GameFi: Aether Games

Game development studio poised to become a Web3 transmedia giant.

Feb 28, 2024

Play-to-earn (P2E) gaming peaked sometime in 2021, marked by the dominant success of Axie Infinity, the turn-based strategy game which had players battling and evolving NFT pets all day in exchange for earning real serious money. But as we all know by now, the P2E hype was rather short-lived, and hasn’t lived up to the predictions of it upsetting the mainstream gaming industry.

Well, at least not yet.

In hindsight, the reason was remarkably simple. When the market crashed in 2022 and Axie earnings plunged along with it (leaving many players unable to recover their investments) it was as if beer goggles finally came off and people realized that without the earnings, there was little reason to invest that much time and effort into the game. Axie Infinity, had been in fact–a grind, instead of being fun.

The technology was certainly innovative, but the driving reason why players invest countless hours into a game is to immerse themselves in another world. To live out fantasy lives. Clearly, Web3 developers needed to go back to the roots of what ‘playing’ is all about.

Which is why since the fall of Axie Infinity, proponents of P2E have been racing to come up with a game that would live up to the promise – combining the technological innovations of Web3 gaming, with the playability and immersiveness of mainstream Web2 titles. One of those passionately pursuing this quest is the game development studio, Aether Games.

What is Aether Games?

Aether Games is the brainchild of Jens Peeters, who knows a thing or two about having fun, being an Esports celebrity manager, and at one time – the highest ranked World of Warcraft player at only fifteen. With his extensive background, he sees blockchain gaming eventually taking on the competitive route, churning out high quality games that would rival any other title out in the market today.

To achieve this vision, Aether Games focuses at being at the intersection of multiple disciplines, dabbling not only in in-house solutions to Web3 gaming technology, but also in cinema production, augmented reality, and real-life merchandise which they see as all needed to create a truly high-quality blockchain game.

Artistry and cinematic quality production is one that Aether Games invests heavily into, as they see it as a crucial component in creating truly immersive gaming experiences. After all, most Web3 games have been criticized as focusing too much on just the technology and the economics for earning, while neglecting how the game is packaged.

And the results are indeed promising as anyone can see from the CGI teaser for Gates of Eternity, their forthcoming augmented reality game, with painstakingly detailed creatures that look straight out of Hollywood CGI. Meanwhile, another game in the pipeline, Cards of Eternity, already features 200 stunning hand-crafted artworks to graze its NFT trading cards.

In fact, Aether Games not only makes the visuals and animations for their own games but for other gaming companies too, having already established a well-respected reputation as a CGI production house. Some of the iconic titles that their artistic team have worked on include God of War, Farcry6, Baldur’s Gate 3, Ghost Recon Breakpoint, and many more.

Meanwhile, on the backend, Aether Games will also launch its own token, AEG, on the Polygon chain, which will power the Aether ecosystem for gamers, developers, and businesses alike.

With its cinematic expertise and blockchain know-how, Aether Games hopes to break the barrier between Web2 and Web3 games, elevating decentralized infrastructure, asset ownership, and earning potential with seamless gameplay and artistry – to build a top-tier Web3 game.

Why should games be built on the blockchain?

After the decline of Axie Infinity, one question that has often been asked is ‘should games be built on a blockchain at all?’

And with more emphasis now on playability and immersiveness rather than on play-to-earn mechanics, is there still any advantage to building on a blockchain rather than on a centralized server?

The answer is still a resounding ‘yes’, for the following reasons:

Blockchains are more secure than centralized servers. Their decentralized infrastructure makes blockchains less prone to hacking attacks and exploits since there is no single point which bad actors can target. Not only does this protect player funds and in-game assets, but also players’ personal data.
True digital ownership is only possible with a blockchain. In Web2 gaming, players' gaming assets and progress are stored in a centralized server which the gaming company owns. Should the company decide to discontinue a game or should their servers be compromised, a players’ hard won items and progress is lost.
True digital ownership makes unique gaming experiences possible such as interconnected gaming universes, where characters or assets in one game can be moved and used in another game.
Blockchain games allow for innovative business models, not only limited to play-to-earn or trading of in-game items in secondary markets. Real-world businesses for example, can purchase digital real estate within the gaming metaverse to put up a shop and offer real-world products.

Aether Games lineup

Aether Games is actively developing their flagship game set within the rich, dark fantasy universe of Aether, populated with a wide array of mythical creatures such as monsters, trolls, fairies, and elementals. Players can transform these beings into NFTs, thus gaining complete ownership. This game is distinctive for its 'dynamic' NFTs, which possess unique abilities and can be utilized across the expansive universe of Aether's game offerings.

Unlike traditional play-to-earn models, this game incorporates earning mechanisms akin to those found in many conventional games. These mechanisms are carefully designed to complement the gaming experience rather than overshadow it. Players can earn rewards through gameplay, which can then be used to acquire rare items or to enhance their creatures, thereby enriching the overall gaming experience without prioritizing profit over playability.

Alongside this engaging game, Aether Games is producing a CGI series named Aether Saga. This series delves into a mystical Viking world, telling the story of Holda, a wise völva, and Einar, a young man marked by a unique red birthmark. Their adventure starts in a Viking village, which is thrown into chaos with the arrival of dragons. Both the game and the series are key components of Aether Games' mission to create immersive experiences that span various media, merging traditional narratives with the forefront of digital innovation.

Cards of Eternity

Cards of Eternity is a free-to-play, turn-based card trading game reminiscent of other big titles in the genre such as Magic: The Gathering. In Cards of Eternity, players battle each other with a hero of their choice, with a customized deck consisting of different creatures, relics, and spells. With these, players can formulate endless unique strategies depending on the combination of attributes of the cards they possess.

Different cards vary in rarity, from basic cards to ‘legendary’, creating a robust trading community and heightening the immersiveness of gameplay as players seek out rarer cards for their value in combat. What’s more, Aether Games has partnerships with Illuvium and Ultiverse, who will also have their own assets featured in Cards of Eternity.

Aether Games unveils Cards of Eternity, a high-quality collectible card game now available on Epic Games.

Aether Saga

Aside from launching games, Aether Saga will be launched as a cinematic short story series to supplement and enrich the entire Aether Games franchise. The series will explore the immersive lore and backstories of Aether characters and creatures, through breathtaking artwork and stunning animation, and take players on interactive storylines throughout the vast Aether universe.

The AEG Token

AEG is the utility token of the Aether Games ecosystem. It is an ERC-20 token built on the Polygon sidechain. Being native to Polygon, this allows users to enjoy faster network speeds and significantly lower gas feeds than on the Ethereum mainnet.

AEG is primarily used as a payment token for all transactions in the Aether Games ecosystem, such as the trade and rent of in-game assets and payment for services and merchandise.
AEG is used in-game for various purposes such as crafting NFT cards or NFT creatures, or for evolving NFTs to improve their abilities and characteristics.
AEG also has a staking mechanism via the Aether Vault. Staking AEG incentivizes users to hold on to their tokens in exchange for AEG or NFT rewards.

Aether Games has officially announced that its initial distribution offering (IDO) will be happening on Polkastarter. The IDO will take place on the 6th of February, closely followed by the token generation event (TGE) on the 7th of February.

Previously Aether Games secured $4.5 million in token and equity funding, going on to raise a total of roughly $13 million in token sales.

Team

Aside from CEO Jen Peeters, Aether Games has an impressive lineup which includes Sebastian Andres, Clément Martin, Denis Puhleacov, Dmitri Miachin, Zaur Akhundzada, Thomas Barrate, Andrzej Kostyuk, Kalani Lindsey, Yaroslav Dmytrenko, Remi Charles and Daniel Scott

The team has collectively worked in over 500 titles in the media and entertainment space, with contributions to massive titles (in addition to the ones previously mentioned) such as Hearthstone, World of Tanks, Final Fantasy XV, Love, Death & Robots, Viking: War of Clans, and League of Legends, just to name a few.

The team also includes a dedicated team of professional actors for its production of the Aether Saga.

Community and Roadmap

Aether Games has a community of over 5000 players in early access, with over 300K followers across Telegram, Discord, and X (Twitter).

Aether Games has hinted at a lot of exciting collaborations in the future including mobile releases and partnerships with toy manufacturers and global food chains for its line of merchandise and physical collectibles such as table-top card decks.

Conclusion

Web3 gaming has already had its lows, but with all the development and exploration taking place in the industry, it’s a fairly good bet that it hasn’t gone anywhere near its highs yet. So much remains unknown on how the industry will be like five or ten years from now – which is just another way of saying how much growth and potential is brimming within the space, just waiting for that first runaway breakout title.

And thanks to previous years, P2E developers have learned a lot, maturing in their vision and strategy. It's no longer about just finding ways to make money off game-play. For a game, true sustainability has always been, only a product of enduring playability – and outfits like Aether Games are putting playability back in the formula.

References

Aether Games

https://aethergames.io/

Aether Games on X

https://twitter.com/AetherGamesInc

Play-to-Earn Games Are Missing the Point. Here’s How to Fix Them

https://www.coindesk.com/layer2/2022/02/24/play-to-earn-games-are-missing-the-point-heres-how-to-fix-them/

Blockchain Gaming Needs Triple-A Titles to Truly Go Mainstream

https://nftnow.com/features/blockchain-gaming-needs-triple-a-titles-to-truly-go-mainstream/

Exclusive Interview with Aether Games: Cards of Eternity, a Recognizable IP, and the Power of AR

https://gam3s.gg/news/exclusive-interview-with-aether-games/

Aether Games announces IDO on Polkastarter!