem. This allows for true equitable participation by players in the direction of the franchise, community activities, game balance, and so much more.
• Power Banking. A unique way to think about land/energy/mana whereby all cards are able to be deployed face down into a ‘bank’ to generate power. Cards can then be recalled from this power bank through various mechanics. This adds a unique dimension to the gameplay, where players have easier access to resources, augmenting game speed, and also can play dynamic attacking and defending strategies leveraging banked cards.
• Dynamic Updating. Cards in Parallel can theoretically be adjusted as they are battle tested, without requiring large costly reprints. This takes place physically through the AR layer and digitally by augmenting the way the NFT interacts with the game client.
• Player Driven Story. Parallel team has alluded to the fact that players who are playing competitively are active members of the unfolding Parallel story. Their actions/win percentage etc are elements that may have a real impact on story outcomes.
• Play/Win to earn. Parallel will have elements of play to earn (complete basic tasks to receive rewards) and win to earn (win competitive matches to receive greater rewards). Incorporating both allows Parallel to get past linear grind based incentives, and get into more dynamic behavioral incentives. Rewards will come in various forms including but not limited to tokens, unique NFTs, hardware (gaming laptops etc), and cash prizes.

A final point of note, the game design team is bolstered by the presence of Merchant, a well known and respected MTG player and content creator. For more on how Parallel distinguishes itself as a game franchise, we recommend listening to the Parallel podcast, where such topics are discussed in detail.

Resources By The Numbers.

There are some impressive resource numbers which help establish Parallel as a serious contender in CCGs. Let’s take a look at those. All numbers are current at the time of writing.

• Fundraising. Parallel recently announced a 50 million dollar raise from Paradigm and other top investors at a 500 million dollar valuation.
• Total holders. There are 25,000 unique Parallel card holders, which makes Parallel one of the five most widely distributed major NFT projects. This number is likely to double, perhaps even triple after the coming drop.
• Primary sales. Parallel’s initial sales (first PS15 drop and first pack drop) netted them just under 2 million USD in revenue. The upcoming pack drop on October 30th will net them just over 4 million in revenue. Successive pack drops will likely net them over 5 million each time.
• Secondary sales. Parallel has generated roughly ~15 million in revenue from secondary sales thus far. This number is likely to be significantly higher after the coming pack drop.
• All time ranking. Parallel has done 41,483 ETH in volume at the time of writing. This ranks it #15 all time among NFT projects. After the coming pack drop this number will double or triple in short order, making Parallel a permanent fixture in the top 10 and likely even top 5 projects by volume all time, after just two pack drops. The extra user growth/attention this will draw should not be underestimated.

Estimates suggest Parallel team will have approximately 100 million USD in deployable capital by the end of 2021. That is plenty of money to go towards building the next great game franchise.

Final summary

In summary we have a new CCG contender leveraging great art, great lore, unique game mechanics, a passionate community, and very significant capital entering a genre ripe for disruption. There is substantial evidence to suggest that Parallel can and will challenge incumbent franchises for dominance in the trading card game arena. It will be exciting to see how the franchise grows and impacts the shape and character of gaming within and without the confines of trading cards.

You can find links to Parallel and the authors on twitter below.

Parallel — https://twitter.com/ParallelNFT

Fitch — https://twitter.com/Fitchinverse

Notsofast — https://twitter.com/notsofast