Mobile Mayhem with NFTs: MadWorld Shoots for Web3 Domination

MadWorld, developed by Carbonated Inc., a studio founded by veterans from PlayStation and Electronic Arts, isn’t just about shooting your way to the top. The game introduces a unique twist: players can own, upgrade, and trade NFT representations of real-world locations within the game’s post-apocalyptic map.

This mosaic of over 250,000 land plots becomes the battleground, with each piece offering distinct resources and strategic advantages. Clans vying for dominance will need to pay “tribute” to the NFT land owner to exploit these perks.

This tribute system utilizes “Rounds,” an in-game currency poised to transition into an on-chain cryptocurrency, fueling a fully-fledged tokenized economy within MadWorld. Landowners can reinvest Rounds back into their plots, enhancing the benefits they offer to clans seeking control.

Carbonated CEO Travis Boatman, a mobile gaming powerhouse with experience at Zynga and Electronic Arts, believes mobile gaming is the perfect platform to usher in the Web3 revolution. He highlights the familiarity mobile gamers have with in-app purchases using digital currencies, suggesting NFTs represent a natural extension of this existing behaviour.

“We think mobile is where the breakout will happen for Web3,” Boatman said. “Mobile gamers are super familiar with purchasing digital goods with digital currency. We believe it’s only one additional cognitive step to do this on-chain.”

Boatman acknowledges the ongoing conversation surrounding Web3 gaming regulations. While user experience improvements for blockchain applications remain crucial, he sees regulations as a positive force in preventing exploitative practices that plagued the early days of free-to-play mobile gaming.

The key, according to Boatman, lies in creating exceptional gameplay experiences. “To create that ownership demand, games simply need to be so good that players will crawl over broken glass for them,” he emphasized. This focus on core gameplay, he believes, is where many Web3 gaming projects fall short, paving the way for experienced studios like Carbonated to thrive.

Adding to this, Carbonated recently secured $11 million in Series A funding. This impressive haul comes courtesy of prominent backers like Com2uS, the South Korean gaming giant behind the XPLA blockchain network powering MadWorld’s NFT elements. Andreessen Horowitz, Bitkraft Ventures, and other notable names also joined the funding round, highlighting the growing investor interest in the potential of Web3 gaming.

With a captivating blend of shooting action, strategic territory control, and a well-designed NFT integration, MadWorld is poised to be a pioneer in the mobile Web3 gaming space. As the game enters early access and the development team gathers player feedback, one thing’s for certain: the mobile gaming landscape is on the cusp of a transformative era driven by blockchain technology.