Top 5 Metaverse Projects Currently in Development - Part 2

Metaverse #3 - TCG World

TCG World is a metaverse featuring 4 unique zones and multiple games that will initially be on offer. The zones are Forest, Asia, East, and North. The game is separated into quadrants with each quadrant offering unique game perks with the core game revolving around a creature capture, train and battle arena PvP game. While gameplay is stylized in a fashion to Pokemon, early creature design looks like it has a more adult feel with the creatures having more menacing attributes than the Pokemon counterparts. In addition to the core game, there is an assortment of other games and activities with partnerships with crypto gaming companies, NFT projects, and corporate sponsorships. GGTOOR is a large investor and plans on using the platform to host large scale streaming events in their GGTOOR city. Certain areas of the game offers “mini-games” including a racetrack, ski resort, and a roller coaster. The holders of TCG’s dragon NFTs also have access to the Dragon Cave Club that will offer exclusive events and giveaways. The game has 100,000 plots available with a floor of 1 BNB (currently $278 US) for silver plots and are sold out of Diamond level pre-sale plots that were selling for 20 BNB.

Gameplay: 2.5 out of 5. Unlike the early metaverse projects including Decentraland and Sandbox, the graphics are modern day and are reminiscent of what you would expect out of franchise titles like Grand Theft Auto. Like many of the metaverses in early development, little is known about the gameplay itself. The project core game seems viable in theory as the creature collector games have had success in the past so long as there is a unique draw to this title and not a “less fun” version of other titles that already exist. What makes this stand out more than the two above is it is much farther in development as it is very close to a full release beta for all property owners and have been successful at playtesting the environment for its diamond and platinum property holders. I am giving a neutral rating to the gameplay as one drawback is the game is looking to do everything all at once and be everything to everyone. The fact that there is racing, virtual theme parks, ski resorts, ruin exploration all in addition to the main game mechanic seems a bit scattershot. Factors in TCG’s favor is being the first metaverse to full release that has 2K graphics capability and being truly a massive map sporting 800 square kilometers of in-game environment making it one of the largest metaverses on this list.

Community: 3.5 out of 5. The community has a strong following with the general sentiment about the future of the game being very positive. The biggest advantage the game has is the corporate partnerships it has received, especially with GGTOOR being the largest metaverse land deal in history with a publicized value of $102 million dollars. Needless to say, the corporate influx of money into this project means it will have what it needs to pull itself to the finish line.

Immersion/Creative License: Creative > Immersive. This title is definitely geared to the content creator. To pair with the scattershot approach to the gaming, the project is going to be sporting ferraris and yachts beside flying dragons and winged horses. So if you don’t mind airplanes and dragons taking up the same airspace and feel inspired to make your own creation, then this is the game for you.

Price: 4 out of 5. Given the floor price to own a part of this project during presale is currently 1 BNB ($278 US), this is definitely within the lower entry points when it comes to metaverse projects. While its more expensive than what we as traditional gamers would pay for any one title, the fact that we can own this as a tradeable asset means we can eventually recoup our funds. If you feel like the player base will continue to grow you may even sell for a profit. (Certainly not financial advice!)

Metaverse #2 - The Sandbox

The Sandbox can be considered the OG of the metaverse space. First released in June of 2015 it was truly the first metaverse on the scene that has come to any lasting prominence. The developers have continued to improve the title and with the season rotations and were able to top over 2 million registered users at the release of Season 2 earlier this year. Before it is said, I realize that this is not a metaverse “in development” as this metaverse has been around for a while now. However, when considering projects that will continue to be viable in the future and the ever evolving ecosystem it deserves a spot on this list as it is not going anywhere anytime soon.

Gameplay: 3 out of 5. So this is strictly less a game and more of a community. Think Second Life but you own what you create and it can be transferred. There are plenty of experiences within Sandbox with a kind of amusement park style base game, the community contributes greatly to the game’s ecosystem with experiences offered from 3rd parties including Snoop Dogg, the Smurfs, MetaPride, the Walking Dead, and more. There is less of a focus on graphics or realistic gameplay as it is an older title and also seeks to keep computer hardware requirements at a minimum to maximize availability for its users. It makes the list because it has stood the test of time and while next generation metaverses are on the horizon, the Sandbox has yet to be usurped as one of the top projects out there.

Community: 3 out of 5. A strong community with the game still drawing in in excess of 200,000 users for each season so far. I would suspect as more metaverse projects start to slowly come online that the community will start to wane as inevitably the metaverse continues to expand and individuals start to silo into more and more niche projects that cater more to their wants or target demographics.

Immersion/Creative License: Creative > Immersive. Not much to say here. The Sandbox is an eclectic community of all types. Its all about creating a creative space and experience and sharing it with other users.

Price: 2 out of 5. while you can enter into the game for free, the current floor price is 0.96 Eth ( roughly $1,500 US). Well beyond your typical gaming budget and pretty steep barrier for ownership. If you can front the cash, it depends on your opinion long term if its a losing or winning proposition.

Metaverse #1 - Unreal Kingdoms

Unreal Kingdoms is a metaverse project that is a collaboration between two NFT projects - Cyber Ape Yacht Club and Dragon Guild NFT. The project boasts 6 unique game zones including 5 medieval fantasy themed zones (kingdoms) and a futuristic city space. A 7th kingdom specific to Cyber Ape Yacht Club is currently in development called CAYC Island. The metaverse project is very ambitious and is the largest metaverse project on this list with the in-game environment being 32,000 square kilometers!

Gameplay: 4.5 out of 5. The game currently stands with 5 lands that will offer progressive leveling and NPC and creature encounters unique to each zone with a multitude of character classes to choose from. The alpha is available for download and to experience for any current property owners. The graphics are top tier with the metaverse being built with Unreal Engine and nanite technology giving the project an immense leg up on poly-count and hi-res visuals. There is some trade-off as it will be more demanding on your graphics card to cleanly run the game relative to others on this list. However, the sheer scope and scale of the project is something to be very excited for as there are only 20,000 plots of land over the 32,000 square kilometer expanse. This leaves a vast amount of land reserved for game content and questlines that would make any MMORPG fan immersed in the world and leaves plenty of room for growth for ever expanding quests. The project is still in its infancy but has progressed by leaps and bounds over a short period of time as development was first started earlier this summer.

Community: 4 out of 5. Given the newness of the metaverse project, the community is principally constituted of the communities of the associated NFT projects. While smaller relative to some others on this list, the community sentiment is strong and overwhelmingly positive. This metaverse, like BAYC and Otherside, is being developed with their community in mind offering free land to NFT holders. What it lacks in corporate sponsorship is made up for by a community constantly investing into the project to further fund continued development.

Immersion/Creative License: Immersive > Creative. One aspect of this project that is unique is the separation of “kingdoms” for various themes so users can choose what experience best fits their game experience. Instead of one environment where all types of gaming experiences take place, the premise is for the kingdoms to continue to evolve and expand into niche zones that cater to specific experiences. Do you want a MMORPG reminiscent of Skyrim or Final Fantasy Online, join the Dragon Guild kingdoms. Want a corporate environment with advertising, online casino, community engagement and shopping/storefronts - grab property in the futuristic cityscape. Want a community hangout and event space - teleport to Cyber Ape Yacht Club Island to chill. The main takeaway is to have dedicated space to keep the sense of immersion while enjoying your game experience of choice and retain the option to teleport to other environments to support multiple interests depending on what you are in the mood for.

Price: 4.5 out of 5. The floor price to own property during presale is currently 0.2 Eth ($315 US). This is higher than Big Time’s $140 (free if grinding) and slightly higher than TCG’s minimum entry of $278 but the land offered is 4x the size of the TCG equivalent and larger still than Big Time’s space square footage. This makes Unreal Kingdoms value better than most any metaverse project.

Check out Unreal Kingdoms latest trailer here:

Closing

Please feel free to let me know in the comments if you agree with my list or if you have any metaverse projects you would recommend. The metaverse is in its early stages and the metaverse that is right for you will be what best caters to your personal taste in gaming experiences. My personal love of high fantasy RPG games like Bethesda’s Skyrim certainly plays a role in my metaverse of choice but at minimum I hope the information given offers a glimpse at what is out there and inspires you to look for yourself into a metaverse and what games are on the horizon.