Continuing to build momentum around its PC mech shooter MetalCore, Studio 369 recently finalised its Closed Beta 2 and 2.5 playtests. Alongside news that the studio recently raised $5 million in funding to support the forthcoming game launch and its MCG token, the team has also signed deals with web3 gaming networks such as Portal and Mon Protocol.

So it’s a great time to check in with Studio 369 director of marketing Hanny Duong to discuss the recent playtests, MetalCore’s forthcoming MCG token launch, future expansion plans, and more.

BlockchainGamer: How’s the feedback shaping up around your recent Closed Beta?

Duong: We hosted our Closed Beta 1 which ended early March, titled “Call to Arms,” attracting an impressive number of new players to the game. This event alone generated over 18,000 new collective MetalCore community members, as well as more than 6,000 pre-registrations.

Following that, we just finished Closed Beta 2 and 2.5 with massive growth.

MetalCore now boasts over 230k followers on X and 124,000 users on its official waitlist for early access, our Discord grew 3X and on average, players played 10 hours each, which is a testament to the fun gameplay in MetalCore.

Are you attracting web2 players yet, or is the focus on web3 gamers?

The core game will be accessible to traditional and web3 players. 

Players can enjoy much of MetalCore’s gameplay without web3 elements, but building this game for web3 opens the door for true player ownership and control of their gear. We believe that gamers should be in the driver’s seat when it comes to their arsenal. Every player on the battlefield needs to optimize the best gear and kit, and web3 gives players the most options to customize their gear to their liking.

Engaging in the web3 elements of MetalCore is entirely up to you. It is not a mandatory requirement in order to play the game. The “Loot, Upgrade, Convert, Trade” loop is a key unique feature in MetalCore that leverages blockchain technology to give players control over their game items.

Every player on the battlefield needs to optimize the best gear and kit, and web3 gives players the most options to customize their gear to their liking.

Hanny Duong, Studio 369

That being said, there is no purchase necessary for players to enjoy the game. We leave players in full control of how they want to engage with the game. Whether or not you choose to engage in any web3 elements, anyone can enjoy MetalCore like any traditional game.

What incentives will you offer to build strong player retention as you move forward?

We firmly believe that fun gameplay should be at the forefront of web3 gaming and that it should feel on par with what players experience from today’s hottest titles. In MetalCore, players will take on multiple unique roles, from foot infantry, all the way to tank, aircraft and mech pilots. MetalCore is built from the ground up offering thrilling action and immersive storytelling with its dynamic mix of PvP and PvE adventure, and various game modes like domination and objective-based challenges. With its proprietary Dynamic Missions System, customizable loadouts, and vast open world, MetalCore brings unparalleled freedom and immersion. Hosting up to 60 players per server, it encourages both collaboration and competition as players vie for dominance on the battlefield. 

On top of all of this, we have the benefits that can come with web3 assets, such as true ownership and the ability to trade your items freely across multiple marketplaces. This is tied into MetalCore’s “loot, upgrade, convert, trade” system, which allows players to obtain the vehicle and mech blueprints from their fallen foes through “scanning,” then create new weapons and vehicles. Players can then also choose to convert them into web3 digital collectibles, and ultimately trade them on the marketplace. Whether to engage with this aspect of the game is entirely up to the player, and not required to advance.

Furthermore, we have implemented a “Barony System” that lets players recruit others to fight under their barony’s banner and gain additional experience points and rewards. Soon, players in a barony will be able to share resources to help their allies advance and win on the battlefield. We’ll have more updates to share on what the Barony System will offer to players in another update. 

Lastly, we plan to host tournaments and events with our community to keep that engagement going and build a strong relationship with our player base. We believe that when it comes to developing games, community is at the heart of everything.

To that end, we recently launched our official Ambassador Program and we look forward to continuing to expand the program to welcome new members. 

What’s the reaction been to the MCG token? How do you hope to leverage this in terms of your launch plans?

The MetalCore token, $MCG, has not officially launched yet. However, playing MetalCore’s Closed Beta 1, 2, and 2.5 allowed players to earn Marks – which will be claimable for MCG token rewards during the Token Generation Event (TGE).

What can users expect from the next couple of playtests, and when are you looking to launch officially?

Right now our team is gearing up and hard at work for our next closed beta: Closed Beta 3. We just ended Closed Beta 2.5 and teased a couple of things that players can expect from CB3:

• Session based PvP scenarios – introducing new faction based PvP scenarios with multiple objectives.
• Faction-based social hubs – for you to hang out and connect with other players of your faction.

There will be a ton of new features that our players can sink their teeth into.

As for the official launch, we don’t have a set date to share at this moment. The focus for us is to build the best gaming experience for our players and to run these playtests during our closed betas to gather feedback, improve the game experience, and continue to ship fun gameplay features our players will enjoy.

Do you think it’s best to launch during a bear or bull market?

Regardless of market conditions, we just want to build a great game that players will love. If your game is good and it’s engaging and retaining your players, and you’ve got a happy and healthy community, then it should survive and thrive in any market as it has a sustainable model and game loop that will keep your players around for the long run.

Some web3 game developers have shifted towards mobile distribution as PC has proven insufficient and expensive as a platform for web3 games. What are your thoughts on that?

Web-based or mobile games offer an accelerated development cycle, which is attractive to developers. It also offers many benefits, such as increased accessibility, especially in APAC regions where mobile gaming is widespread.

We have a couple of things coming up for MetalCore that we’re excited to announce to the public soon.

Find out more about the making of MetalCore by checking out our recent interview with Studio 369’s CTO Dan Nikolaides, and stay up-to-date on the game via its website and X account.

Another week, another NFT mint (or two)! In this particular case, we’re talking about the upcoming mint for Kepler Citizenship Passport NFTs, a founder type NFT for the MMO, sci-fi shooter, Earth from Another Sun.

A new mint is coming on May 10th for an epic, sci-fi, MMO / FPS known as Earth From Another Sun. This mint is for Kepler Citizenship Passport NFTs. Collection size of 1,000 and a price of 2 SOL each.

These limited edition Passports offer a number of benefits. This includes future NFT airdrops, early access to alpha and beta tests, bonuses to contribution points, whitelists for future mints, and entry into exclusive events!

The mint opens on May 10th, 2024 at 6am UTC on Magic Eden. The guaranteed whitelist phase runs for 6 hours, followed by 5 hours for the FCFS (first come first served) whitelist, and then a public sale if any NFTs remain available.

It’s too late to earn a whitelist spot, but you can still sign up at https://citizenship.efas.io to see your status and prep your account for season two missions, which will lead into an upcoming airdrop. These missions are social based — inviting friends, participating on Discord, etc. It seems like the Earth From Another Sun team plans on using this same system moving forward, so if you are interested in this game, it doesn’t hurt to sign up!

What is Earth From Another Sun?

Earth From Another Sun is an open-world style, sci-fi, MMO that sees players navigating the stars, and engaging enemies on planets while commanding their own personal army!

Players roam the galaxy, battle hostile enemies, both human and non-human, complete quests, and bolster their army with new weapons, vehicles, and mechs. But this isn’t just a static universe. Every battle and quest completed will have some sort of effect on the galaxy. Even if these effects are minor, as more players play and engage with the system, the game may change based on these interactions.

Earth From Another Sun offers solo play as well as cooperative play throughout the game with groups of up to four players. They also plan to release 10-person raid-type events.

The game is in alpha testing. Currently only PvE mode is available, though the team plans to add some sort of PvP gameplay in the future. You can gain access to the alpha by owning a Passport (mint coming soon) or a Companion NFT (current floor price ~0.2 SOL)

Earth From Another Sun wants to be an ever-growing universe, and hopes to realize this goal by implementing the ability for players to create custom content such as quests, NPCs, and even custom planets!

To learn more about Earth From Another Sun, visit their website, follow them on Twitter, and join their Discord chat.

NDUS Interactive has teamed up with Mysten Labs to launch XOCIETY on Sui, offering players a more immersive triple-A experience within the web3 space. The third-person shooter features deep RPG elements and is set to open early access in the fourth quarter of 2024.

In XOCIETY, players can look forward to engaging in PvP battles along with PvE encounters combined with web3 elements. The “Pop Shooter” promises high-quality AAA gameplay as expected from the industry veterans that make up the development team.

Apart from experiences in NCSOFT, Nexon, and Krafton, the team also boasts the talents of Myoungjin Lee, Creative Artist and Author of Ragnarok original, as well as Sang Chung, Business Director and former Head of PlayDapp.

With this partnership, NDUS Interactive aims to aid AAA web3 gaming’s shift into the mainstream, offering players more innovative ways they can take part in this ever-evolving space.

For more info on the game’s development process, you can view the XOCIETY official website, as well as join the community of followers on the official Twitter/X page as well.