Can Off the Grid survive Steam’s crypto ban? Rage over Maplestory cheaters: Web3 Gamer

Off The Grid launching on crypto-unfriendly Steam

Gunzilla Games’ shooter game Off The Grid — widely regarded as the most successful crypto game yet — is set to launch on the anti-crypto gaming platform Steam in June.

Shortly after Gunzilla Games CEO Vlad Korolev confirmed the news in a May 21 X post, gamers swarmed X with questions about how Off The Grid’s crypto elements could possibly fly under Steam’s strict anti-crypto policy.

“Guessing this will be a different version due to the crypto aspect, or did y’all find a work around,” gamer Lord Bugz said. Another gamer, Merc, echoed similar confusion in a May 24 post:

“How is it not going to include crypto features?  Will the Steam version even have limbs and guns for loadouts, then?  Or will it be two separate games?”

In October 2021, Steam banned games using blockchain technology, NFTs, or cryptocurrencies and the rule has never been lifted. According to the platform’s official guidelines, Steam still prohibits developers from publishing “applications built on blockchain technology that issue or allow exchange of cryptocurrencies or NFTs.”

Steam founder Gabe Newell said in a February 2022 interview that the reason was due to “super sketchy” activity and “some illegal shit going on behind the scenes.”

That makes Off The Grid’s launch a bit of a mystery. Does it mean Steam has quietly dropped the crypto ban? Or does it mean Off The Grid will have to cut some of its crypto elements? Off The Grid gamer Code, said, “The first Blockchain based game on Steam since the ban in 2021.. this is not just huge news, OTG is creating the shift.”

Avalanche Gaming said, “This has to be one of the biggest gaming announcements ever.”

Cointelegraph reached out to Gunzilla Games for a comment regarding the confusion. “The only comment I can make is that we are extremely excited to bring our game to the huge audience on Steam,” Gunzilla Games Web3 Director Theodore Agranat tells Magazine.

Off The Grid made headlines last year as the first blockchain title to hit mainstream consoles like Xbox and PlayStation. While it is still in early access, the full release is expected to launch on the consoles later this year.

However, some players wonder if Off The Grid could be the game that cracks the door open for more crypto titles to sneak onto Steam. Gamer and content creator Dad Mode asked, “So is Steam changing their policy then?.”

Gamers rage over MapleStory Universe cheaters

Gamers are calling on the devs behind the newly launched Avalanche-based MapleStory Universe to do something about cheaters wrecking the game — and they want a quick resolution.

“Please take swift action against cheaters in @MaplestoryU,” popular gamer ETH.Apple said in a May 23 X post. Gamer inhuman said, “Cheaters need to be taken care of asap.”

The backlash comes a week after the classic monster combat game — which has been around since 2003 — officially launched its blockchain version on Avalanche on May 15.

ETH.Apple explained that cheaters use “bots or hacks” that let them instantly wipe out every monster on the map using a single skill, which players cannot do without playing dirty.

“This not only ruins the gameplay experience for legitimate players but also damages the integrity of the MSU economy and rankings,” he added.

Another player, Shof said, “Honestly, the game should have a way to report cheaters directly in-game since the Lie Detector doesn’t affect them.”

MapleStory Universe developer Nexon issued a statement on May 22 saying it has recently upgraded its anti-cheat system to better detect macro users, but the fix seems to have also mistakenly flagged and banned several innocent players.

“Our team is actively investigating the situation and working to make sure this gets resolved as quickly as possible,” Nexon said.

Cointelegraph reached out to Nexon for comment, but did not receive a response by time of publication.

Hot Take: LOL Land

Bouncing around a Monopoly board as a penguin might not sound super addictive, but Yield Guild Games’ LOL Land somehow hooks you into thinking “just one more go” again and again.

Based on the Abstract Chain, the browser-based board game is a surprise. At first glance the game looks as if it might be terrible, but 20 minutes later I was still rolling the dice.

When you first enter the game, it’s one of those games where you’re a bit confused about what’s happening. There’s no story mode or tutorial; you’re just presented with a big, animated Monopoly board.

Once you start rolling the dice, it quickly becomes clear this is exactly what it looks like…a Web3 take on Monopoly. The game has four maps: Ice World Wonderland (featuring Pudgy Penguin characters), Carnival, Beach Day, and YGG City.

The best part is, if you’re hesitant to pay upfront for crypto games, you can try this one for free with unlimited rolls to get a feel for the game. The downside is you won’t earn any YGG token rewards in the free mode.

You start with the Ice World Wonderland and YGG maps, but you must mint NFTs to unlock the Beach Day and Carnival maps.

There’s no real strategy for LOL Land, just roll the dice and keep moving. But the music, flashing lights, and animations do ramp up the excitement, it kind of felt like playing Monopoly in a lively pokies/slot machine room.

Overall, this game is exactly what it says it is, a board game for casual degens. It doesn’t try reinventing gaming, but it’s fun and quirky. 

If you’re a Pudgy Penguins fan, it’s probably up your alley. And if you’re into board games, especially Monopoly. Signing up took about 30 seconds, and before I knew it, I was already rolling the dice…so really, there’s nothing to lose giving this game a crack.

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Ciaran Lyons

Ciaran Lyons is an Australian crypto journalist. He’s also a standup comedian and has been a radio and TV presenter on Triple J, SBS and The Project.