ZTX 2023 Recap and Glimpse at What’s Next

As we begin the new year, It is with immense gratitude that we reflect on 2023 — filled with milestones and the support of our incredible community.

To our community members — thank you for being a part of the journey. This is not just a recounting of achievements, but a celebration of the community that makes ZTX what it is today.

In this blog, we invite you to join us as we review the key moments that defined ZTX over the past year. It truly set the stage for what’s to come — and we’ll also look forward to what the future holds.

Key Milestones

2023 was a foundational chapter in ZTX’s journey. In tandem with the release of core products on our roadmap, we witnessed a passionate community form. Noteworthy moments ranged from the inaugural minting of our first NFTs to the formation of strategic partnerships.

Avatar Builder

In March, we introduced the ZTX Avatar Builder — a web app that allows users to craft unique avatars and get a first glimpse into the distinctive aesthetics of ZTX. As an integral part of our product stack, the Avatar Builder empowers every user to curate a digital identity for both ZTX and social platforms. Initially soft-launched before the Beta release, the Avatar Builder served as a valuable avenue for gathering user feedback. Since its introduction, we’ve introduced new features and cosmetics, integrated with ZTX’s smart accounts, and closely collaborated with the community to enhance the overall user experience.

Haven’t created an Avatar yet? What are you waiting for — it’s free and fun! Create your Avatar: https://ztx.io/avatar

Genesis Mint

The Genesis Mint took place in August and allowed early supporters to collect ZTX’s first official NFT collection: District Homes. Each Home will be a customizable & immersive in-game asset that unlocks additional gameplay utility and access to one of the four ZTX Districts. The 4,000 supply sold out over two phases and was listed shortly thereafter on OpenSea’s Arbitrum marketplace, where it became the top collection by weekly volume and still ranks amongst the top 10. You can learn more about the collection and mint in our recap blog.

Genesis Mint Collection: https://opensea.io/collection/ztx-genesis-homes

Playtests

Ahead of the official Beta launch, we released a series of Playtests — playable versions of ZTX to test and gather user feedback. ZTX is committed to building alongside the community and Playtests enabled exactly that. The first playtest was closed to Access Pass holders while the second playtest was open. During both phases, we were able to closely collaborate with community members on how to improve the gameplay and features.

ZEPETO Campaign

On August 25th, ZTX ran a cross-platform campaign to educate and onboard ZEPETO’s massive user base. The initiative onboarded over 200,000 new users onto ZTX. Even more exciting, it demonstrated how ZTX can seamlessly bridge the gap between web2 and web3. All ZEPETO users needed to do was claim a ZTX hoodie which simultaneously created a ZTX Smart Account for them.

$ZTX Token

The $ZTX token was launched on October 16th alongside a Genesis Airdrop to community members. Upon Beta launch, $ZTX can be used to enhance gameplay aspects. As the experiences and products within the ZTX ecosystem evolve, so will the token. Such utility will include governance and the ability to spend $ZTX to purchase in-game assets and on marketplaces. You can learn more in this blog.

The Beta Launch

The year concluded with the successful launch of the ZTX Beta on December 19th, an expansion of the experiences introduced during Playtests with added support for $ZTX in-game. Within just three days of its release, the Beta garnered over 13,000 players, with nearly all capsules crafted. This overwhelming support and participation from the community led to unexpectedly high levels of spikes in request volume, necessitating a temporary shutdown of the Beta. Restarting the Beta is our primary focus this month, as elaborated in the subsequent section.

More Highlights

In addition to those key milestones, here are some highlights of the year:

• Announced our move to build on Arbitrum
• Partnered with thirdweb to unleash ZTX Smart Accounts for seamless onboarding and gameplay
• ZTX joined forces with Dust Labs, the team behind DeGods, to launch the first Partner Wearables collection.
• Hosted 21 X spaces with industry leaders, projects, and communities.
• Held 13 Community Townhalls in ZTX’s Discord
• Launch of Sushi v3 / Steer finance $ZTX pools with dual rewards

The Year Ahead

Building upon the foundational strides made in the past year, 2024 is set to be a transformative year for ZTX.

Reopening the Beta

Our foremost objective is to reinstate the Beta. Serving as the precursor to the inaugural Season 1 launch, Beta allows us to observe user behavior while allowing players to acquaint themselves with the gameplay further. As mentioned in a recent tweet, the overwhelming participation led to increased traffic and placed excessive stress on our systems. In response, our team opted to temporarily suspend the Beta to enhance stability and the overall gameplay experience.

We express sincere gratitude for the unwavering support received during the Beta and after the pause. Our team is diligently working to reopen the Beta as soon as possible and we’re excited to start integrating the experiences and tools that we have in store for 2024.

New Experiences and Features

This coming year will be all about expanding the ZTX offering for players, creators and communities. Get excited for:

• Genesis Homes — holders will gain access to their Genesis Homes inside of ZTX and leverage multiple plots of land.
• Seasons — introduction of seasons across the ZTX ecosystem and their application to aesthetics, assets, and gameplay.
• Creator Tooling — powerful new tools that will empower creators to design and release their own collections of ZTX assets
• Social Features — such as friends and chat support
• Portal Games — new opportunities for players to compete and win

Wearable Drops & Partner Collabs

This year is also set to be a busy one for wearables. In addition to the steady stream of wearables and cosmetics that our team has lined up, we’ll work closely with various artists, brands and communities to help them launch their collections. Stay tuned for an announcement soon!

Final Words

As we bid farewell to the year 2023, filled with milestones, challenges, and community support, we embark on the journey into 2024 with great excitement. We are grateful to our dedicated community for their invaluable contributions. Together, we look forward to shaping a future that exceeds your expectations. Here’s to an extraordinary 2024!