In this new world of in-game asset ownership, sustainable tokenomics is perhaps one of the most important elements that distinguish an ambitious project like Gods Unchained from its many counterparts that have faded into the background over the years. $GODS token is also at the heart of the GUniverse and plays a vital role in our ever-growing brand and IP.
We, as a team, understand that monetization via tokens has the potential to forge a new path in the world of game design for blockchain-based games, which has previously been unheard of. As we seek to innovate and lead the way, InFinitySquid, Revenue Strategy Lead at Gods Unchained, shares insights into our game economy, monetization tactics being explored, and tokenomics in general.
The secret to a thriving game: sustainable tokenomics
At Gods Unchained, our critical focus is creating a sustainable Web3 economy that can outlast our competitors. We have continuously updated and tweaked our economic model over the last few years and responded to both positive and negative emerging trends in the Web3 space.
The design and distribution of our Tokens and Cards have sustainability in mind. We regularly explore new strategies in this space, as seen with the recent launch of Light's Verdict. We are still in the early days of this space, so it's difficult to predict what economic models will win out in the long term. Most major Web3 projects are still releasing their tokens, which is likely to be the case for several years based on the token issuance schedules. There is still a lot to learn as we navigate our development cycles, but we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of these discoveries.
While Gods Unchained currently has plans for how the game can run sustainably when there are no more new tokens to be released to the community, i.e., no additional $GODS tokens will be printed out in the future as it is a fixed supply token, we have to stay vigilant and continue observing the Web3 gaming space over the next few years.
We will adjust our plans as new information becomes available. We will, of course, not only keep the community updated with our every step of token-based programs and initiatives but, more importantly, ask for suggestions and feedback as we always do. Our community will play an even more important role going forward as there is a strong incentive alignment between token holders, players, and us as the Gods Unchained development team.
The different monetization sources for gaming
It's no secret that many Web3 projects have relied heavily on the "first mover advantage," where people who get in early, even before the game is launched, have access to more powerful and deliberately scarce tools. While we have older card sets that are no longer available to purchase from the store, we want Gods Unchained to always be highly accessible for new players.
We're building for a future where there is mass adoption of web3 technologies, and players can engage with Gods Unchained without worrying about the foundational technologies we are currently working with. As a free-to-play game, we're dead set on giving the same opportunity to newcomers as our existing community members have, such that everyone has an opportunity to enjoy Gods Unchained and help it grow.
We are constantly striving to put valuable and competitive cards in all of our Expansion Sets so new players have access to competitive decks at all times. Even our free Welcome and Core Sets have cards powerful enough to be competitive against top players if used with skill and strategy.
Our goal is to attract and onboard millions of players, which means we have to ensure that Gods Unchained is accessible to web2 players who might not have as strong an affinity for NFTs or Tokens. As we scale and the market conditions evolve, we'll be at the forefront, giving players multiple touchpoints to interact with the game, be it merch or other community-requested features. Every in-game monetization tactic is being explored now as we're in discovery mode!
Today, we already have Boards, Trinkets, and Card Backs that have been created in the past. Still, we are looking to expand upon our current offering and provide even more cosmetic options as our player base grows and our players demand new and exciting ways to express themselves in the game. We're working hard to migrate these cosmetics to L2 by the end of next month!
Improving playing skills to maximize $GODS rewards in-game
As a free-to-play game, we aim to make Gods Unchained as accessible to players as possible and ensure that everyone can play competitively. Community tools like GU Decks allow players to see what deck compositions are ruling the current meta. We have a very active, helpful community that'll always lend a hand to players to improve their skills. Even free-to-play players can reach Mythic and win Ranked Matches! All you need to do is ask for advice, and it's only a matter of time before you find help to build the best decks!
If we're strictly speaking about playing, you can check out the Daily Play & Earn feature, where the average number of $GODS earned during play each day is between 1.5 and 2 tokens.
Alpha: get more skilled to beat more players! There are two main factors to increase your reward potential in Daily Play & Earn:
- Gameplay Modifier
Your Gameplay Modifier depends on your Rank and your win rate. The bigger contributor to your modifier is your Rank, so try and strive for the highest Rank possible.
- Collection Modifier
The Collection Modifier is based on the Quality of the cards you take into each game. If you have a deck that you are using, use the Forge to fuse these cards into a higher-quality version. Doing this will net you more rewards as you engage with Daily Play & Earn.
We reward participation in our ecosystem. One such avenue is Shine Fusing in the Forge, a decision that comes down to player preference and strategy. Fusing cards in the Forge reduces the number of copies in your possession to give you a higher-quality version.
While high-quality cards are great and increase the number of Fragments you get during Daily Play & Earn, it is important to consider that you can have up to two copies of a single card in your deck. With fewer copies, you might reduce your overall deck strength. Though personally, I love fusing, so I get to use the higher-quality cards while I play. For me, seeing my cards show up in my wallet is one of the coolest feelings that web3 can offer me as a player.
Other avenues are manual staking through Offering of the $GODS or trading on marketplaces. The whole purpose is to create multiple ways for players to benefit so they can choose where they'd like to spend most of their time in-game.
On market innovation and striving to be a leader in web3
Let me get you up to speed if you haven't caught up on the game's backstory. A few years ago, Fuel Games (now Immutable Platform and Immutable Games Studio) launched another game on the Ethereum mainnet. But each time a player made any in-game move, the gas fees cost almost $50! Those ridiculously high fees on Ethereum were how the IMX platform on Layer 2 came to be, and the rest is history!
We will continue to push the needle on decentralization and ownership of assets in more meaningful ways. In fact, we've already observed another big issue with NFTs currently: liquidity. To buy or sell your NFTs, you need access to a large pool of interested parties willing to trade. Without this, it becomes challenging to have secondary market transactions.
We launched the "shared order book" on Immutable X, wherein all NFTs from different projects are shared through this protocol to the same marketplace.
Moreover, players can list their NFT on the marketplace of their choice, which can be purchased by someone else on a completely different marketplace. By opening up each order to the widest audience possible, the chances that there will be a buyer on the other end increase massively.
We're always seeking to solve problems as they arise, and right now, our primary focus is to grow the game to a million players!
What's next for $GODS?
There are exciting times ahead for Gods Unchained, and we've been paying close attention to the $GODS Token. We recently hired a $GODS Token Manager (@hakunamattata#2706 on Discord), updated our circulating supply definitions to increase transparency, will launch the $GODS Tokenomics Portal soon, and have a lot more planned!
We hope this post gave you a glimpse of $GODS and our plan for tokenomics in general. If you have any questions, please send them my way in Discord (InFinitySquid#0607).
