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Publishing Games of the Future
If you’re a part of the gaming community, you’ve undoubtedly heard of some large video game developers before. Naughty Dog, Bungie, Epic, Raven, Ubisoft, 2K–even if you don’t know the exact IP they’re responsible for creating, you’ve probably heard of those names before. And then there are the monolithic names in video game publishing, like Nintendo, Microsoft, and Activision Blizzard.
Now imagine you’ve left the traditional gaming community for the world of web3 crypto video games. There are no monoliths like Nintendo or Square Enix in web3 yet. But several publishers are approaching the same level as Naughty Dog, Bungie, and Epic.
Introducing Gala Games, a powerhouse of crypto video games poised to be the Ubisoft of web3. And if they brave the turbulent waters of the future well enough, they may end up being a Nintendo or Microsoft of web3 before long.
Welcome to my guide for Gala Games. If you’ve ever wondered what all the buzz is about Gala Games, their IPs, their token, or anything else they’re developing, fret not. I am here to cast away the shadows of confusion in your mind and explain why Gala Games is something you should keep your eye on.
I am the Web3 Walker
Why should you listen to me rant about crypto stuff?
I have lived in the crypto community full-time for longer than I’d like to admit, and that close proximity to millionaires and debtors alike comes with a few perks. I’ve seen a lot of craziness in a short time, made lucrative investments, and watched my accounts drop to below zero only to bounce up to an all-time high.
I’m not a full degen and don’t call me a crypto bro. But I do walk amongst them and can speak their language; they even accept me into their gatherings at times. I’ve learned many things from their irreverent, fast-paced lifestyle.
And here’s everything I’ve got on Gala Games.
Key Info Up Front
Don’t feel like getting the Gala Games 101 crash course? Trying to get the meat of the information all at once?
I gotchu.
Gala Games is like a mini Sony when it comes to cryptocurrency. Because Sony doesn’t just do video games, they do film, music, and electronics. Gala Games is similar; while video games seem to be their bread and butter, they also do music, film, and other technologies that enhance their economy.
There is so much more behind the magic of Gala Games than, “They make games and music and stuff.” And if you want to know what that is, keep reading.
What is Gala Games?
Gala Games, also called Gala Labs or just Gala, is known for creating stellar blockchain games people enjoy playing. Too many blockchain games were made by greedy development teams. Too many blockchain games were made to generate income.
Too many blockchain games were developed without that core element needed for success: fun.
Gala Games is a studio that puts fun first. Sometimes investing a little too much in fun. How is that possible, you may ask? Because video games can be addictive. Just look at the top 10 mobile games whenever you like. And Gala Games seems to enjoy making games so fun, so subtly engrossing, that players find themselves altering their lifestyle to play more.
Remember games on Facebook back in the day? Remember how addictive and invasive they were?
Gala Games, for good or ill, aims to make games that fun.
Who is Behind Gala Games?
Speaking of Facebook and wildly addictive games, let’s talk about the founder of Gala Games.
Have you ever heard of Farmville? The most popular game on Facebook with over 30 million monthly active users? It’s made by a company called Zynga. Zynga makes over 90 games, all of which are stupidly popular. And crazy addictive.
A group of six men created Zynga. One of those men started Gala Games, Eric Schiermeyer.
Eric seems to have brought the same addictive substance from Zynga because the two games Gala has front and center for the moment, Spider Tanks and Town Star, and some of the only fun blockchain games around. And neither game feels like a blockchain experience. The graphics, quality, and gameplay are comparable to any traditional video game.
Way more expensive than a traditional video game, but still just as fun.
Multiple teams of talented developers, coders, testers, and writers work at Gala Games. And many smaller game studios work with Gala Games to get their titles published by a reliable player in the gaming community. Studios like Revolving Games, Ndream, and Gamedia.
Why Should Gamers Care About Gala Games?
Because some seriously sweet games are coming shortly, and they’re coming from Gala Games.
Meander over to the website Galagames.com and see what they have to offer.
Yes, they only have two games for you to play right now. And good luck finding legit people to play with on Spider Tanks; it feels like the only people who got into that game were investors, not actual gamers. But both games are solid entries in the world of blockchain gaming. What excites me about Gala games, however, is what they have in store.
Mirandus, Battlestar Galactica, and Last Expedition are all shaping up to be incredible games.
But Gala Games doesn’t just promise well-made games. Gala Games is all about player ownership. They want their in-game economies to be run by the players themselves. In Mirandus, the entire game is run by five player-kings who dictate the fates of their kingdoms. Same with Echoes of Empire and Eternal Paradox.
Blockchain technology promotes true ownership of digital assets. And Gala Games, rather than trying to hold on to as much control as possible, are fine with sitting back and letting gamers decide the world they play in.
And that’s something that should excite most gamers. A chance to not only be great at something, but to lead, to shape and mold and determine what’s best for the future of a game. That’s what Gala Games offers to players, and that’s why gamers should be excited by what Gala Games is doing.
What’s the Catch with Gala Games?
There has to be a negative somewhere, right? There can’t be only positives, can there?
Nobody is perfect and Gala Games is no exception. They aren’t perfect. They are a nascent company trying to survive in the deadly and dangerous world of blockchain video games.
If there’s one thing Gala Games could focus on more, it’s their native economy. They are so busy running the economies of games they manage that sometimes I think they forget they have their own economy, their own token to manage, Gala coin. Which is trading at a respectable .052 cents.
Playing Gala Games at the moment is not for those lacking in the financial department. The cheapest item I could find for Spider Tanks was $107, and that was just one item. To fully build a single tank, I’m looking at over $300. For one tank. Land deeds, towers, and other NFT items used in Gala Games go for thousands of dollars. And in many cases, to play a Gala Game, you need an NFT.
Gala Games also has a real problem of shouting non-developments from the rooftop. It’s not a problem unique to Gala Games, but it’s something they are guilty of. Creating a kickass video game takes lots of time–years.
But in the fast-paced world of crypto, waiting years for something is unacceptable. So games are pressed to release segments on their game, bit by bit, so gamers have at least something to keep them busy while they wait for the full title. Sometimes developers hype up an announcement to keep the player base engaged, but more often than not, that announcement is empty.
Gala Games has somehow gained a large following and is a significant player–already–in the blockchain video game community, and they only have two playable games.
Yeah. Two. That’s it.
If you go on their website, you can see the status of 14 different games they have in development, but only two of them are playable.
Gala Games has done a magnificent job of exciting gamers for the future, but has delivered little. And for those who only care about results, for those asking, “Where’s the beef?”, that’s a red flag.
But I think considering the market conditions for the majority of 2022 and how many household names in crypto went belly-up in the past eight months, the fact that Gala Games is not only still around but still building is a big green flag.
Are green flags good?
What’s the opposite of a red flag?
White flag?
Blue flag?
I digress.
Gala Games continuing to build and partner and grow despite the crypto winter we’ve been facing is a good flag. And that good flag overshadows any smaller red flag that may exist.
What to Watch from Gala Games
I’ve done all this talking about Gala Games as an entity but haven’t mentioned their projects in much detail.
Allow me to rectify this. After all, their projects are what players want to see from Gala Games.
Fortitude
Let’s kick things off with Fortitude, Gala Games’ attempt at a PvP tower defense game. One of the few titles with a gameplay trailer, Fortitude doesn’t seem like anything to get too excited about.
Except when you factor in the fun aspect and the player-driven aspect. How collecting resources and PvP will work in a tower defense game, I guess Gala Games is still working out. I imagine it’s just like base-building games, except instead of building a base, you build a complicated route of towers.
Look out for the twist on the classic tower defense genre in late 2022.
Grit
Grit is a battle royale-style video game that looks like Call of Duty: Warzone and Fortnite had a child who likes to cosplay American Western stuff. It’s a battle royale free for all set in the mid-1800s American Wild West.
Grab your coach gun, your ten-gallon hat, and your sweet mustache. It’s time to lay down the law and show ’em who’s boss. Grit could prove to be a Fortnite contender one day, with unique skins and events to keep players pouring money into the game. But for now, it’s nothing more than a game in development.
Battlestar Galactica
Oh snap, is that a Battlestar Galactica game I see on the horizon? It is indeed. Developed by Revolving Games and published by Gala Games, Battlestar Galactica tells the story of humanity’s arrival back home after years of searching.
It’s a game set in space that will focus on gathering resources, expanding your colony, exploring space, and fighting off the evil Cylons. Relying on strategy, resource exploitation, and sweaty gaming skills, Battlestar Galactica is a game I will be watching closely. No release date, but as soon as there is one, I’ll let you know.
Eternal Paradox
Ah, Eternal Paradox.
Think Age of Empires with a more cartoony art style and turn-based combat. So instead of ambushing your enemies with hordes of archers and knights, you get to wait your turn to attack.
It’s a game that fills a niche within the gaming community, and the fresh art style is something I can get behind. Gala Games seems like they enjoy taking a tried and true game format–Age of Empires, battle royale, etc.–and twisting gameplay mechanics just slightly to keep it interesting. No release date yet.
Spider Tanks
One of the only two playable games by Gala Games so far, Spider Tanks is a solid PvP team deathmatch-style game. Like League of Legends, but with a more open map and no specific player roles. It’s a fun game to play, not going to lie. You can play for free, but you won’t earn anything for keeps. You’ll need to invest some money first to earn crypto while playing.
Purchase an NFT that gives you more health, more speed, or more damage, and you’re good to go. I never found many people online to play with, but it’s a game you can easily dump hours into. Especially once you get the hang of your Spider Tank build.
Town Crush
Again, Gala Games takes a tried and true format and tweaks it slightly to make it their own. This time, it’s Candy Crush. Now, I never played Candy Crush, but I did play Bejeweled back in the day.
And it looks like Town Crush is something similar, but with chickens. Not sure how popular this one is going to be, but considering I saw Candy Crush commercials during the Super Bowl one year, Town Crush won’t lack players.
Superior
This one is hard to describe as there’s no trailer, only a brief description, and the gameplay images don’t make any sense. It’s a third-person rougelite game set in a universe where all the superheroes have turned into abject monsters.
Every time you start a new life, you start out a normal human. But as you hunt down the old golds and steal their powers, you’ll gain permanent upgrades that make subsequent attempts easier. I was never much a fan of rougelite games, but the art style of Superior looks vibrant and stylized enough that I just might check it out. It’s due out in late 2022.
The Walking Dead Empire
That’s right, The Walking Dead comes to the blockchain with The Walking Dead Empire. A survival horror game that puts players into the shoes of their favorite TWD character, The Walking Dead Empire is the sort of game you’d expect to find a 12-year-old playing in the waiting room of a doctor’s office.
It doesn’t look like there’s a story or much progression to speak of. But you do get to pick a cool character and kill zombies, so it’s not all bad.
Legends Reborn
Legends Reborn is Yu-Gi-Oh! for the blockchain. Two masters enter a dingy tavern, where a single table is set for them. They place their cards on the table, carefully, strategically arranging them. And one by one, their cards come to life and beat the magical shit out of each other. It’s like the game of Holochess on the Millenium Falcon.
But with fantasy monsters. Legends Reborn has potential, judging from the likes of Hearthstone and Gwent. But if they do nothing more than copy the competition, Legends Reborn will need a little more to get it going.
Town Star
Town Star is Farmville with better graphics and an ecosystem built around a cryptocurrency. That’s about it. I mean, that’s still pretty impressive since Farmville was one of the world’s most played video games at one point.
But it seems Eric and Gala Games really haven’t strayed far from their working formula. I will say this about Town Star: it’s peaceful. Listening to the music while you build up your town makes me feel like building something in Minecraft. Chill.
Mirandus
This is the most prominent IP Gala Games is working on. Mirandus is a massive RPG world run entirely by player-kings. Think Skyrim, but dictated by the players themselves. And it’s not just the kings that get to run things. If you don’t want to be an adventurer in Mirandus, you can open up a shop and just be a merchant.
Or get a boat and trade goods. The entire ecosystem of the game is meant to be owned and operated by the players. Mirandus isn’t a cheap game to get into, but it offers some of the most promising adventures in the metaverse to date.
Legacy
Legacy got a lot of inspiration from Farmville, but with some flair from the Sims thrown in for good measure. It looks just like Town Star, but instead of forcing players to grow certain crops and make their way to an oil refinery, they allow players to make whatever they want. Mosiac wall art? Cool beans! Decorative bicycles? I don’t know why, but sure!
Last Expedition
Alright, everybody be quiet!
Listen, listen. Shh.
This game looks awesome.
Maybe I’m just partial to a solid survival horror FPS set in a desolate sci-fi atmosphere with a kickass femme fatale and a flair for comedy. It’s possible. Or, I could just enjoy the work of Max Hoberman, Halo 2 veteran. That’s also a possibility. But something about the feeling I get from looking at the artwork for Last Expedition tells me I will enjoy exploring its dark depths.
Echoes of Empire
Echoes of Empire is hard to figure out. It looks like a spin on several of the games I’ve already mentioned, but in space.
The description says players will align themselves with a house and work, just like in all the other games, to gather resources and build up their base/colony/thingy. I don’t see much of a difference between this or Battlestar Galactica. It feels like it might just be Eternal Paradox, but in space.
FAQs
Question: How do I Purchase the Gala coin?
Answer: Thankfully, Gala coin isn’t like other crypto gaming projects, it’s relatively mainstream. You can purchase it on almost all of the major centralized exchanges. Binance, Coinbase, FTX, KuCoin, and more.
Question: How do I Play Gala Games?
Answer: Both of Gala’s available games currently are through your web browser. Town Star is a straight web browser video game.
And even though you have to download an application to play Spider Tanks, when you open it, it takes you to Gala’s website and starts the game from there. While the other games are open to investors and those lucky enough to be invited, I can only imagine that they, too, are through your web browser.
Question: How Much Money Can you Make Playing Gala Games?
Answer: Right now? Nothing. If you log onto Town Star you’ll see a big notification that tells you they have halted the distribution of all TOWN, the cryptocurrency for the game. So you can still build up your town for when they resume payouts, but right now you’ll earn nothing. When it comes to Spider Tanks, you can earn some coins from playing.
But not from the free version, you’ll have to purchase an NFT first. And then you’ll have to win. And it’s not as simple as, “Here’s your crypto for winning!” You earn points that are turned into crypto at the end of a daily cycle. It’s not much.
Conclusion
Gala Games has positioned itself well. They stand at the forefront of web3 gaming and work with some of the biggest names in the business. With the addition of their music and film enterprises, I’m excited to see what Gala Games will produce soon. And once they release all these games they’ve been hyping, I expect their popularity to go up.
Gamers should want to keep up to date on Gala Games and their competition, as their alpha is what will reliably 10x in the next year.
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