Author: Zen, PANews

After more than twenty years of development, online strategy games have not only improved in graphics and art but have also explored more innovative gameplay, accumulating a significant number of players worldwide. Although the overall scale of enthusiasts for this genre is far smaller than that of FPS or RPG games, players are often willing to invest more time and money into these games, which is why game teams continue to develop such titles.

Strategy games heavily rely on players engaging in deep thinking, including resource allocation, long-term planning, and dynamic decision-making. This aligns well with the research habits of crypto investors who formulate investment strategies and assess risk and return, as both groups are willing to invest substantial effort and funds in asset investment or gaming. Therefore, the challenge and sense of achievement in strategy games may effectively attract this patient and passionate demographic, converting them into deep users.

So, what happens when high-quality strategy games are combined with the crypto ecosystem? In fact, the medieval-themed strategy game BLOCKLORDS has proven the potential of this combination, attracting over 1.85 million users through its web version, BLOCKLORDS Dynasty.

Weathering Bulls and Bears, Six Years in Development

BLOCKLORDS was born in 2018, during a time when even Bitcoin was considered an "outlier," and blockchain/Web3 games were a niche within a niche. However, this MMO strategy game has always been designed entirely around Web3, enduring the test of time and surviving multiple market cycles.

Initially, the development funds for BLOCKLORDS primarily came from competition prizes, with the development team securing hundreds of thousands of dollars from events organized by NEO and TRON. After a period of settling in during the early stages of entrepreneurship, in 2021, the development team formed a new studio and content team to facilitate game iteration. Additionally, the game's developer, MetaKing Studio, sought to raise $4 million in development funds to successfully complete BLOCKLORDS. Subsequently, in May 2022, MetaKing Studios announced the completion of a $15 million funding round, led by Makers Fund and Bitkraft Ventures, with participation from well-known institutions such as Delphi Digital, Animoca Brands, Shima Capital, WW Ventures, Spartan Group, Huobi Ventures, and YGG.

The recognition from these VCs is attributed not only to BLOCKLORDS having withstood early market tests but also to the core team of MetaKing Studios being a key factor.

MetaKing Studios was founded by David Johansson and Nicky Li, both of whom have decades of experience in game development. Johansson, who serves as both CEO and Creative Director, began his career in Hollywood's film industry before transitioning to the gaming industry, focusing on creative and production roles. He has been involved in notable projects such as Crusader Kings, Liberators, and League of Angels; the latter two games also saw Nicky participating as a designer, operations lead, and project manager, and he currently serves as the team's Chief Operating Officer. Furthermore, most of the artists, designers, and developers at MetaKing Studios come from renowned industry studios such as Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, Paradox Interactive, and Creative Assembly.

Player-Driven Medieval Strategy MMO

Drawing inspiration from Age of Empires for civilization development and resource management, incorporating large-scale battles and strategic command from Total War, blending political intrigue and strategy from Crusader Kings, and adding some agricultural simulation elements from Stardew Valley, BLOCKLORDS combines these elements into its main gameplay. The game is currently available for early access on the Epic Games Store and is set to launch on Steam in the first quarter of next year.

With its rich gameplay, BLOCKLORDS aims to allow players to choose and shape their own stories, where every decision and action impacts the game's direction, primarily revolving around four core mechanisms: farming, combat, ruling, and conquest.

• Players without hero NFTs must start as a farmer, collecting, mining, processing, and crafting various materials for currency, while also managing animals and livestock;

• By continuously accumulating resources, players can transition from farmers to armed forces, including knights who defend farmers and villages, and raiders who steal resources and destroy villages;

• Once players become renowned knights, they have the opportunity to ascend to the ruling class, acting as lords and ladies, whose main responsibilities include taxing farmers and resources, providing rewards and salaries to knights, and managing and developing cities and infrastructure;

• Ultimately, players who effectively utilize skills and conquer the paths before them can become kings or queens, the highest leaders in the game, responsible for managing currency, national policies, diplomacy, trade agreements, and research available for their armies and regions, as well as choosing to initiate or participate in wars that could change the fate of the nation.

BLOCKLORDS allows players to engage without needing to interact with blockchain technology, and the game does not directly include any cryptocurrencies. This approach, which accommodates traditional player habits, is also why it can launch on Steam. To cater to Web3 game players, BLOCKLORDS has also launched the web strategy game BLOCKLORDS Dynasty in addition to the main game.

BLOCKLORDS Dynasty, a fully on-chain game based on the Base blockchain, allows players to lead a noble family, create unique family banners, and earn prestige and expand their empire through strategic decisions. The heroes owned by players are crucial for tasks, duels, and forming alliances through marriage, and even after a hero's demise, they can continue to generate resources. Moreover, Dynasty is not a completely independent game; its hero characters and banners are interoperable with the main game BLOCKLORDS, allowing for asset transfers.

LORDCHAIN: Paving the Way for Mass Adoption

After its launch, BLOCKLORDS Dynasty achieved tremendous success, attracting 1.85 million users who completed over 80 million transactions on Base. In response to the growing player base, the BLOCKLORDS development team decided to introduce a more scalable and efficient solution to support a larger and more active community—thus, the Layer-3 blockchain solution, LORDCHAIN, built on Base, was born.

LORDCHAIN is based on the OP Stack framework, ensuring compatibility and interoperability with a broader blockchain ecosystem. Its target throughput is 5 million gas per second, with higher capacity provided based on demand to ensure speed and efficiency when processing massive transactions. In terms of bridging speed, the bridging time between Base and LORDCHAIN is less than 10 seconds, allowing for a fast and seamless cross-layer interaction experience. Additionally, as the exclusive blockchain for BLOCKLORDS, transaction fees on the LORDCHAIN are calculated in the game token $LRDS, promoting a sustainable in-game economy.

Currently, LORDCHAIN has just launched its first phase: the main validator node system, which is the core design of LORDCHAIN, aimed at maintaining security and efficiency while enhancing user experience. Participants can lock $LRDS tokens to earn ongoing rewards and contribute to the platform's security and performance. According to the roadmap, LORDCHAIN will soon introduce a testnet phase for extensive testing, community feedback, and optimization, with the full mainnet planned to launch in the first quarter of next year.

The LORDCHAIN team will be responsible for the initial deployment of nodes, and after the mainnet goes live, players can view their purchased nodes through the LORDCHAIN official app interface, participate in network validation, lock $LRDS, and enjoy related rewards. Additionally, before the mainnet launch, a node subscription event will be held during the testnet phase, where users will have the opportunity to gain additional node computing power and use it to subscribe to different levels of nodes on the mainnet.

The Economic Lifeline of BLOCKLORDS: $LRDS

As the lifeblood of the entire game ecosystem, holders of $LRDS are not only granted exclusive heroes, special rewards, and other in-game rights to unlock a higher quality and more efficient overall gaming experience, but they can also participate in the governance of the entire game. By holding and using $LRDS, players can engage in community voting, influence game development and narrative decisions, and directly participate in the game's evolution. The launch of LORDCHAIN further empowers $LRDS, allowing players to participate in the LORDCHAIN validator reward program to earn $LRDS.

$LRDS is issued on the Ethereum network, with a total supply of 100 million tokens, and is currently listed on several major exchanges including Coinbase, KuCoin, HTX, Gate, and MEXC. According to CoinMarketCap data, as of November 26, its price is approximately $0.60, with a circulating market cap not exceeding $10 million. The tokenomics of BLOCKLORDS focuses on long-term sustainability and value, which is why its LRDS token has a vesting period and issuance plan lasting up to 10 years. The token distribution mechanism is as follows:

• Community and Ecosystem (36%): Dedicated to community programs, game rewards, Gamedrops, LORDCHAIN incentives, and overall ecosystem growth to ensure active participation and investment.

• Investors (31%): Rewarding contributions made towards the development of BLOCKLORDS.

• Marketing (10%): Supporting ongoing marketing efforts with quality partners to expand the BLOCKLORDS ecosystem and its games.

• Advisors (10%): Ensuring that the expertise of advisors in guiding BLOCKLORDS is recognized and valued.

• Liquidity (3%): Reserved for providing liquidity to exchanges, ensuring smooth trading of $LRDS and a deep order book.

• Base Reserve (10%): Serving as a buffer to support future development and address unforeseen challenges.

Overall, $LRDS not only builds a bridge for deep interaction between players and the game but also ensures the long-term value of the token and the healthy development of the ecosystem through governance rights and validator reward programs, among other multi-dimensional incentive mechanisms.

Combined with a community and ecosystem-oriented token distribution plan, $LRDS is centered on sustainability, carrying the mission of promoting the long-term vision of BLOCKLORDS and LORDCHAIN, while continuously creating win-win opportunities for players and investors.

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