Demonstrating Item Interoperability Through the Alto Cryptogame Challenge
Empowering developers to make the jump to the blockchain with a contest prize pool of $150,000
Up until now, we have talked at length about our belief that the blockchain will revolutionize the game industry. We have explained how giving players the freedom to sell and trade items outside centralized applications will compel developers to offer real value and level the playing field for small and large studios alike. We have extolled the virtues of the item-first economy as a new, sustainable monetization model.
Our efforts (and those of many others in the industry) have started to pay off. Outlets like Forbes are reporting on the innovations brought to the gaming space by blockchain technology. Every gaming conference in the past year has hosted panelists and speakers from cryptogaming projects, including Alto’s very own. Cryptogame-specific conferences have also started popping up, some even backed by industry heavyweights like Pocket Gamer. People are catching on, one evangelizing speech at a time.
But, as is usually the case in the early stages of a new technology, there is still a lot of uncertainty and distrust — especially among those in the status quo who don’t believe blockchain can be a true disruptor of the gaming industry. The truth is, this is still an uphill battle, and we won’t reach that tipping point until we achieve a critical mass of products and users that proves this is a sustainable model.
Efforts are being made by many experts in the space, not least of all Alto. And for us, the most important thing is to create a thriving, shared cryptoitem economy in which unique weapons, potions, and pets are usable across multiple games and universes. This is why we created the Alto Cryptogame Challenge (ACC) with a total prize pool of $150,000.
The ACC is a way for developers to become familiar with the Alto platform, and to experience for themselves the potential of the item-first economy. It is only natural that developers, used to having full creative control of in-game assets, might be wary of relinquishing some of that control to third-party item creators. But we aim to show that there’s no need for them to sacrifice their vision if the games are built from the ground up with item interoperability as a core principle. The ACC will allow them to dip their toes in the water and see the countless possibilities that this new model offers.
Participants in the ACC will have to go through two rounds of judging. In the first round, they will submit their proposal for a game that uses a set of pre-made, fantasy-themed, non-fungible items which will be available on the Alto platform. These limited edition items will be fully interoperable across each of the contestants’ games and will be made available on the Alto Challenge Loot Store.
The top five pitches will receive a cash prize of $10,000 and be eligible to participate in the final round, where they’ll have to create a playable demo of their pitched game using five of the items available on the Challenge Loot Store. The goal of the challenge is to demonstrate the versatility and interoperability of third-party cryptoitems and how they can work across a variety of game prototypes. Developers’ focus on creativity and playability will be key to impress the judges, and those that earn the top spots will be rewarded handsomely.
The grand prize winner will earn a cash prize of $20,000, plus marketing support and $20,000 worth of Alto Coin. On top of that, they will be the recipient of a custom storefront on the Alto website valued at $30,000, where they’ll be able to hold their own Initial Item Offering. But those who don’t make it to the podium will not go home empty-handed. The runner-up will get $10,000 in cash and $10,000 worth of Alto Coin, while the third place gets $5,000 in cash and $5,000 worth of Alto Coin.
Alto.io is launching the ACC in partnership with BlockchainGamer.Biz. Registration opens on June 5 and will close on June 22. Winners of the contest will be announced at the PG Connects conference in Helsinki on September 11–12.
The Alto Cryptogame Challenge will be a first-of-its-kind opportunity to showcase the potential of an ecosystem where cryptoitems can be interoperable across multiple game worlds. If you are a game developer curious about the possibilities the blockchain offers, you shouldn’t miss the chance to try your hand at a model that could reinvent gaming as we know it. Who knows? Your game could be the one to usher us into this new, exciting era.
