Epic Games Store Tragically Lists An Awful NFT Game

Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite and Fall guys, launched another “F” into the world by adding an NFT-based video game to its online store: damn, are we still doing this crypto-baby thing?

Early Access Blankos Block Party is advertised as “a dynamic open-world multiplayer game” on the Epic Games Store, with “a focus on custom art and design, building your own levels, exploring user-created levels, and curating of your collection of unique and rare Blankos!” The game is free, but collecting “Rare Blankos!” – NFT Frankensteins apparently from established collectibles like Legos, Funko Pop! and Kaws – will cost you anywhere from less than $10 at nearly $150,000. If you prefer to spend even more money, you can buy your Blankos accessories, like these butterflies available for $1,111,111, of the Mythical Marketplace, development company mythical games‘blockchain-backed storefront.

But there are a lot of problems with that money for what is essentially a crypto combo of fall guys and Roblox. Blankos‘ is about bouncing around on platforms in existing board games or creating your own levels to play with friends.

Read more: Good Riddance: Steam bans games that feature crypto and NFTs

That in itself is a nice premise. Blankos‘ are also decent and unremarkable for the genre, with smooth terrain that mostly looks like cubes of cheese. And Dlosing too much money for in-game items is not this different from pay to win in games As Diablo Immortal. But all of that is a problem for people who claim crypto has something new to offer gaming..

Blankos can boast Epic Games Store’s new “Blockchain/NFT” tagwhich helpfully states that “Epic Games does not encourage the buying or selling of cryptocurrency or any digital asset” (why is this on your store, then?), but its so-called Web3 premise copies the theories old school like pay-to-win and jumping up and down on a cube.

Never mind. I’m sure one of other blockchain based games announced for Epic Games Store, as creakwhich apparently expects players to deposit money on unaltered asset flips, will fully recoup web3 gambling on its innovation Track.