Unstoppable Games has announced that it will launch its web-based sci-fi multiplayer (MMO) game called Influence on the Starknet platform for the Ethereum blockchain. StarkWare, the creator of Starknet, also invested in Unstoppable Games last month.
The non-fungible token (NFT) asset sale for Influence will begin on April 11, and the game itself will launch this summer.
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Influence will be a space strategy MMO where humanity dwells among asteroids and factions fight for resources. Chris Lexmond, CEO of Unstoppable Games, said the game was partially inspired by Eve Online and the sci-fi show The Expanse, a six-season series that recently ended its run on Amazon Prime. He was also inspired by the book series of the same name by James S.A. Corey, pen name of authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck.
Player transactions will be continuously recorded on chain. It’s an Ethereum-based Web3 experience that until now has been impractical due to Ethereum’s high gas costs – made within reach by Starknet’s Layer 2 scaling. Starknet allows NFT transactions to be processed more efficiently and at a much lower cost.
StarkWare has launched the Starknet Layer 2 platform, but is now making it a Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO).
“We’re going to deliver an experience that hasn’t been possible on Ethereum before,” Lexmond said. “Ethereum is the world’s computer, but high gas fees and latency limit its role in gaming. Zero-knowledge Layer 2 technology, built on Ethereum, clearly solves these problems for DeFi, and we show its transformative power for gaming.
He added: “As people play Influence, as they travel around the asteroid belt, mine resources, trade steel and food, or build spaceports, their actions will be constantly recorded on the chain. This is not another Web2 game with NFTs, but rather a game that is very deeply Web3.”
The game has a lot of detail in its universe, including a realistic asteroid belt complete with accurate orbital movement mechanics.
Using Starknet
A view of the extractor building for mining resources in the game.
The decision to build Influence on Starknet was driven by the scalability of the platform, which enables the complex calculations required to accurately model the orbital trajectories of ships as they move between a vast array of asteroids.
Players can experience the feeling of exploration in an immersive and decentralized gaming environment enabled by Starknet’s blockchain technology, Lexmond said.
“Influence is something very different from a sidechain MMO,” Lexmond said. “Ethereum is the gold standard for blockchain security, and gaming should thrive there, not be relegated to sidechains. Starknet’s scaling power means it enables near-instant transactions while relying on Ethereum’s security.
Starknet is an unlicensed compilation originally created by StarkWare Industries. It scales by moving computation off-chain and using STARK Proofs to “summarize” a set of off-chain transactions into a single proof that is verified on Ethereum L1.
“When we set out to scale Ethereum five years ago, we knew it meant much more than just facilitating DeFi transactions,” StarkWare CEO Uri Kolodny said in a statement. “It means enabling Ethereum to reach its potential for a wide range of uses. The time has come for engaging games that no one can ‘turn off’ but rather communities run. We are delighted to help deliver this through Ethereum.”
Kolodny said Influence represents a much-needed change in the power dynamic in gaming.
“Gamers have long been at the mercy of corporate game studios and their financial incentives to dictate when a game just stops being,” Kolodny said. “Despite the existence of strong communities that dedicate thousands of hours of their time, energy and creativity to make the game truly flourish, historically the game could be terminated in an instant by a central authority.”
Unstoppable Games was founded out of Lexmond’s desire to create games that work differently. He wants them to always evolve and have no endings because players will be able to take control. Lexmond said such games should never be extinguished by corporate intervention, thanks to the inherent advantages provided by blockchain technology like Starknet.
Influence has already proven its appeal with three public tests on Ethereum Layer 1 and Starknet, involving thousands of players. Lexmond said his team rejoiced at the “profound differences” in what is achievable on L2 compared to the limitations of L1.
“L1’s gas fees are so high that we simply couldn’t provide the functionality needed for a complex strategy MMO like Influence,” said Lexmond. “But with a scaling solution where transactions are constantly unfolding and all settled on-chain, we can create an entire universe. L2 is truly the new frontier for gaming.”
Origins
Chris Lexmond is the CEO of Unstoppable Games.
Lexmond founded Unstoppable Games about two years ago, but had been thinking about it for a long time.
“Our goal was to really make the Influence game that’s been on my mind for at least a decade,” Lexmond said. “And really the idea was to make a game that couldn’t be stopped, couldn’t be turned off, that could ultimately be controlled by the community and survive if they found it fun.”
This mission came from Lexmond growing up playing games and being part of gaming communities that enjoyed games. But those communities were cut short when the company owners canceled the games and players had no recourse.
“I love the idea that [creating an unstoppable game] can be possible with these persistent multiplayer games like Influence,” Lexmond said.
He was obsessed with the idea of how humans could live in the asteroid belt, how they could survive in the asteroid belt, and all the logistical complexity that would come with dealing with all these independently orbiting bodies.
The impact itself takes place in a star system that is about 15 light-years away from Earth. In about 100 years, future humans will leave
