Jam City has announced the launch of a blockchain division to lead and develop projects in the rapidly growing play-to-earn gaming space. In conjunction with the launch, Jam City introduces its first next-generation blockchain game, Champions: Ascension, an adventure game set in a player-driven, high fantasy universe developed exclusively for Web3. Ahead of the game launch, Jam City will make available a limited run of 10,000 NFTs called Prime Eternals – the ultimate ascension tier in the Champions universe – starting with a whitelist-only private sale.
“With Champions: Ascension, the team has created iconic characters called ‘Champions’ that players and collectors will want to get their hands on and own for decades to come.Web3 gives us the opportunity to incorporate player input, direct ownership of the characters, and ultimately player agency that is not currently possible with standard game technology. With Champions: Ascension, Jam City has the opportunity to help define this next generation of gaming – this is why we’re so bullish on investing heavily in multiple Web3 projects,” said Jam City co-founder and CEO Chris DeWolfe.
Champions is an RPG battle game that takes place in the world of Massina, which has been at peace for 1,000 years. Ruled by generations of Emperors, the people are united and entertained by its gladiatorial games in a grand arena fought by outlandish beasts known as Eternals. These alchemical creations are imbued with a primordial essence such as life, death or arcane, and possess special abilities. These essences are worshiped as deities by the people as the balance between the different Houses influences their daily lives. Players will be able to impact changes to the world of Massina with the help of blockchain technology.
The 10,000 one-of-a-kind Prime Eternals NFTs will never be minted again, and holders of Prime Eternals will have the highest in-game earning potential and access to unique perks not available to other players. These include – among other things – special gear, the ability to play an early version of the game, and access to the game’s developers via Discord, where they will have direct input over Champions’ direction and evolution via feedback and regular votes on new products and characters being introduced in Massina.
Champions: Ascension is focused on creating maximum fun for players. Players will engage in strategic, high-stakes decision making, allowing them to outsmart, outmaneuver and overpower opponents via visceral gladiatorial combat. Players will be able to:
- Train, equip and prepare Champions for deadly exchanges
- Forge weapons, armor and gear from the very bones of fallen opponents
- Battle for land ownership to build forges to let you craft imbued gear
- Splice the essence of Champion with others to create more powerful Champions
- Survive and thrive in a world that respects and admires glory in combat
- Work with friends to form alliances and gain the favor of the Emperor
- Amass enough victories, ascend and claim a place amongst the ranks of the Eternals themselves
Later, Jam City will introduce additional Champions tiers with varying levels of in-game earning potential and access to gear. Champion NFTs can be used in the game to find, socialize and battle other players. In later versions, Jam City will make it possible for players to build structures and forge fight gear for their characters to use or sell on the player-to-player marketplace. All of these activities will enable players to expand their collections and their presences in the Champions Universe, helping to drive community engagement and creating opportunities for players to leverage gameplay, peer-to-peer sales and staking to increase the value of their Eternals and the digital goods held in their wallets over time.
“We’re taking our long-term expertise and knowledge of gaming and blockchain to create a highly dynamic and truly unique experience, and we’ll be involving our community in building and executing our roadmap in a way many have promised but few have managed to meaningfully deliver on. However, the most important part of this experience, which is true of all our games, is that it will be fully accessible. The beauty of Champions is that it will be rolled out across multiple platforms, and players do not have to be crypto experts to get involved. We are re-drawing the rules when it comes to engagement and ultimately will provide a deeper, richer, more rewarding experience that allows players to generate real income while playing the games they love,” said Jam City co-founder, president and COO Josh Yguado.
Jam City has a rich history of creating and building highly engaged communities around massively social mobile games that appeal to broad global audiences. Its franchises span multiple game categories and include hits whose success has been fueled by Jam City’s sophisticated game design, art, engineering, marketing and live operations. Moreover, the management team has nearly two decades of experience at the forefront of the social web, uniquely positioning the company to identify and usher in the next wave of gameplay in the metaverse – further democratising the experience for players all over the world.
DeWolfe added, “This launch marks a natural evolution of our strategy that will open up exciting new opportunities for growth. We look forward to continuing to invest in our Forever Franchises and introducing new free-to-play games, while expanding our universe of play-to-earn titles to capitalize on our early-mover advantage in this space.”