Six days are left to get your application in if you’re interested in purchasing land in the upcoming blockchain sandbox MMORPG, Ember Sword. In a tweet from CEO of Bright Star Studios, Mark Laursen, more than 79 million dollars has been pledged so far with over 14 thousand applications received.
Ember Sword is a sandbox PC/Browser MMORPG in development that promises a player-driven economy, classless combat, and rare collectibles that can be traded to other players on third-party markets outside of the game. This is made possible by utilizing blockchain technology. In Ember Swords case, the game will utilize the Ethereum blockchain to run their land, cosmetic and currency creation and trading. Earning items and cosmetics in game can then be sold to other players for real money if players choose. This style of play, dubbed “play to earn”, is a type of game that is growing in popularity, as more players jump in with aspirations of playing games, while making real money while they do it.
In their latest teaser, which was originally posted by Laursen on his twitter account, a player runs through the world, showing off nearby structures like houses, gardens, and various types of trees. Ember Sword gives players the opportunity to buy plots of land, with the underlying premise that whatever materials or mobs reside on that land will earn players real money from their resources. The current land sale will sell off just under 6 thousand plots of land in Solarwood, but with 14 thousand applicants to purchase land, it’s highly unlikely everyone will be able to get the plots they desire. Solarwood houses 40 thousand plots total, and the world of Thanabus has a maximum of 160 thousand plots, so while the 14 thousand applicants may not get their plot of land this time, there will certainly be plenty of opportunities in the future.
Still, with the number of applicants pledged, and the amount of funds totaling 79 million dollars, it’s obvious that many gamers out there are interested in the premise of “play to earn” as land ownership doesn’t provide any benefit apart from what you earn by owning the parcel of land. Landowners will not gain in-game advantages, apart from the fact that landowners will be able to enter the game in Alpha before everyone else. However, landowners can’t bar players from accessing their resources or land, no matter if they leave the game, or break up pieces of their land and sell it. In 2022 Ember Sword officially plans to release Solarwood for land owners, and eventually build up to a broader community release.
The premise of land ownership begs the question as to its major benefits, and whether players are simply buying in to own land as a way to make money in the future. For those that have yet to be able to purchase land, and won’t be picked in this round of over 14 thousand applicants, the question remains whether these users will alternatively be queued for any following land sales, even though Bright Star has mentioned that the current land sale at the 50 percent discounted rate will be its last at this price. Still, the application process, which ends on July 31st, seems to be the preferred method, as the previous land sale did not initally go as planned. We’ve requested a comment from Bright Star for clarification and will update the story as more information becomes available.
