The true use case for Mantle, along with every other layer 1 and 2 chain, is raising the ceiling for what can be built on top of its rails. This is a common theme throughout the wider tech industry, more powerful and optimized infrastructure leading to the development of better end products and user experiences. As an Ethereum scaling solution, Mantle enables faster and cheaper transactions. Its modular architecture allows the rollup to maintain high security standards, as well as implement network upgrades independently. With these new rails in place, let’s explore some of the doors Mantle is opening up for blockchain developers to better serve their users.
The Web3 Gaming Use Case
The vision for blockchain gaming is to give players true ownership over the in-game assets they earn and purchase, along with connecting previously siloed game economies. It involves open P2P marketplaces for trading tokenized game assets, in-game currencies that are transferable across multiple connected titles, and even more possibilities that are yet to be explored. In order to realize this vision, game developers need access to infrastructure that can make in-game transactions as frictionless as possible.
At the same time, the underlying network the decentralized application (dApp) is built on will need to be able to offer high throughput to support the heavy gaming applications without expensive operational costs. Developers and players won’t buy into the blockchain gaming thesis if trading NFT assets costs significant gas fees, or takes longer than a few seconds to process.
This is the role Mantle is designed to fill in the web3 gaming stack, a highly performant rollup that can facilitate a large number of transactions at the speed and cost desired by both players and its creators. Mantle’s modular approach in building network architecture focused on a decentralized data availability layer, paves the way for the seamless, low-cost and high-security building of new dApps within the web3 space.
Leveraging Fellow BitDAO Projects
The gaming use case has been firmly in focus from the outset of Mantle. As a BitDAO incubated project, Mantle has inherited strong connections and experience in the sector from fellow BitDAO initiatives Game7 and HyperPlay. These projects are developing essential tools for game developers, pushing web3 gaming closer to realizing the vision of interoperability and true in-game asset ownership for players.
Game7
Game7 is a BitDAO autonomous entity focused on accelerating the adoption of permissionless and interoperable game worlds. As a gaming accelerator, Game7 has 3 critical functions: product incubation, investments, and grants, all with a common strategically oriented thesis. Game7 is creating key tools for developers looking to integrate blockchain elements into their games. One of the most exciting projects to come out of Game7 so far is HyperPlay, a web3-native game launcher and game store aggregator. Game7 also developed web3.unreal, a plugin for Epic Games’ widely-used Unreal game engine that brings on-chain assets into Unreal engine games and makes it simple to implement transactions using MetaMask and HyperPlay. The plugin enables developers to integrate blockchain functionalities into their titles, allowing them to support blockchain wallets and transactions for in-game marketplaces.
Previously, this type of integration would require a time consuming manual process, and the marketplace would have to be external from the game. Web3.unreal is solving a major pain point for developers, and is only one example of the various ways Game7 is accelerating blockchain gaming development. Beyond creating tools, Game7 is actively funding development and education through strategic partnerships with major players in the space and more.
HyperPlay
HyperPlay goes hand in hand with Mantle and Game7, providing a web3 game launcher and aggregator of game stores like the Epic Store, GOG, and HyperPlay’s own native store. HyperPlay plans to do for web3 native games what Steam does for traditional games. Built in collaboration with MetaMask, it also acts as an interoperability platform, allowing players to to take in-game assets from one title to another, as well as outside of the gaming sector into DeFi protocols and decentralized social platforms.
Developers can use HyperPlay in conjunction with web3.unreal to facilitate player transactions with their in-game assets. This is an essential step in creating in-game assets that truly have value, and opens up some futuristic possibilities like using gaming NFTs as collateral on DeFi platforms.
HyperPlay’s upcoming on-chain achievement system is powered by Mantle, too.
Mantle’s Growing Game Ecosystem
When you combine Mantle’s technical advantages as an infrastructure layer for gaming with the support provided from the gaming side of Mantle’s wider ecosystem such as Game7 and HyperPlay, it presents a big picture vision for the future of blockchain gaming. For gaming developers interested in building on Mantle, the network and ecosystem is ready to provide builders with the infrastructure and resources they need to not only build or deploy their dApp, but also how to bring their product to a large target market.
It’s game on for both Mantle developers and users — Mantle is in the midst of exponentially growing its gaming collective within with many more announcements to come. And in case you missed it, Mantle announced that Bullieverse is launching on Mantle, bringing to Mantle one of the fastest growing web3 gaming metaverses.
🤩 Exciting News!#Bullieverse will be joining the @0xMantle Ecosystem.#Mantle's ultra-fast and secure EVM modular L2 network at low fees strengthens our mission to onboard the next million gamers.
— Bullieverse (@Bullieverse) March 23, 2023
We are one of the top projects which received a grant to #BuildonMantle pic.twitter.com/PJMt3emLvA
While the network is still in the testnet phase, game developers are already recognizing the scaling potential Mantle provides. And we’re excited to play our part in bringing broader adoption to blockchain gaming. Keep an eye out for more gaming related announcements as we get closer to the mainnet launch.
