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Mech Shooter ‘MetalCore’ Shifts to Solana, Leaving Ethereum’s Immutable zkEVM Behind
- The mech-based third-person-shooter MetalCore is moving to the Solana blockchain for its upcoming season.
- The title, built by Studio 369, will take advantage of Solana’s immense scalability, as well as its growing reputation as a home for prominent GameFi titles.
- The news follows a successful season 1 for MetalCore, despite several delays on the Ethereum L2 Immutable zkEVM.
- The player base will be able to migrate their native tokens (MCG) and NFTs in the coming months.
It was only a few years ago that Solana was leading the charge of DeFi networks affectionately dubbed “Ethereum killers”. At the time, most used it as a pet name – Ethereum had its flaws, but it was so well-established that it was hard to see the network truly being usurped.
While Ethereum still sits comfortably as the second-biggest crypto by market cap, several key DeFi metrics have swung in Solana’s favour – including daily transaction volume and unique wallet addresses.
And it now appears that certain GameFi developers are prioritising Solana over Ethereum as their blockchain of choice.
Related: Ubisoft Launches ‘Champions Tactics’: Pioneering NFT Integration in Gaming
Solana Building Reputation As a GameFi Powerhouse
The popular cyber-mech shooter, MetalCore, is racing towards its second season after a successful launch on Ethereum’s Immutable zkEVM.
Typically, a change in season might mean the introduction of new gameplay mechanics, characters, maps or skins. But for MetalCore, it signals a drastic change of fundamentals, with the game moving its foundation to the Solana network.
The key rationale for the transition is simple – Solana’s low-fee scalability, per Decrypt.
Solana continues to show impressive growth and stability, being able to process billions of dollars in transactions while maintaining 99.95% uptime.
Matt Candler, CEO of Studio 369 (game Devs) The game’s developers, Studio 369, will follow in the footsteps of other prominent GameFi titles like Star Atlas, which have enjoyed Solana’s high speeds and efficient transaction model.
Network Delays Potentially An Unspoken Reason For MetalCore’s Move
When all was said and done, MetalCore’s Season 1 debut on Immutable zkEVM was hardly a failure. The game’s in-game-economy raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars, while also reducing the barrier to entry for non-crypto-users. This, paired with the game’s availability on the well-known Epic Games Store, helped foster an engaged community.
However, things didn’t quite go to plan. The initial launch of MetalCore was delayed for several months, due to an unforeseen issue with the protocol. This “prohibited [the game devs] from being more vocal about our situation,” requiring a US $5m (AU $7.5m) fundraising effort to save MetalCore.
Related: Avalanche Foundation Launches New Visa Card for Seamless Crypto Spending
But now, Studio 369 can focus on making MetalCore the best game it can be, leveraging Solana’s lightning-fast speeds alongside its purpose-built platform for onboarding non-crypto users to GameFi.
The transition is set to take place sometime in November this year.
Author
Ben Knight
Ben Knight is a writer and editor from Melbourne with a passion for all things music and finance. He enjoys turning complex topics – especially the technical details of cryptocurrency – into digestible bites that anybody can understand. He acquired his Master’s in Writing, Editing and Publishing from RMIT in 2019 and has run his own creative writing business ever since.
