CoinWorld.com reports:
MetalCore, a mech shooting game, will be migrating to the Ethereum layer 2 gaming network, Immutable zkEVM, to Solana, announced Studio 369 on Thursday. This move will coincide with the start of the game’s second season sometime in November.
Studio 369 cited Solana’s “remarkable” ability to handle a high volume of transactions and its continuously developing ecosystem as the reasons for taking this step.
Matt Candler, President and CEO of Studio 369, stated, “Solana continues to demonstrate impressive growth and stability, being able to handle billions of dollars in transactions while maintaining 99.95% uptime.”
He also referenced other Solana games like “Star Atlas” and “Aurory” to imply “countless opportunities for cross-promotion and collaboration.”
Image: Studio 369
MetalCore was initially scheduled to launch by the end of 2023 as an Ethereum layer 2 game. However, the mainnet of the network was delayed, leading Studio 369 to downsize the team. Candler previously stated in March that the zkEVM mainnet delay “prevents us from commenting further on our situation.”
In March, the studio announced another $5 million raised to help launch the game following the unexpected network delay. The game entered the open beta phase in September through the Epic Games Store and released many NFTs on the Immutable zkEVM chain.
When asked about the team’s experience on the Ethereum scaling network, Studio 369 declined to comment.
Candler told reporters, “We’ve seen a lot of positive traction and feedback since the launch.”
“Our first season was very successful, with strong KPIs indicating a healthy in-game economy. We also saw interest from non-crypto-native users who purchased assets worth over $100,000 through Web2 stores.”
Image: Studio 369
In addition to the beta version, MetalCore’s first game season, called MetalPunks Rhapsody, started in September, adding some features while upgrading the game to Unreal Engine 5, thus providing various performance and visual enhancements.
Furthermore, with the update, MetalCore has reduced the level of crypto knowledge required to participate in the game, such as no longer needing to create a wallet. The upcoming migration will also see MetalCore utilizing Solana Labs’ GameShift platform, which helps reduce friction for users in participating in the game economy related to cryptocurrencies.
While an official date has yet to be determined, Studio 369 expects to launch on Solana sometime in November, coinciding with the start of the second season. When this happens, players will have to migrate their NFTs and tokens from Immutable zkEVM to Solana, with more details to be provided before the migration.
Editor: Andrew Hayward