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As the metaverse continues to blur the line between reality and fiction, the immersive and escapism appeal of gaming is the first port of call for advocates of blockchain virtual worlds. Frontier is sitting at the forefront of the digital gaming revolution. Offering an online PvP game inside its own universe alongside a vault of NFTs, Frontier is pushing the boundaries of blockchain gaming.
NFTs
Listed on OpenSea, Frontier is offering 3,000 BLACK BOX NFTs. The digital boxes are limited edition, non-playable NFTs minted using ERC 1155 token standards and custom smart contracts on Ethereum. Each black box contains a unique data key to redeem $DATA – in-game ERC 20 tokens.
Black box NFT holders will also have exclusive access to airdrops, other NFTs and the alpha version of the underlying game, as well as privileges including voting rights.
Initially 2,000 black boxes were available but demand led Frontier to offer another 1,000. By September 2021, all 3,000 black boxes were sold out.
At the time of writing, one black box is selling for 3.2 ETH on OpenSea. Over the last 30 days, the selling price of one black box has risen from 1.45 ETH to 3.12 ETH.
A wealth of other in-game Frontier NFTs are also being sold on OpenSea, including “Electric Bullets”, “Malicious Shells” and “Shadow Bans” that gamers can add to enhance their digital armoury.
Frontier’s most expensive NFT was sold for 30 ETH but currently has a price of 690.69 ETH. The “Death By Robot” NFT gives users a “one-click headshot” ability.
Universe
Frontier’s gaming universe is inspired by the ‘The Watcher S/N 404’, described as a “mysterious entity lost in space.” The game is set in the universe of The Watcher.
According to the Missing Frontier website, the character was separated from his crew. “Unfortunately, the fleet he belonged to got inexplicably shattered during their operation. The International Space Security Administration (ISSA) is operating in the distance to kill him and hide the truth.”
Gamers can experience the interactive story on Twitter and can influence final outcomes.
GameFi
“Say goodbye to speculative NFTs and brace yourselves for the incoming era: Playable tokens and rewarding gameplays,” Frontier’s website states.
Operating as a GameFi platform, Frontier is play to earn mixed with traditional PvP. NFT black box owners will receive two flash boxes of classic, epic, stellar or acme tiers from their boxes. “Attack” and “defence” blocks hurt the opponent and protect the player respectively whilst “glitch” boxes completely obliterate enemies.
It’s not clear exactly how gamers are rewarded from playing the game, but it seems that more Frontier Game NFTs lead to more perks, which in turn should lead to winning more $DATA tokens.
Token holders will also have a say in the governance of the game – an important aspect in DeFi projects that seek to democratise data.
Bruteforce. pic.twitter.com/0c7k6M3Sfx
— FRONTIER (@missingfrontier) November 14, 2021
Our Thoughts
Despite the recent hype surrounding blockchain-based gaming, we’ve been skeptical at Bread. As avid console and PC gamers ourselves, we simply don’t see the appeal in forfeiting our time with the likes of Call Of Duty or FIFA for mobile gaming defi projects. Current gaming projects simply cannot compete with AAA titles we’ve been accustom to.
However, Frontier seems to be breaking the mould and targeting hardcore gamers. Video snippets and images showing Frontier’s immersive sci-fi world gives us Halo vibes, and it’s incredibly exciting. If Frontier succeeds in their goal and fulfils the requirements of traditional gamers whilst adding DeFi aspects, the project could be extremely lucrative.
Sadly, we’re yet to see any in-game footage from Frontier; the game is not even in alpha yet. Frontier may be promising the moon, and may indeed deliver it, but gamers are all too familiar with being burnt by false promises #Battlefield2042.
