Game engine Unity has embraced blockchain gaming with the announcement it is supporting a raft of web3 software development kits (SDKs).
Among the tools that should help developers build web3 games more easily are ImmutableX and Metamask SDKs. Other supported chains/technologies announced include Solana, Flow (Dappers Labs) and Tezos.
Unity, a competitor to Unreal Engine (UE), is a major platform for game development. Using a tool like Unity (or UE) means game developers do not have to build 3D modelling and animation software from scratch.
Existing big games like Hearthstone, Pokemon Go and Genshin Impact were made using Unity. The engine is regarded as less graphically high-end than Unreal Engine 5, but is still capable of beautiful 3D scenes such as the screenshot illustrating this article.
Unity also has the advantage of a big user base and educational materials support.
Explaining the announcement
An SDK is a set of software modules that allows developers to easily integrate functionality into whatever they are building. For example, if a developer is building a game using Unity, they should now be able to incorporate Metamask wallet sign in into the game, without having to pop out into a browser.
Similarly, using ImmutableX (IMX) to handle blockchain actions like minting NFTs (unique digital assets) in-game should be easier using the Unity ImmutableX SDK.
The new SDKs will sit in Unity’s online platform (the Unity Asset Store) together under a “Decentralization” category.
“More than 50% of all games built today are built in Unity,” Immutable founder Robbie Ferguson said in a video. “Unity embracing the future of digtial asset ownership, rather than trying to control it like others, is going to be a massive step forward for the web3 gaming industry.”
“Our listing in Unity will bring web3 values to the gaming industry. It’s a whole new era for gaming devs,” a Metamask’s spokesperson tweeted.
Existing blockchain games made using Unity include The Sandbox and Decentraland.
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