Bright Star Studios, the developer of upcoming free to play MMORPG Ember Sword, has announced a new strategic partnership with Ethereum-based layer 2 network Mantle in order to enable accessible and true asset ownership while delivering an easy onboarding experience for web2 gamers.
The CEO and Founder of Bright Star Studios, Mark Laursen, said the following in the official announcement:
“Our alliance with Mantle is a significant milestone as we begin to release the game to users regionally. By integrating Mantle’s advanced blockchain capabilities, we are enhancing how players control their in-game assets and delivering an unprecedented onboarding experience for all gamers who love MMORPGs, regardless if they are web3 natives or not. This collaboration represents a giant leap forward for both Ember Sword and the gaming industry.”
This means that the studio will make use of Mantle’s modular Ethereum rollup technology to make secure, scalable transactions with low fees possible, while making it easy to participate in the game’s player-driven economy as you enjoy a seamless blockchain gaming experience.
Mantle’s Head of Gaming, Geezee, added:
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Bright Star Studios on Ember Sword. Their vision to enable highly accessible, player-centric, blockchain-enabled games aligns perfectly with our mission to enable more gamers to enjoy experiences enhanced with blockchain technology. Together, we are setting new standards for what is possible in the gaming industry.”
As a result of this strategic alliance, the MMO’s player-driven marketplace will use this EVM-compatible chain to facilitate transparent transactions while giving players true control over their assets. The Founder and Chief Development Officer of Bright Star Studios, Joris Huijbregts, said that this partnership allows the team to create a more “fruitful and engaging player economy” and that it also makes it possible for them to “integrate with the best tools and partners within [the] Mantle Ecosystem” that will all help in providing a “scalable and sustainable user journey.”
So overall, whether you know anything about blockchain technology or not, that won’t hinder your experience in this cross-platform title, as players will easily be able to use blockchain economy features if they want to thanks to this new partnership, according to the announcement which you can find linked in this official tweet to learn more.
Back in 2022, Bright Star Studios migrated Ember Sword from Polygon to Immutable X, and now that they’ve chosen a new chain to build on, you can likely expect to find some asset migration details appear in the near future.
Future Public Test Plans
Last month marked the launch of the first closed beta for Ember Sword. Now that servers for that playtest have recently gone offline, the developers have posted a wrap-up update post showing various playtest numbers while teasing the changes and improvements they have in store for an upcoming public test session planned to take place at some point later this year.
The playtest is said to have featured over 100k play sessions, with players spending a total of 41k combined hours that is equivalent to almost 5 years. Nearly 90% of Canavar Head NFTs were dropped from slaying Canavars. The NFTs made it possible for players to enter a raffle for a chance at winning one of 50 regular Solarwood land plots, while players who signed up for a competition as teams of up to 5 had a chance of winning upcoming $EMBER tokens by being among the top 3 teams to have the most Canavar Head NFTs.
Whenever the new playtest arrives, players can look forward to seeing Mantle integrated into Ember Sword, alongside a host of other features, including Quests, Treasure Maps, Vending Machines, Caravans, a Friends List, and the ability to merge cosmetics. The Capital will become a safe zone, and there will be 3 new professions for players to enjoy: fishing, cooking, and jewelry creation. Navigation will also be made easier while new areas will be added alongside new cosmetics, resources, bosses, creatures, weapon variations, and more.
