Epic Games Store’s first NFT game is Gala’s Wild West Shooter GRIT

by James · July 6, 2022

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In short

Gala Games’ GRIT, a Wild West-themed Battle Royale game, will be the first Web3 game on the Epic Games Store.
GRIT will contain user-owned NFT articles. The rival marketplace Steam has banned NFT games.

Then the leading PC game market, Steam decided to ban Web3 games with NFT or cryptocurrencies in October last year, rising rival Epic Games Store claimed it would remain open to such games.

And now we know which game will be the first Web3 title displayed on the Epics platform.

Today, the Gala Games announced their Wild Royale-themed Battle Royale shooter GRAVEL would be the first NFT-powered game to be launched via the Epic Games Store. GRIT will be a free online multiplayer game for Windows PC gamers, and it will include user-owned NFT resources that can be purchased, resold and used in the game.

An NFT is a blockchain token that proves ownership of various objects and is often used for digital goods such as works of art, collectibles and assets in the game for video games. Examples of games include avatars, vehicles, weapons, clothing and virtual plots.

A screenshot from the game GRIT. Photo: Gala Games.

Gala will release 10,000 player avatars for GRIT, and offer a unique look and customization elements to owners. The company will offer the avatars via a “Gunslinger’s Box” sale, which begins this week at the publisher’s Galaverse event in Malta.

GRIT seems to be a Fortnite-like experience with a large number of players who ended up in a free-for-all battle to the death, albeit with a distinctive Western aesthetic. It will be released later in 2022 and runs on Epic Games’ own Unreal Engine.

The press release from Gala Games suggests that GRIT will not be the company’s only game to be launched on the Epic Games Store.

“Epic is a pioneer and visionary in the video game industry. Gala Games’ titles available on the Epic Game Store give legitimacy to this new genre of gaming,” said John Osvald, Gala’s president of gaming, in a release. “Easy access to Web3 games is a turning point for those players who have not yet seen how digital ownership can enrich the gaming experience.”

Gala Games has quickly become a prominent player in the blockchain gaming field, recruiting veteran game developers such as Will Wright (The Sims) and Peter Molyneux (Fable) to create NFT-enhanced games while signing NFT-savvy celebrities such as Snoop Dogg and Steve Aoki .

The GALA token, currently priced below $ 0.08, has a total market value of $ 555 million, according to CoinMarketCap.

Crypto finds home with Epic Games

Epic Games is not only the company behind the Epic Games Store and Unreal Engine, but is also the developer of the leading Battle Royale shooter, Fortnite. Epic Games Store had A total of 194 million users from the end of 2021, making it a significant launch site for Gala and GRIT.

Valve’s Steam marketplace is currently the leading PC gaming platform, and it took a hard line against games with NFTs or crypto tokens in October last year when it prevented such games from being launched on the platform.

In response, Epic Games co-founder and CEO Tim Sweeney tweets and welcome message to the creators of such games.

“Epic Games Store will accept games that use blockchain technology provided they comply with the relevant laws, disclose their terms and are age-rated by an appropriate group,” he wrote. “Although Epic does not use crypto in our games, we welcome innovation in technology and finance.”