Web3 gaming is one of the fastest growing (and most promising) segments of the blockchain industry.
With digital property rights lagging far behind their physical counterparts, blockchain presents a clear opportunity to create positive change in the multi-billion dollar gaming industry (an industry that is larger than television, movies, and many other entertainment mediums) and a blockchain appears to be the cornerstone of a web3:immutable gaming future.
Built from the ground up to support blockchain gaming, Immutable is optimized to address the biggest problems (such as scalability, security, and user accessibility) while ensuring that the next generation of gaming is not only fun and engaging, but also provides ownership rights and rewards to players.
What makes Immutable unique and why you should try it? Here is our complete guide to Immutable in 2024.
What is immutable?
Founded in 2018 by James Ferguson, Robbie Ferguson, and Alex Connolly, Immutable is an ethereum layer 2 blockchain.
Recognizing the high transaction costs and limited speed of ethereum, this Sydney-based team wanted to create a blockchain platform that could support the demands of high-traffic online gaming, first and foremost for their web3 TCG title, Gods Unchained.
Following the successful launch of x.com/GodsUnchained” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Gods Unchainedand the subsequent publication of other titles based on Immutable through its x.com/ImmutableGames” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>Immutable Game Studio – such as Illuvium and Guild of Guardians – the team opened the doors to third-party developers, leading Immutable to quickly become the solution of choice for budding web3 game developers.
In addition to the Immutable blockchain itself, Immutable offers a range of tools for both developers and players to make creating and playing web3 games as simple and straightforward as possible. This includes tools such as the web2-compatible wallet solution Immutable Passport and its Global Orderbook, which allows all supported markets to share the same asset liquidity.
In 2024, Immutable has seen increased competition from the likes of Ronin, Polygon, Base, and Mantle, but remains one of the leading blockchains for quality web3 gaming.
What makes Immutable unique?
Immutable pioneered zero-knowledge technology, allowing them to create Immutable zkEVM: a zero-knowledge compatible ethereum Layer-2 solution.
Immutable’s zkEVM technology is powered by zero-knowledge rollups, which bundle multiple transactions and process them off the main blockchain, reducing both the burden and processing costs of ethereum for users. This allows Immutable to offer fast, reliable, and cost-effective transactions with a higher level of security and decentralization.
On the developer side, Immutable has a wide range of tools and documentation to help web3 game developers integrate the Immutable blockchain and its many services, including both APIs and SDKs. This makes building on Immutable much simpler than other layer 2 options and allows developers to focus on building great games, rather than worrying about how to implement blockchain technology.
For creators, Immutable also offers ways for players to create user-generated assets for select titles, and if other players decide to use these assets in-game, creators are guaranteed royalties, ensuring they are fairly compensated and incentivized to participate.
The story of the immutable
Following the release of Gods Unchained in 2018, it quickly became clear that due to its popularity, processing transactions directly on ethereum would not be a viable option. This quickly led to the launch of Immutable later that same year, allowing for fast, reliable, and cost-effective transactions to be executed for the burgeoning title.
Immutable launched its zk-rollup technology in January 2023 and subsequently launched Immutable’s zkEVM blockchain, a zero-knowledge-powered version of Immutable’s standard blockchain that offers near-instant transactions with minimal fees, which became the presumed future of the Immutable ecosystem.
Since its inception, Immutable has been home to many of the highest quality web3 game titles, many from well-established ex-AAA developers. This includes titles such as the MMOFPS title MetalCore, the multi-title ecosystem Illuvium, and the mobile collectible card game Cross The Ages.
Immutable has long been a proponent of blockchain technology and how it can revolutionize the gaming industry; and through its blockchain, technological innovations, robust tools, and more, Immutable continues to be a go-to solution for both gamers and developers to this day.
By combining the infrastructure needed to facilitate the ownership and reward mechanisms that are the hallmark of web3 gaming, alongside web2-compatible solutions that make it easy to get started in Immutable-based games even without web3 knowledge, Immutable’s current range of titles are some of the best received in the industry thus far, and we can anticipate many more quality titles to be released on Immutable in the future.
As web3 gaming continues to evolve, Immutable’s role in shaping its future will be paramount. Whether you’re a developer looking to integrate blockchain technology into your next title, or a gamer looking to enjoy great games while enjoying the ownership and reward benefits that web3 offers, Immutable is worth your time.
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