In gaming, publishers have traditionally held all the power. That is, until blockchain moved the needle and compelled players to recognize their intrinsic worth. With the emergence of blockchain-based economies, guilds, p2p marketplaces and NFTs, gamers were suddenly handed a long-overdue red pill. There are few better examples of this paradigm shift than Alien Worlds.
By making its entire infrastructure open-source and recording all player interactions on public chains, Alien Worlds has established itself as a pioneer in the new gaming milieu, its foundation resting on a simple yet powerful premise: players deserve better.
This vision, long championed by primary contributor Dacoco, seeks to gradually transfer control of Alien Worlds to its community, creating a collaborative environment where players are creators and co-owners rather than passive consumers. An environment that they can amplify and augment in myriad ways.
The Beauty of Open-Source Development
Every aspect of the Alien Worlds’ technical foundation – from the smart contracts that govern core mechanics to API tools enabling new development – is accessible to the community. What this means, in practice, is that creators can freely examine and iterate upon the existing codebase to create new experiences. It’s the antithesis of a closed shop.
This level of accessibility has already yielded impressive results. Case in point: Double Coconut’s Unity SDK for mobile, an open-source plugin package that enhances the mobile gaming experience. Created with support from Galactic Hubs, the Unity SDK proves how community-driven development can elevate the entire ecosystem.
Alien Worlds’ commitment to transparency extends beyond just code availability, though. Every player interaction, from mining to staking to voting, is recorded on-chain. The phrase “don’t trust, verify” – a cornerstone of the crypto world – can now be applied to games. That’s the beauty of operating out in the open, using public ledgers.
Attractive to players for obvious reasons, it is a model that’s just as appealing to game developers – hence why many of them have sought a grant from Galactic Hubs and plugged into the ecosystem, adding more use-cases for both Trilium and Alien Worlds NFTs. In one such game, Mercenary Battlegrounds, players can unlock Alien Worlds towers and characters by syncing their NFTs; the free-to-download game was the first Alien Worlds release to be listed on STEAM.
Power to the Players
There is perhaps no better showcase of Alien Worlds’ open-source, on-chain bonafides than its various DAOs, made up of six Planetary Syndicates, six Union DAOs, and a dedicated Lore DAO.
Effectively decentralized player councils, these organizations are entirely transparent, their election cycles empowering Explorers to take on active governance roles. While the Union DAOs were created to handle complex, long-term projects, Syndicates manage TLM budgets, and the Lore DAO vets lore proposals, all are community forums where players can suggest ideas, participate in governance, and receive rewards for their efforts.
The game’s governance structure has also evolved beyond simple administration to include innovative features like tokenized storytelling. With the new Tokenized Lore UI, Explorers get to take a proactive role in shaping the game’s narrative by staking TLM to gain vote power and help color and shape its sci-fi story.
Today, Alien Worlds is the cynosure of a thriving ecosystem of community-developed projects from Battlefleet Armageddon to Milky Way Miner. Any community member with an idea for a game, and an interest in developing it, can apply for a grant through Galactic Hubs to extend the boundaries of the metaverse and tap into our dedicated player base.
The success of Alien Worlds proves that decentralization – achieved through open infrastructure, transparent governance, and community participation – creates a more engaging and sustainable gaming ecosystem. One in which players are incentivized to play, compete, create, and rule.
What could be better?