The blockchain game Legendary: Heroes Unchained is about to start NFT minting and early access.

According to statistics, there were a total of 334 public financing events in the blockchain gaming sector in 2022, with a total financing scale reaching 4.4 billion USD. This includes projects involving well-known institutions. Recently, the blockchain game developer and publisher N3twork Studios, which has a large financing scale, is about to launch its first game, Legendary: Heroes Unchained (LHU). This article will provide a detailed introduction to it.

N3TWORK Studios was established in January 2022, formed by the game team N3TWORK, which was acquired by a blockchain gaming platform. The platform has over 40 partners and more than 15 million gaming users in the blockchain gaming sector. Its financing scale is quite considerable, having completed two rounds of fundraising in 2021, totaling over $900 million. Investors include several well-known institutions in the crypto field, as well as some well-known companies in traditional sectors.

N3TWORK Studios announced the completion of a $46 million Series A funding round on May 18, 2022. The round was led by Griffin Gaming Partners, with participation from Kleiner Perkins, Galaxy Interactive, and others. As part of the funding, Peter Levin from Griffin Gaming Partners joined the board of N3twork Studios. The funding will primarily be used for the development of two blockchain games, Legendary: Heroes Unchained and Triumph.

N3TWORK Studios plans to approach from two angles: a blend of crypto-native games and free-to-play games with Web3. The upcoming first game, Legendary: Heroes Unchained (LHU), falls under the category of crypto-native games. Heroes Unchained is a play-to-earn role-playing game based on the IP of the once-popular mobile game Legendary: Game of Heroes (LGH), which grossed over $300 million.

Team Background

The N3TWORK Studios team consists of over 60 members from several well-known gaming and technology companies. Neil Young serves as the Executive Chairman; he founded the mobile game creator, publisher, and operator N3TWORK in 2013 and joined a blockchain gaming company in January 2022.

Matt Ricchetti serves as the president, bringing extensive experience in the gaming industry, having worked at several well-known game companies. Josh Sell serves as the chief operating officer, with rich experience in gaming and social applications.

Game Preheat and NFT Minting Plan

LHU opened pre-registration in September 2021, and by December, over 100,000 players had completed pre-registration. The official will introduce NFTs through Drops or Drop Events. In a Drop, players will queue to purchase a fixed number of NFTs, and these Drops will be scheduled into corresponding Seasons. This is similar to how physical card games release expansions regularly. LHU will focus on Seasons to organize NFTs into collections with unique themes and mechanics, while also creating special events that can only be participated in or upgraded using NFTs from specific Seasons.

The Founder's season will provide players with the opportunity to purchase NFTs in LHU for the first time, using fiat currency, common token assets, or LHU's native token. In the third quarter of 2022, a community open dungeon exploration game and whitelist pre-sale competition will be held, allowing users to participate for a chance to get on the whitelist.

In the first quarter of 2023, the minting opportunity for Founder NFT will be opened, with a total of two rounds. At the same time, a beta version will be launched, during which users will be able to earn other NFTs in the ecosystem. Please note that the hero experience or currency obtained during the beta version may be reset for adjustment purposes.

The LHU official will introduce Hero NFT into the game ecosystem through Drops. After obtaining the Hero NFT, its level and evolution will start from Level 1 and Grade I, which can be increased and evolved through gameplay and progress. The level and evolution of the Hero NFT will become permanent attributes, and Hero NFTs purchased on the secondary market will also retain these attributes. These attributes determine its utility and value in the game. For free players, the official will provide novice heroes that can be upgraded and evolved, but they cannot be owned or traded.

After the early access version ends, the LHU official will introduce Gear NFT. Each hero can increase their strength and attributes by equipping different types of weapons and armor. Higher bonuses will be obtained when the equipment matches the hero's characteristics. Gear NFT also has immutable experience levels and evolution tiers, encouraging players to invest time and resources into their favorite gear.

In the second quarter of 2023, the third round of Founder NFT minting list will be opened, along with the launch of the second round of early access version. In the third quarter of 2023, the third round of early access version will be launched, and the NFT marketplace and tokens will be introduced. At that time, users can earn tokens through the game and trade in-game NFTs. A 5% transaction fee from NFT trading will go to the game's official finances. The second NFT collection will be released in the fourth quarter of 2023.

The number of NFTs issued is fixed, and some will be used for airdrops, giveaways, competition prizes, and so on. The Ministry of Finance will redistribute the assets it holds to the ecosystem as rewards for activities and tasks, and may also sell some tokens to generate income.

Gameplay: A collectible game based on hero cards

LHU is a hero-based card collection game where two teams of up to five heroes battle each other or five players group together to fend off raids. The game adopts a play-and-own model, aiming to provide an enjoyable gaming experience.

Players can gain hero experience and rewards in PvE random dungeons, familiarize themselves with hero skills, and earn ranking rewards by battling in the PvP arena. There are two modes between guilds: GvE and GvG, providing opportunities for cooperation to defeat enemies, satisfying both incentive and social needs.

Each hero has nine immutable traits that determine their utility in the game. These traits dictate the hero's ability values, skills, and other attributes. The hero also has six assignable attributes, which players must allocate based on the hero's traits and the game scenario.

The power value of heroes increases with the enhancement of levels, evolution levels, equipment, and skill levels. The improvement of experience levels and evolution levels can enhance the abilities of heroes. Evolution requires the consumption of game tokens, which can be obtained through gameplay or purchased on exchanges.

The battle is divided into several rounds, and each round the hero will perform an action. Players can use energy boosters to speed up the battle progress, but this may lead to reduced energy consumption efficiency.

Although Hero NFTs and Gear NFTs have immutable properties, the official retains the right to adjust parameters in real-time environments to maintain game balance and fun.

dual token economic model

LHU adopts a dual-token model: a fixed supply utility token LHU and an unlimited functional token HP.

The LHU token is mainly used for the Hero Evolution System and the marketplace, such as improving hero evolution levels, enhancing skill levels, and purchasing NFTs. The LHU token is primarily generated through events and tournament rewards. The official team will adjust the production and consumption of LHU tokens based on the operating conditions of the ecosystem to avoid inflation.

The transaction fees in the NFT market and the LHU tokens consumed by users will flow into the project's treasury. The treasury may sell the held LHU tokens on the exchange to increase market supply or generate revenue.

HP Token (Health Potion) is used to restore the hero's health points and can be obtained through gameplay or traded on the secondary market. The existence of the HP Token is primarily to increase the consumption demand for the LHU Token.

The game also has three types of off-chain currencies: "energy, evolution, and health," used for various game functions.

summary

N3TWORK Studios is backed by an experienced game development team and a resource-rich blockchain gaming platform, with the potential to expand the audience for crypto games. Its economic model design draws lessons from previous games and plans to maintain ecological economic balance through centralized regulation.

However, there may be discrepancies between the ideal design and actual operation, and it will take time to verify whether it can successfully attract users and maintain economic balance. Considering the team's background and resources, this project is worth paying attention to and looking forward to.