Enjin’s new Blockchain Software Development Kit (SDK) for Unity could be the start of some big changes in how games are designed. Unity already has a massive developer base of more than 4 million game designers. Enjin has created a new way to use Ethereum-based ERC-1155 tokens that may be a perfect fit for the gaming world.
ERC-1155 have some interesting characteristics. Enjin thinks they will be useful to game developers because Ethereum-based ERC-1155 tokens can be made in both fungible and non- fungible varieties in unlimited quantities with a single smart contract. They are also a lot ‘cheaper’ to use and probably won’t choke up the Ethereum network like ERC-721 tokens have.
If that paragraph sounded like technical jargon, no problem. In plain English, Enjin’s ERC-1155 tokens will allow game developers to create items that can be either identical or unique and can also be traded with the reliability and transparency that blockchain creates.
Modern games use countless items in their game design and game developers haven’t had the ability to collaborate by allowing items to be shared between different companies’ platforms. Until now, the logistics of creating multi-platform game items wasn’t a straightforward process. With the new SDK from Enjin, that is changing.
A Wider World
Imagine being able to use a token from one game in another, or trade it for cryptocurrencies. Enjin’s new SDK isn’t the only platform that could make this dream a reality, but it is being introduced to one of the largest game development communities on the planet.
Online gaming has become a massive global industry, but it is still controlled by a few big players. The centralized developers set the rules and you little or no input in how they are applied to the games.
Blockchain-based tokens could change the way that games are developed and played. Instead of being limited to one game or ‘universe’ (developer), gamers could use their items across multiple games, or other areas online.
A New Way to Play
In addition to the new blockchain SDK that Enjin just announced, they will be launching full support for their EnjinX blockchain explorer that was first announced last month.
Until now, authenticating blockchain items has only been possible been for people with heavy technical skills. New explorer platforms like EnjinX will be needed to bridge the gap between the tech-heavy blockchain community and regular gamers who want easy access to blockchain data.
The way that people interface with each other is changing, and Enjin looks like it is taking a pole position in the race to integrate blockchain with gaming. It would be a mistake to underestimate how much potential there is in the blockchain gaming market, or what could be created with these new tools.
Building Global Gaming Communities
Enjin already has more than 30 games and platforms that using its technology to create interoperable items that can be used across what they call “The Multiverse”. The potential for larger adoption of this technology is very real. Unity is used to create games for just about every popular platform there is, including PlayStation and Android.
As successes like Pokemon GO have demonstrated, a popular idea can spread across the globe in a matter of days. If people around the world could exchange items with each other, or buy unique items for a broad-based global gaming experience, the platform would take global gaming interconnectivity to the next level.
Demos Are Coming!
Enjin will be demoing its new technology and giving the public a chance to play around in the Multiverse at GDC later this month, which drew in excess of 25,000 attendees last year.
Blockchain has the ability to change many established industries. Gaming might not be the first one to come to mind, but Enjin is creating the tools which could create a new era in gaming. The blockchain integration into gaming is still just getting started, and Enjin is definitely a company that is worth watching.