We saw the idea of earning money from games come to life starting from Cryptokitties back in 2018. Then, came the boom of Axie Infinity in 2020. Now, more gaming companies want a piece of the pie for the success of NFT video games.
However, most of them have a problem: there’s just too much “EARN” but not a lot of “FUN”. When was the last time someone said he had genuine fun from playing a Play-to-Earn game and got rewards for doing so? Most NFT games are all about tedious grinds from mechanics that mostly rely on luck or RNG (random number generation).
CYBERIUM plans to break this numb experience by providing a more active gameplay experience that rewards users for their skills. Digital sports games like NBA2K and FIFA already proved that players can be athletes too.
In addition, CYBERIUM aims to make NFT rewards more simplified and streamlined so everybody can get in on the trinkets and collectibles without feeling overwhelmed with complicated market systems and token burning.
Here’s our preview of the upcoming free-to-play, play-to-earn digital sports game.
Seamless and Streamlined Reward Collection
CYBERIUM wants to remove the overcomplicated parts to attract a more casual audience. After all, the moment a person who doesn’t know blockchain would feel intimidated the moment they read or hear the words “NFT”.
With CYBERIUM, they want to make a utopia where blockchain supporters and casual players would come and play. The developers – Cyber 8 – plan to make the game a hub for digital sports. CEO and founder James Vuong is set on creating a new place where sports-game lovers and competitive players unite to establish a new community where skill is everything.
Right now, they put their focus on the classic 8-ball game, meaning you get to compete with another player one-on-one. To earn from the game, you only need to play – doesn’t matter if you win or lose. Your active participation and presence in their metaverse already give rewards.
They have two in-game tokens: $BREAK and $ESPN. BREAK works as the incentive token whenever you finish a match. You can use BREAK to build your custom cue stick. The cue sticks come in a variety of stats like power and angling. When you build one, you can either use it for your own matches or sell them in the local NFT marketplace.
You can also use BREAK to generate your custom character as well. Those who are into cute anime girls may like the designs of the characters in the game.
ESPN is their governance token where stakers can earn bountiful rewards and a position for the DAO of the game.
For now, the game is still in progress and the project has yet to pass the IDO. If they do manage to make everything simplified and easy for the casual audience, we may see a new breakthrough in NFT gaming.
A Unique Setting for a Billiard Game
Usually, billiard games are set in pubs and gloomy bars. However, CYBERIUM wants to take a step further and add a futuristic to it. Think of it as sci-fi billiards – like what if Mass Effect, Cyberpunk 2077, or StarCraft had their own pool spin-off.
It even has its own world-building too. CYBERIUM works as the entire realm with separate cities within it. Each city represents a game. For now, they only have Vortera City – the capital of 8-ball pool games in CYBERIUM.
The developers are bent on gradually adding new cities as the game keeps growing – given that CYBERIUM becomes successful with active players.
Additionally, they’re adding a story as well. We don’t know how plots work with sports games but let’s see how it goes. Maybe it’s as deep as System Shock or just a filler like any NBA2K My Career mode.
No Luck, Just Skill
It’s quite tiring and frustrating if you play a game where RNG (Random Number Generation) matters more than the skill of a player. This becomes even more infuriating for PvP matches – especially monster battle types – where only the best NFT creation and most expensive investments win versus the starters.
With CYBERIUM, it’s all about the player’s skill level. In fact, it even has its own ranked game mode with an ELO system like League of Legends and CSGO. That means you get matchmade with players with a similar skill level as you. The higher your ELO, the better your rewards too.
Plus, isn’t that what the audience wants: an edge-of-your-seat experience when you watch top players do their thing? Or if you are a player, you would want something that feels rewarding when you do amazing plays? Think of how fighting games built their own audience thanks to the pro players showcasing some amazing talents during tournaments.
CYBERIUM wants to be that game that makes it exciting to watch as it is when playing the matches.
Bottom Line
CYBERIUM is still in its infancy but it’s looking like a very promising game. Not only does it want to engage its players in an intense way, yet it also wants to become the new esports in the blockchain sector.
We saw how esports evolved from just a bunch of nerds battling it out in front of computer screens to the most-watched sports games sponsored by well-respected companies like Intel, AMD, and Mercedes-Benz. CYBERIUM plans to be in the same ranks as the League of Legends Worlds tournament, DreamHack, and major tactical FPS championships.
NFT games in general have only gotten popular recently and they’re not planning to stop anytime soon. Companies like Microsoft, Ubisoft and Disney are already in the works of creating decentralized games set in the metaverse. If ever CYBERIUM manages to win the people’s hearts, we may see major sponsors running the tournaments too.
Right now, the game is under closed beta testing and only a select few people are chosen to try out the game. Cyber 8 is planning to release the game globally around May 2022.
