Guilds that emerged through the play-to-earn growth are evolving with the crypto gaming trade. Now GuildFi has introduced plans to rebrand itself to Zentry, with plans to create a unified “superlayer” that rewards gamers throughout all varieties of video games—these throughout a number of blockchains, but additionally Web2 video games and even real-world social experiences.
The agency started life again within the Axie Infinity days, operating a scholarship program that lent gamers in-game NFTs in change for a reduce of their play-to-earn revenue. Even then, GuildFi aspired to broader goals, describing plans for a cross-game ID that may accumulate factors throughout numerous video games and reward gamers for engagement.
Now beneath the Zentry banner, the upcoming blockchain-powered superlayer is sort of a extra formidable tackle the thought—a “recreation of video games,” as founder and CEO Jarindr Thitadilaka stated in a press launch, spanning not solely crypto and NFT video games but additionally pulling in information from video games that customers play on Web2 platforms.
Gaming stays on the core of that have, however Zentry is aiming greater, looking for to reward customers for all types of social and leisure actions. For instance, social media interactions and real-world actions tracked by way of an upcoming app may even play into this purpose.
Are you prepared for the evolution of @GuildFiGlobal
Very quickly. pic.twitter.com/zjX4Vl3F5R
— jarindr.eth 🦇🔊 | GF (@jarindr) April 19, 2024
In accordance with Thitadilaka, Zentry’s flagship Radiant app will act because the interface for customers, letting gamers progress and accrue rewards based mostly on their actions throughout blockchain purposes, conventional gaming platforms, social media, and the bodily world. Think about incomes advantages for hitting your health targets, or for happening a streak of every day espresso runs.
“Our Play Economic system is the following iteration of play-to-earn, rising its scope past simply Web3 or video games,” Thitadilaka advised Decrypt. “Inside it, each play, each victory, and each second not solely enriches your gaming legacy but additionally advantages your real-world self, empowering players like by no means earlier than.”
As a part of the rebranding effort, Zentry will launch a brand new ZENT token. Holders of the prevailing GuildFi (GF) token on Ethereum can swap for ZENT at a 1-for-10 change fee by way of an online portal.
GuildFi raised greater than $140 million in funding again in 2021, primarily by way of a neighborhood token sale but additionally by way of funding from outstanding corporations like Binance Labs, Coinbase Ventures, and Animoca Manufacturers. The agency says its treasury continues to be valued above $100 million as of the begin of 2024, spanning crypto belongings, tokens and fairness by way of investments, and owned NFTs.
Art work from Zentry’s “superlayer” expertise. Picture: Zentry
Zentry’s transformation comes quickly after considered one of its greatest contemporaries from the Axie Infinity period, Yield Guild Video games, revealed its personal shift—from a guild itself right into a protocol to energy different guilds. Yield Guild is working with the makers of assorted video games to combine its guild tech to let gamers seamlessly workforce up and collaborate inside blockchain video games.
In Zentry’s case, the purpose is to tug collectively all the gaming, social, and leisure actions of customers and merge them by way of shared interface that provides rewards. It is going to have the sensation of a massively multiplayer on-line role-playing recreation (MMORPG), Thitadilaka defined, full with story components to attract gamers additional into the expertise.
Group members, he stated, will be capable of vote on governance, initiatives, and rewards, however Thitadilaka stated the gaming universe he envisions isn’t a DAO. A decentralized autonomous group (DAO) is a neighborhood construction the place management is unfold out reasonably than being hierarchical, and goals to be absolutely decentralized and ruled by neighborhood consensus.
Thitadilaka expressed skepticism concerning the practicality of a totally decentralized ecosystem at current, citing potential adverse penalties when “everybody does no matter they need,” as an alternative suggesting a extra managed but participatory mannequin as Zentry takes flight.
“Our gaming universe extends past a typical DAO,” he stated. “It incorporates a one-of-a-kind ecosystem stack of 4 vertically built-in cores, together with blockchain infrastructure bridging Web2 and Web3 information, a collection of apps for gamers, and a multiversal IP world that deepens engagement by way of compelling narratives and collaborative IP partnerships.”
The blockchain trade, Thitadilaka believes, is full of infrastructure and video games that may’t appeal to sizable audiences as a consequence of technical complexities, together with different excessive obstacles to entry. They focus solely on Web3 players and pass over the a lot, a lot bigger universe of Web2 gamers. Zentry is designed to bridge that hole.
“We’re right here to unravel that and capitalize on these underutilized programs and communities,” he stated, “to not simply evolve with the crypto gaming trade however be answerable for its evolution.”