Web3 Gaming Newcomers Set to Dethrone Legacy Games Like Illuvium

The Web3 gaming world is entering a fiercely competitive era as years of development and investment start to deliver on the promise this space has long held. Anyone who attended the recent Games Developers Conference (GDC) 2024 will have seen that Web3 games are far more mature than most would expect; their AAA quality makes them an existential threat to ageing blockchain titles like Illuvium and Gods Unchained.

Among the class of ‘24 are three titles set to knock out many opponents in the coming months and years. 

Cloudborn: Exceptional GenAI and NPC Interactions

Cloudborn is being built by Antler Interactive, the team behind My Neighbor Alice, which won both Binance Launchpool Project of the Year 2021 and ELLE’s Best Innovation Award 2023. The team are by far not newbies to the gaming space, with top level execs having prominent roles at Warner Media, Starbreeze Entertainment, which launched Payday 2, Dead by Daylight, and more. With an award-winning Web3 games development studio who are not afraid to innovate nor leverage the immense possibilities of AI, you can expect some industry-leading design. That is exactly what Cloudborn promises.

Dynamic worlds are shaped by Inworld’s market-leading gaming AI, where players’ actions affect the world around them, both in terms of the GenAI environments and your NPC heroes. That’s right, your party in Cloudborn have AI flowing through its veins, and your characters learn from you, and change their personalities based on how you treat them. You can build up its confidence or knock it down entirely, so take your actions seriously, because the game requires you to cooperate. You can be the best of friends or bonded by a common mission or enemy. If you grow to dislike your partners (or worse, they’re fed up with you). Being NFTs, you can trade them in for another one on the marketplace (if you so desire), but don’t forget! Their experiences have shaped their personalities, and these traits carry on over to the next owner. This gameplay truly allows you to experience the gameplay of others through a shared and dynamic environment, possible only with AI and web3 tech together.

Cloudborn blends glorious dynamic free-roaming gameplay with strategic and suspenseful turn-based battles, bringing elements of Zelda and Final Fantasy to Web3. Announced in Q1 2024, Cloudborn is currently demoing at different global events, getting the Web3 gaming space very excited for its launch. Once you watch the trailer, you’ll understand why Cloudborn will be a cause for concern for games like Gods Unchained. 

Warped Games: Unheard-of Levels of Player Autonomy

The Warped Games team is building something special, but rather than developing one flagship title, they’re building the Warped Universe, an interconnected sci-fi gaming world on Unreal Engine 5. Most of their experienced team boast backgrounds in ecosystem-first projects, having built and contributed to the Lego Universe, Disney, LucasArts, EA, and Star Citizen. With this in mind, it makes sense why they’re thinking bigger than just one game – they want a multi-faceted gaming world that blends the best of traditional gaming with the innovation potential of blockchain technology. They’re also building genre and gameplay fluidity that keep gamers on their toes. They know that combining these concepts will help them to deliver total gamer freedom and enjoyment for all.

Still, you need a first title, and we’ve seen exclusive demos of the first Warped game. It’s PvE (player vs environment), offering gamers the choice of playing as a first-person shooter (FPS), or as a third-person turn-based game. Whichever way you play, your actions shape the world around you. The autonomy factor is further amplified by the fact that Warped gives their gamers a choice to opt in or out of Web3 features. So, if you like how the game looks, but aren’t interested in Web3 wallets, blockchain transactions, and NFTs, you don’t have to engage with them. 

The Warped Games team was behind the STARL metaverse, which reached a 900m market cap (almost unlocking Unicorn status). Due to undisclosed activities from the STARL founders, the entire development team walked away and set up Warped Games. They wanted to focus on skill and strategy over financial investment and personal gain. This integrity is embedded through their ecosystem design. 

Shrapnel: World-Class Lore & Storytelling

If Cloudborn stands for GenAI potential and Warped Games represents player autonomy, then Shrapnel stands for thrilling lore. This enrapturing story grips you from the first minute to the last. Shrapnel is set to be a Web3 classic, with players fighting tooth and nail for their factions, trying to recover precious resources from the Sacrifice Zone, and linking up with their harvesting teammates for various activities. NPC operators are also NFTs, so if you want to know their gripping backstories, you’ll need to collect each one and read the comic that each NFT contains. 

It’s no surprise Shrapnel holds the title of “Best Graphics” and “Most Anticipated Game” two years in a row at the Gam3 Awards. Even their trailers are award-winning, picking up “Best Trailer” at the Gam3rs Choice awards, and a “Gold Telly for Animation for Cinematic Trailer” at the 2023 Telly Awards. Visual design and story design work hand-in-hand to make you, the player, want to progress as much as possible and unravel the story. Impressively, Shrapel makes you feel like the leading star in the latest Hollywood sci-fi blockbuster. 

With NFTs playing such a leading role in this title, it’s no wonder that Web3 gamers are excited, however, it’s the AAA quality it offers that will be pulling in big numbers from traditional gaming. Illuvium might not be able to keep up with Shrapnel once the ball gets rolling, especially when you consider the $SHRAP token and its unique utilities (hint: you can use it to boost sales and earn commissions in the marketplace).

Final Thoughts on The New Crop of Web3 Games

We’ve provided just a few thrilling examples that stand out, but in truth, we had to narrow this list down from a dozen world-beaters that could establish themselves as gaming mainstays. This space is getting fiery, with competition between gaming studios set to be as hardcore as the gameplay itself. We can’t wait to see what unfolds this year.