Ember Sword

Last updated

Ember Sword
Ember Sword.jpg
Developer(s) Bright Star Studios
Publisher(s) Bright Star Studios
Director(s) Maxim Zimnukhov
Producer(s)
  • Sage Durain
  • Joris Huijbregts
  • Victor Rubinstein
  • Samuel Horton
Designer(s) Maciej Ostrowski
Artist(s)
  • Victor Rubinstein
  • Siniša Zimke Vučković
Writer(s) Samuel Horton
Composer(s) Jannick Damkvist
Engine Project SERIUS
Platform(s)
Genre(s) Sandbox game, Massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Blockchain game
Mode(s) Multiplayer

Ember Sword is an upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing sandbox blockchain game developed and published by Bright Star Studios for Windows and macOS. Presented from a three-dimensional isometric perspective, Ember Sword players will battle against each other or non-player characters, enhancing their character's abilities by equipping different weapons and armor. Players will be able to trade with each other for resources or loot them from slain foes. The game will integrate the Ethereum blockchain, which will allow for players to use non-fungible tokens to acquire items.

Contents

The game is scheduled for early access release in late 2024, with browser accessibility.

Gameplay

Players will control a character avatar from a 3D isometric perspective. [1] Characters will be factionless; with combat with hostile non-player characters (NPCs) called "mobs" or other players in designated player versus player arena spaces. [2] [ non-primary source needed ] Abilities will be tied directly to the types of weapons that are equipped, with better weapons and armor provided as a reward for defeating enemies. The game also intends to offer non-combat activities, such as farming crops. [1]

Rare cosmetic items and land will be stored via blockchain. [1] Ember Sword will follow a play-to-earn business model; currency earned by slaying mobs, selling items and trading with players will be exchanged for tokens that convert to Ethereum cryptocurrency. Players will be able to acquire land, used for the construction of structures, planting of crops and establishment of dungeons. [2] [ non-primary source needed ]

Development

Production of Ember Sword began in 2018, under the Danish developer So Couch Studios, led by chief executive officer Mark Laursen. It was announced in October of that year. Initially developed on the Unity game engine, Ember Sword was intended designed for Windows and Android operating systems. The Ethereum blockchain was intended to be integrated into the game, which will allow for players to acquire tokenized cosmetics through gameplay, tradable for the in-game currency called "PIXEL". [3] [1] In April 2020, the venture capitalist firm Galaxy Interactive announced a $700,000 pre-seed investment alongside Play Ventures in the game's developer, renamed Bright Star Studios. [4] An initial virtual sale of in-game land was held in May 2021; the four thousand available plots sold out within six hours. [5]

In July 2021, Bright Star held a subsequent virtual land sale, resulting in over $203 million being pledged from approximately 35,000 applications for plots. [6] Shortly after the conclusion of the initial land sale, a $2 million investment deal from the previous May was announced. [7]

Ember Sword initially was to rely upon Polygon (MATIC) as the platform for handling Ethereum, but with the establishment of Immutable Pty Ltd's Immutable X platform, Bright Star announced in March 2022 that it would migrate to the newer platform, alongside a $100 million partnership with GameStop. [8] Bright Star decided in 2021 to abandon Unity as the game engine and develop a proprietary engine that would favor browser accessibility and streaming media. [1] Bright Star initially contracted with a third-party engine developer, but decided to develop a proprietary engine in-house. Five game engines were attempted before Bright Star created the final iteration called Project SERIUS. [9] The game's token, rebranded as "$Ember", was launched on June 13, 2024. [10]

Release

In April 2022, virtual land owners and VIP badge holders were given access to a pre-alpha technical test of the game. [11] A year later, an alpha test was held, focused on a new area and demonstrating rudimentary core mechanics. [12] A subsequent vertical slice alpha demo was released in October 23, allowing players to participate in raids. [1] The game will tentatively have early access testing with limited features in late 2024. [10]

Related Research Articles

Jagex Limited is a British video game developer and publisher based at the Cambridge Science Park in Cambridge, England. It is best known for RuneScape and Old School RuneScape, both free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing games. The company's name is derived from the company's original slogan, "Java Gaming Experts".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Pardo</span>

Rob Pardo is an American video game designer. He is the former Chief Creative Officer at Blizzard Entertainment, resigning on July 3, 2014. Previously he was the Executive Vice President of game design at Blizzard Entertainment, and prior to that the lead designer of World of Warcraft. In 2006, he was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Kongregate is an American web gaming portal and video game publisher. Its website features over 124,000 online games and 30+ mobile games available to the public. The company also publishes games for PC, mobile, and home consoles. It was purchased by GameStop Corporation in 2010 before being acquired by Modern Times Group MT AB in 2017.

<i>Neverwinter</i> (video game) 2013 video game

Neverwinter is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Cryptic Studios for Microsoft Windows in 2013, Xbox One in 2015, and PlayStation 4 in 2016. Based on the fictional Forgotten Realms city of Neverwinter from Dungeons & Dragons, Neverwinter is a standalone game and not part of the previous Neverwinter Nights series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethereum</span> Open-source blockchain computing platform

Ethereum is a decentralized blockchain with smart contract functionality. Ether is the native cryptocurrency of the platform. Among cryptocurrencies, ether is second only to bitcoin in market capitalization. It is open-source software.

A decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), sometimes called a decentralized autonomous corporation (DAC), is an organization managed in whole or in part by decentralized computer program, with voting and finances handled through a blockchain. In general terms, DAOs are member-owned communities without centralized leadership. The precise legal status of this type of business organization is unclear.

Consensys is a private blockchain software technology company founded by Joseph Lubin and based in Fort Worth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The DAO</span> Early decentralized business based on the Ethereum blockchain

The DAO was a digital decentralized autonomous organization and a form of investor-directed venture capital fund. After launching in April 2016 via a token sale, it became one of the largest crowdfunding campaigns in history, but it ceased activity after much of its funds were taken in a hack in June 2016.

<i>New World</i> (video game) 2021 video game

New World is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Amazon Games Orange County and published by Amazon Games released on September 28, 2021. The game was previously scheduled to release in May 2020 and subsequently August 2021, but was delayed until its worldwide release on September 28, 2021. Set in the mid-seventeenth century, players colonize a fictional land modeled after the Americas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardano (blockchain platform)</span> Public blockchain platform

Cardano is a public blockchain platform. It is open-source and decentralized, with consensus achieved using proof of stake. It can facilitate peer-to-peer transactions with its internal cryptocurrency, ADA.

<i>CryptoKitties</i> 2017 blockchain game on Ethereum

CryptoKitties is a blockchain game developed by Canadian studio Dapper Labs. The game allows players to buy, sell, and create non-fungible tokens (NFTs) using Ethereum. These NFTs represent virtual cats. The game's popularity in December 2017, congested the Ethereum network, causing it to reach an all-time high in the number of transactions and slowing it down significantly.

Video games can include elements that use blockchain technologies, including cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), often as a form of monetization. These elements typically allow players to trade in-game items for cryptocurrency, or represent in-game items with NFTs. A subset of these games are also known as play-to-earn games because they include systems that allow players to earn cryptocurrency through gameplay. Blockchain games have existed since 2017, gaining wider attention from the video game industry in 2021. Several AAA publishers have expressed intent to include this technology in the future. Players, developers, and game companies have criticized the use of blockchain technology in video games for being exploitative, environmentally unsustainable, and unnecessary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Non-fungible token</span> Unique and non-interchangeable data

A non-fungible token (NFT) is a unique digital identifier that is recorded on a blockchain and is used to certify ownership and authenticity. It cannot be copied, substituted, or subdivided. The ownership of an NFT is recorded in the blockchain and can be transferred by the owner, allowing NFTs to be sold and traded. Initially pitched as a new class of investment asset, by September 2023, one report claimed that over 95% of NFT collections had zero monetary value.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tron (cryptocurrency)</span> Blockchain computing platform

TRON is a decentralized, blockchain-based operating system with smart contract functionality, proof-of-stake principles as its consensus algorithm and a cryptocurrency native to the system, known as Tronix (TRX). It was established in March 2014 by Justin Sun and since 2017 has been overseen and supervised by the TRON Foundation, a non-profit organization in Singapore, established in the same year. It is open-source software.

<i>Axie Infinity</i> 2018 non-fungible token online game

Axie Infinity is a blockchain game developed by Vietnamese studio Sky Mavis, known for its in-game economy which uses Ethereum-based cryptocurrencies.

<i>Doctor Who: Worlds Apart</i> Video game

Doctor Who: Worlds Apart is a free-to-play digital collectible card game using a blockchain on a fork of Ethereum developed and published by Reality Gaming Group, based upon the BBC television series Doctor Who. The game has released for Microsoft Windows and macOS, and is planned to be released for mobile devices soon.

<i>Legends of Aria</i> Indie MMORPG

Legends of Aria or LoA is a fantasy-based indie MMORPG. The game was released in beta in 2014, early-access in 2019, and a full release in 2020. It was developed by Citadel Studios Inc., a gaming company founded by Derek Brinkmann, who previously lead development of Ultima Online. In 2022, the game announced plans to shift to a blockchain game, with the introduction of a cryptocurrency and NFTs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polygon (blockchain)</span> Cryptocurrency

Polygon is a blockchain platform which aims to create a multi-chain blockchain system compatible with Ethereum. As with Ethereum, it uses a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism for processing transactions on-chain. Polygon's native token is named MATIC. Matic is an ERC-20 token, allowing for compatibility with other Ethereum cryptocurrencies. It is operated by Polygon Labs.

Astellia was a massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by Korean Studio 8.

Immutable Pty Ltd is an Australian crypto assets gaming company established in 2018 in Sydney. It developed digital collectible card game Gods Unchained and role-playing video game Guild of Guardians.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hassfeld, Niels (October 26, 2023). "Ember Sword Hands-On Preview – Potentially great MMO, but worries about Blockchain". IGN . Archived from the original on October 27, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Immutable Games Spotlight: Ember Sword Announces Alpha Land Sale" (Press release). Immutable Pty Ltd. July 28, 2023. Archived from the original on August 1, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  3. ↑ Daniel, Matt (October 18, 2018). "New mobile MMO Ember Sword is another cryptocurrency game". Massively Overpowered . Archived from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  4. ↑ Sheehan, Gavin (May 1, 2020). "Galaxy Interactive Part Of $700K Investment Into Bright Star Studios". Bleeding Cool . Archived from the original on May 3, 2020. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  5. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (July 13, 2023). "Bright Star Studios launches land sale for Web3 MMO Ember Sword". VentureBeat . Archived from the original on July 13, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  6. ↑ Shankar, Poorna (August 4, 2021). "Ember Sword's Pledges Reach Over $203 Million for NFT Community Land Sale". MMORPG.com . Archived from the original on April 25, 2024. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  7. ↑ Kaser, Rachel (December 6, 2021). "Bright Star Studios attracts new investors following in-game land sale". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  8. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (February 3, 2022). "GameStop launches NFT marketplace on Immutable X, creates $100M dev fund". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  9. ↑ Laursen, Mark (January 24, 2023). "Bright Star Studios: Forging Better Experiences in Gaming and Technology in 2023 & Beyond" (Press release). Bright Star Studios. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  10. 1 2 Weber, Steven (May 30, 2024). "Ember Sword Clarifies Economy Ahead of Crypto-Token Launch - Teases Early Access". MMORPG.com. Archived from the original on May 30, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  11. ↑ Gonzalez, Christina (March 3, 2022). "Ember Sword Will Hold Pre-Alpha Technical Testing in April". MMORPG.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  12. ↑ Whitmore, Ralph (April 24, 2023). "Ember Sword Alpha Impressions - Did Bright Star's MMO Show Potential?". MMORPG.com. Archived from the original on April 24, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.