Immutable X could be the silver bullet NFT gaming needs. There are several issues to address in the NFT gaming and trading space.
Non-fungible tokens have taken the play-to-earn world by storm. But trading NFTs isn’t always straightforward.
Just a few months ago, the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) Otherside sale showed the clear issues that arise when gas fees on the Ethereum network get too high. The much anticipated Otherside auction caused gas fees to soar to eye-watering levels.
In fact, the Otherside sale pretty much ‘broke’ Ethereum for around three hours, causing an outage on the network. Lots of people paid thousands in fees for transactions that never even went through.
This highlighted a few issues with the current setup.
Clearly, a new way forward is needed. One where massive networks like Ethereum are not overwhelmed by highly-anticipated sales. One where people aren’t outpriced simply because they can’t afford ridiculously high gas fees.
And this is where Immutable X comes in.
What is Immutable X?
Immutable X is a layer 2 protocol that allows users to trade NFTs on the Ethereum network. It includes features such as instant trade confirmation and no gas fees. These two features alone make it exceptionally attractive to NFT traders.
In fact, the platform markets itself as ‘the only gas-free minting platform’ with more than 30 million NFTs minted this year with 0 gas fees.
Immutable X has a bold vision for the future. In its current stage, Ethereum supports only around 150,000 trades per day at a 30% network usage rate. Immutable X wants to support more than 200 million trades per day at less than 30% of the network’s capacity.
These changes, coupled with having no gas fees, could revolutionize NFT trading on Ethereum. They would certainly reduce the likelihood of the Otherside sale fiasco occurring again.
Top 5 games on Immutable X
Some of the most popular NFT and blockchain games are hosted on Immutable X. Here are some of the biggest players in the space right now.
Illuvium
Illuvium is an open-world fantasy game where players can collect NFTs in the form of godlike creatures called Illuvials. Players are able to interact with Illuvials in various ways, such as mining, harvesting, capturing, and fighting the creatures.
Gods Unchained
Gods Unchained appeals to fans of strategy and cards alike. The free-to-play online game allows players to collect trading cards that double up as NFTs. Players can win more cards by playing matches, and can then trade their cards on the marketplace which is powered by Immutable X.
Guild of Guardians
Guild of Guardians is a multiplayer, team-based role-playing game which is currently in development. It is inspired by games like Dungeons and Dragons and Diablo. Players will be able to create teams of guardians and compete in guilds to complete various adventures and win rewards that they can then trade.
They will also be able to explore a world of dungeons, orcs, and magic.
Planet Quest
Planet Quest is set in the 27th century and promises an intergalactic adventure where players can discover and own unknown worlds. Players will be able to uplevel their own planets and create bases, collect resources, and fight off alien races.
Ember Sword
Ember Sword is a free-to-play online game incorporating role-playing elements. It is gameplay-led with a strong storyline developing on the moon of Thanabus. Players can own NFTs in the form of cosmetic items and land plots.
Why is Immutable X so attractive?
Immutable X solves several major problems that have been plaguing the NFT and P2E space. These include high gas fees and scalability. The platform itself offers several other features that make it highly attractive to gamers and developers alike.
For instance, it’s highly secure as it’s on the Ethereum network, and it offers wide distribution of NFTs on several marketplaces within the network. Building is also fast with simple APIs allowing for quicker launches.
Appeal to mainstream gamers
Many NFT blockchain games are trying to appeal to mainstream gamers. There is a huge market of mainstream gamers who are not involved in Web3 yet. Tapping into this market is a lucrative opportunity that game developers do not want to miss out on.
Just recently, Zilliqa partnered with Alien Worlds to encourage esports teams to try out blockchain games.
Immutable X makes it easy for mainstream players to participate in the space by using wallets that support credit card payments.
This is another major selling point of Immutable X.
No gas fees
The fact that Immutable X has managed to eliminate gas fees is massively attractive to both developers and users alike. It does this by batching thousands of transactions in the background and covering gas fees itself. Buyers only pay a 2% transaction fee on sales that go through.
Ethereum security
Immutable X is hosted on the Ethereum network because Ethereum is the largest and most secure blockchain. This gives game developers and gamers alike the peace of mind that their project is unbreachable.
Highly sustainable
The more environmentally conscious gamers and developers often worry about the impact of cryptocurrencies and blockchain on the environment. But Immutable X is completely carbon neutral, which makes it an attractive option in the crypto space.
Is Immutable X the future of Web3 gaming?
Immutable X certainly solves a lot of problems that have made NFT trading and, consequently, gaming, difficult. The highly secure level 2 protocol makes it easy and cheap to trade NFTs and offers a great user experience to gamers and developers alike.
Immutable X has major players backing it, with clients including Disney and Marvel. Also, its recent partnership with GameStop saw the US company launch a marketplace through Immutable X.
Some major NFT games are currently housed on Immutable X, with others due to be announced soon.
Immutable X is shaping up to be the perfect layer 2 Ethereum solution for quick scalability, low fees, and widespread adoption of P2E and blockchain gaming in general. It’s highly likely that Immutable X will be a major player in Web3 gaming moving forward.
