Peter Molyneux, the creator of the critically acclaimed Fable game franchise, has a new project in mind, one that is set in a world where non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and gaming work together and are critical elements of it. Announced this past weekend, Molyneux’s next game is Legacy, a blockchain game that will let players earn real money by playing and a game that he reckons will “push the boundaries of blockchain gaming”. While that’s a lofty expectation from the get-go, the actual gameplay sounds like Sim City, but with the ability to buy and trade items by way of NFTs.
According to a blog post by Gala Games that specifically makes games built around NFTs, the company and Molyneux’s studio 22cans are working together on Legacy, which is described as the first-ever blockchain business sim and scheduled for a 2022 release.
Players build and design factories, its products, a town, and so on with LegacyCoin, earned through various competitive events. You can also use it to trade with others and buy in-game NFTs. But Molyneux’s vision doesn’t stop at letting players earn virtual currency. Instead, using the blockchain, players will be able to purchase “land NFTs”, which lets them start an “in-game blockchain business association”.
Being a member of this club will give users access to a special group of items as well called Legacy Keys. These can be lent to other players who also want to start their own business in the game’s virtual world, making them the lender’s “business partner”. However, the relationship is more like employer-employee, because any “business partners” will have to share a portion of their profits with the lender.
Naturally, though, Legacy doesn’t dole profits out to its players in any normal legal tender. Instead, the game has its own cryptocurrency called Legacycoin, which can be earned by competing in the game’s competitive events. It’s not clear what the exchange rate between Legacycoin and US dollars is yet.
While Legacy is still in development, players can already go on the game’s website and begin purchasing land NFTs. Along with Molyneux, Ubisoft is also merging the worlds of gaming and NFTs with a service dedicated to crypto tokens called Ubisoft Quartz. That said, the reaction to that particular announcement from Ubisoft was so overwhelmingly negative that the popular gaming publisher hid the announcement video from public view. You would think other developers and publishers would take note and start having second thoughts about embracing NFTs, but apparently not.
Molyneux, meanwhile, is undoubtedly one of the most recognisable names in the industry, having been responsible for creating beloved god games Populous, the PC version of Dungeon Keeper, and Black & White, as well as Microsoft’s Fable franchise. He most recently worked on Godus Wars in 2016, which included controversial microtransactions. Fans have been eagerly anticipating his next project, which seems set to be even more controversial.
