The hottest gaming projects to watch out for this 2021
Editor’s Note: This article was published on Sohu, and has been translated into English.
Evidently, the gaming industry is moving forward through its various innovations. From using virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) to artificial intelligence (AI), these gaming startups are using multiple technologies to serve fresh new games. The capabilities of these gaming technologies have gone beyond our boldest childhood fantasies.
In just a couple of years, we have seen hundreds of innovative gaming technologies introduced in the market. One of the most popular technologies, VR, allows users to be transferred to the gaming environment, making them feel like they’re in the game itself. Another one that has taken the world by storm is AR, where the gaming environment is mixed with reality. Who wouldn’t forget about Pokemon Go, right?
With all of these technological advancements on the line, 2021 will surely be an interesting year for the gaming industry. Below are some of the hottest gaming projects to watch out for.
Aavegotchi
Aavegotchi is a new spinoff game loosely-inspired by Tamagotchi that blends the DeFi and NFT arenas in novel ways. Aavegotchis are crypto-collectibles or non-fungible tokens (NFTs) living on the Ethereum blockchain. These are backed by ERC721 standards and possess three attributes: collateral stake, traits, and wearables. These attributes determine their overall value and rarity within the Aavegotchi universe.
“NFTs are increasingly capturing interest because the digital items you own today are not yours. Your Fortnite item, your game character, your digital artwork live in a database somewhere that can be shutdown. NFTs live on a blockchain like Ethereum; where its existence, its uniqueness is secured and verifiable by a decentralized network of computers that ensures no one is cheating,” shares Jason Chew, Ambassador for Aavegotchi.
Bountie
Bountie is a decentralized platform that aims to reward all participants in the gaming ecosystem fairly and transparently for their gaming efforts and skills. Through this gaming platform, retail gamers can monetize their skills early and compete fairly in the industry, which faces several issues, including hacking, boosting, and smurfing, and will prevent aspiring gamers from failing to take off because of the high barriers of entry in official tournaments.
“Bountie is focusing on democratizing eSports for casual and semi-pro gamers. We aim to fulfill our mission of helping gamers to earn a living from gaming. How we do, it is via the tournaments vertical. We are providing opportunities for organizers and gamers to make money from our platform. Organizers earn when they create tournaments, and gamers earn when they win tournaments,” explains Lex Na, CEO of Bountie.
Epics.gg
Another gaming project that you should watch out for this 2021, Epic.gg is a digital card trading platform. It aims to provide the next generation of fans the rush, satisfaction, and long-term value of collecting trading cards for their favorite esports teams, players, and influencers while also providing an integrated marketplace and trading system enabling users to buy, sell and build the ultimate collections.
“Technology has always pushed gaming forward both in terms of graphics for immersion and platforms. Blockchain has also opened a new frontier for games in that players will now be able to own digital items and accrue true value from playing that they can monetize. We’re focused on bridging the gap between blockchain and the mainstream and solving the many challenges of usability, design, and economics that will make digital ownership appealing and accessible for the mass market,” says Mark Donovan, co-founder and CEO of Epics.gg.
Potato Play
Potato Play is an up-and-coming mobile games publishing startup based in Singapore. The company’s mission is to bring mobile games from Asia to the rest of the world. While games by established Asia publishers can top the highest-grossing charts worldwide, the company realized that many smaller-sized Asian developers faced challenges in marketing their games. This is where Potato Play comes in.
“There is always the problem of visibility for games developed by startups. Unfortunately, contrary to popular belief, in our current market, where there is a sea of awesome games, developing a great game and depending on organic traffic alone will not necessarily make the game a hit. As free-to-play mobile publishers, we bring the expertise, experience and budget of big publishers to help smaller developers with good games succeed through product globalization and marketing,” explains Vincent Low, CEO of Potato Play.
Skibre
Skibre is a social and mobile-based mobile eSports application that hosts global skill-based mobile gaming tournaments for casual players across different gaming genres, including arcade and puzzle. It helps amateur casual gamers showcase their skills and go pro, providing a platform for them.
“For us at Skibre, we are riding on this secular trend. We are building a mobile esports platform where users can compete in skill-based casual games, win prizes and go pro. In addition, we are building a super app that hosts games on the cloud. Users only need to download our app and gain access to numerous games. Think Netflix for competitive games,” shares Michael Oyson, CEO and Co-Founder at Skibre.
The future of gaming
“In the coming years, we will see more advanced gaming projects as technology continually evolves. While the trends in gaming will continue to change, gaming startups will continue to produce innovative games that will surely attract more users, both casual players and experienced gamers,” says Felix Mago, co-founder of Dash NEXT, an end-to-end crypto payment solution.
With all of these new gaming projects to watch out for this 2021, the gaming industry is set to take the world by storm as innovative games and platforms are being introduced to revolutionize the current gaming landscape and provide better avenues for gamers.
Image credit: Pixabay
