In the last few years, we’ve seen NFTs rise up to the top and turn almost every head in the blockchain world. That’s because they represent something so much more than just a simple image; they prove ownership and provide value to the token. One industry, in particular, has already taken NFTs to the next level proving their potential: the gaming industry. We at Ajuna want to play a critical role in building the future of gaming!

Authenticity and Ownership

We’ll start with the most basic use that NFTs have changed in the gaming industry. Starting with a question: Who owns your skins?

Until now, it didn’t matter if you were able to purchase skins through an in-game marketplace, it was always the game developers that controlled how skins worked, and everything remained in their ecosystem. They would release an unlimited amount of the same skin, sell it to the players at a set price, and if the players chose to leave the game, they weren’t getting their money back in any way.

With the introduction of an NFT-based marketplace, we can enable players to realistically own a unique and “one-of-a-kind” in-game asset. The player can authenticate their ownership on the blockchain, an area the developers can’t meddle with. In the few cases where games allowed for an external marketplace, it was difficult to verify who owned an item or where it came from, leading to frequent scams.

Providing ownership to the hands of those invested in the game gives them complete control to buy, sell, use, or trade items in their own way. However, this is just the bare minimum of how NFTs can impact a game’s development. It all comes down to how much a game developer is willing to work with their community.

Enhanced Gameplay

If the game developers work well with their community, they’d be able to enhance and build on gameplay in drastic measures. Let’s use the game “Axie Infinity’’ as a use case. In this game, players collect and breed digital creatures called Axies, which they can then battle against other players. Each Axie has its own unique traits and abilities, making them valuable in the game.

Now the Axie team could have simply thrown in a few digital assets, called them NFTs and turned it into a great marketplace, but the benefits of NFTs in Axie Infinity go beyond just the marketplace. The NFTs themselves can also enhance gameplay by introducing new levels of customization and personalization. Players can breed and create their own unique Axies, which they can then own as NFTs. These NFTs can be used in battles against other players, making them an important part of the gameplay.

This has created a more immersive and engaging gaming experience where players can truly express themselves and make their mark on the gaming world.

Cross-Game Integration

One area in which NFTs have a solidified use case comes with Cross-Game integration. Imagine a world where you can create your own unique NFT Avatar, whether it’s a digital version of who you are or who you aspire to be. Instead of only having this Avatar available on a single platform, a game could choose to use this token type, and tie it to their platform along with many others.

With cross-game integration, NFTs can lead to a more connected and cohesive gaming experience. Until now, there haven’t been many games that have chosen this route. However, as more platforms create a multi-game ecosystem with in-game assets, it’s going to make holding an NFT so much more valuable.

New Revenue Streams

The last point we’ll go over is how NFTs can create and introduce new levels of revenue streams for both players and game developers alike. It will be the developers job to fabricate and introduce unique NFTs into the games ecosystem. As a reward, when players buy and sell these NFTs, the developers have a new revenue stream in the form of royalties.

This is already available in most games, but not as an NFT. So why should developers change their true and tried ecosystem?

Incentive.

Although games like Fortnite and Roblox managed to turn skins into a successful revenue stream, there is a great percentage of players who do not see the value in purchasing these skins.

Adding the incentive for a player to generate their own income revolutionizes revenue possibilities for the game. Players can earn their own NFTs by participating in the game, which will keep them invested; they can then sell their NFTs or trade them as a way to monetize their personal gaming experience.

As seen in multiple NFT platforms that have taken on this model, it’s led to a more sustainable gaming ecosystem.

Overall, NFTs have transformed in-game assets by providing ownership, authenticity, value, and personalization and enhanced gameplay through the use of virtual items. They’ve created a new ecosystem for virtual assets that were not possible before, and as we move forward as a gaming industry, NFTs will play a critical role and continue to revolutionize gaming.

About Ajuna Network

Ajuna Network is a Switzerland-based decentralized gaming platform bringing blockchain gaming into the mainstream by integrating GameFi functionality with the world’s leading development engines, Unreal and Unity. Built on Substrate, Ajuna leverages the full potential of the Polkadot ecosystem to provide developers with a modular toolbox to easily add fully-featured GameFi functionalities to their games. Ajuna’s ultimate goal is to create real value for both gamers and developers by providing a fully interoperable decentralized ecosystem for games and virtual goods.

Join our community here: https://discord.gg/ajunanetwork