This Play2Earn Juggernaut Just Dropped A Comic Book

What do gamers, NFT collectors, and comic book fans have in common? In a word: Shrapnel.   

In case you’ve missed the buzz, let’s do a quick review. Shrapnel is set to be the world’s first blockchain-enabled moddable AAA first-person shooter game.  

Okay, so that’s a pretty barebones breakdown, despite the impressive number of adjectives. But as you can probably already tell, Shrapnel is set to be a lot more than just another FPS game. 

Let’s take a closer look at how Shrapnel plans to incorporate everything from blockchain to comic books into a whole new universe.  

It all begins with an asteroid

A few months back, we broke down Shrapnel’s plotline (internal link to the last piece), which ushers into a war-torn future.  

The bottom line: An asteroid has ravaged the Earth, creating a deadly area known as the “sacrifice zone.” But those lucky enough to make it through the zone without getting annihilated may come back with a piece of the asteroid, aka “shrapnel.” 

Far from mere collectors’ items, pieces of shrapnel can then be mined into a mystically powerful material called “Compound Sigma.” While the premise is super interesting, the game’s real magic is set to lie largely in the next-gen features it plans to incorporate.

Shrapnel is set to run on the Avalanche network, allowing it to seamlessly integrate blockchain technology. Not only will you be able to create your own in-game assets, but you’ll also be able to mint them into NFTs.  

In the past, video games have always been more or less centralized. In other words, their developers ultimately have the final say when it comes to both rules and ownership.  

But Shrapnel says, no more. Now, gamers – not developers – will retain ownership of their own creations and direct the course of the game itself. It’s this revolutionary approach that’s set to blur the traditional lines between players, creators, and even ownership rights. 

Given how revolutionary the whole idea is, it’s no surprise that Shrapnel’s development team was able to recruit some next-level talent. As we speak, a group of BAFTA and Emmy award-winning game industry veterans are preparing Shrapnel for its launch into the world. 

Let’s recoup

Shrapnel has already managed to integrate technology that will attract fans from several different niches. From gamers and creators to NFT and crypto fans, there’s already plenty to love.  

But why stop there? 

Shrapnel recently decided to dangle a carrot in front of a whole new audience: comic book fans. Cue the release of ‘SHRAPNEL: Operators Series Vol 1’.  

Mark Long, CEO of Shrapnel and New York Times bestselling graphic novel author, recently released a statement about the upcoming comics.  

“Breaking the mold of the game development cycle is part of our DNA at Shrapnel, whether that’s through new technology or involving our community in development decisions. The comic book series is the next phase of this. In contrast to our high-stakes gameplay, these stories will provide emotional hooks and character development around the Shrapnel world,” Long said.  

“The nature of storytelling is evolving – players want to get closer to the action through new, immersive game worlds. That’s why we’re working with some of the best comic book creators in the industry to produce a series that we think our community will love.”   

Rest assured he’s not exaggerating about getting some of the best comic book creators in the industry on board. The comics’ artists include everyone from Phil Tan to Emmy award-winning Westworld VR writer Adam Foshko. 

But simply releasing a series of comics based on the game would not do. In true Shrapnel fashion, the developers have found a cool way to incorporate NFTs into the launch.  

The Comic and NFT World Collide

Check out the Shrapnel Operators Collection on OpenSea. There you’ll find 5 different characters who are based on the upcoming game.  

When you purchase a character’s NFT, you’ll get a number of cool perks such as:  

• The inside scoop on their story via their own digital NFT comic book 
• Early game access 
• In-game assets 
• Frontline access to future drops based on rarity level 
• Future whitelist access 

You also can’t help but speculate on the potential value of hanging onto one of Shrapnel’s first NFTs long-term.  

Investments are never a sure thing. But given the revolutionary nature of what Shrapnel is out to achieve, owning one of their first forays into the future might not be a bad long-term move.

Keep up with Shrapnel on Twitter.