AMA Recap: Avalanche Vietnam x Shrapnel
On Friday, October 6, 2023, at 9:00 PM (UTC+7), we had an AMA session with Tony Valcarcel, the Director of Web3 Marketing at Shrapnel.
Here’s a recap of the AMA:
Before we dive into the questions, please introduce briefly about yourself, your team and some key features of Shrapnel?
My name is Tony Valcarcel. Currently, I work as a Web3 Marketing professional at SHRAPNEL. Prior to that, I was on the founding team for Twitch Prime, now Prime Gaming, a global loyalty program with tens of millions of users, beloved by streamers and players.
The SHRAPNEL team is comprised of industry experts from AAA games and blockchain projects. We are designers, producers, artists, and programmers working at the nexus of games, television, movies, and graphic novels. Collectively, we’ve produced some of the biggest game franchises in the world (Bioshock, Ghost of Tsushima, Halo Remastered, Red Faction Guerilla, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and more). The team leadership has won Emmys and BAFTAs for their previous work, and SHRAPNEL has already won six industry awards so far.
Next, could you please update some latest news or big events of Shrapnel in the coming time?
Moving forward we’re preparing for our Early Access launch on Epic Games Store in December. Leading up to that launch, we’ll be releasing a limited number of Extraction Packs that will grant access to the first version of Shrapnel. In the second half of 2024 Shrapnel we’ll do a full release of Shrapnel and the game will be Free-to-play.
If people want regular updates on Early Access and other features we’re building out they should Create an Account on Shrapnel.com
1. Could you tell us what are the requirements to be a “Shrapnel” player? Will I really have to buy multiple NFT characters, with accessories and lands? If so, how much will the minimum investment represent? In addition to this, will they allow you to play in Free To Play mode?
For early access (starting in December), you will need to purchase an “”Extraction Pack”” to play. There will be 3 tiers. Holders of our Operator NFT will receive the highest tier for holding. When we release the full game next year the game will be Free-to-play.
You don’t need to hold any NFTs or even have a specific wallet to play the game. You’ll just need to have created account. We’re also giving away a number of Extraction Packs in the lead up to Early Access release!
2. With your experience of making traditional games like companies: hbo, xbox,… How will you bring the economic model into blockchain to balance between playing games and making money? This is a big problem. but no blockchain game really can do it.
We’re focused on building a sustainable live services economy similar to what you’d see in games like Fortnite and PUBG. In this model, we aim to create content that is intrisically valuable to the people who own it, which requires a game with a large, active, playerbase to create that intrinsic value. Our Live Services team consists of both seasoned video games professionals and traditional economists, allowing us to apply modern economic principles to the game development process.
3. As a newcomer to crypto, I have always faced difficulties in navigating through the UI of many platforms. And these clumsy UI have always been difficult for newbies. So,is the Shrapnel Platform beginner friendly platform & ensure a hassle free & clean interface for users?
You’ll be able to download our game from Epic Games Store and play it just like any other game. You can choose to interact with the various on-chain components of our ecosystem at your own pace. We’ve prioritized a seamless onboarding experience for the user over pushing certain “web3” elements on gamers.
Our head of UI/UX has led projects like Bioshock Infinite and multiple Halo titles, it is so fun to see them work on our UX. Here’ s a little taste:
https://x.com/playSHRAPNEL/status/1705280810046325231?s=20
4. Currently, there are quite a few AAA games. So how does Shrapnel compete with other game projects? Can you list 1–3 killer features of this project that makes it ahead of its competitors? What is the competitive advantage that you feel most confident in?
Compared to “web2” AAA games we feel we’ve provided a much clearer value proposition around ownership of in-game assets. Additionally, we’re building out a robust set of UGC tools that allow users to not only create but also own their creations.
Players will be able to mod almost every aspect of Shrapnel, from the skins you’re wearing to the maps you’re playing in. All of that UGC will be mintable, tradeable, and sellable on our Marketplace. Our tokenomics model incentivizes creators who bring value to our ecosystem, by directly rewarding them for doing so.
5. SHRAPNEL achieved significant milestones, such as the release of the Operators collection and the First Pre-Alpha Gameplay Launch. Can you share some insights into the lessons learned and challenges faced during these developments?
One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned throughout this process is the importance of building alongside your community. As we’ve shared more of our development process and updates with our community, we’ve found that the feedback we get is invaluable. For example, we’ve started streaming internal playtests to our Discord audience, and giving them the opportunity to ask our developers and game designers questions. This helps us better understand what elements of the game are exciting to our players, and allows us to react accordingly.
6. How can I play the games? Is there any tutorial or is it possible to play SHRAPNEL demo to get more familiar with the games before investing our money into it thanks?
The first opportunity to play the game will be in December of this year. People who hold Extraction Packs (Free for our Operators Collection Holders, or buyable in 11 days) will be able to play before the game officially launches next year. Once the game is fully launched, it will be Free to Play.
7. Do you planning to promote your project in different countries, where English is not spoken well? Do you have a local communities for them to better understand your project? Why I can’t find your telegram channel 🤔?
Yes 100%, we’re working with a few different groups to help us provide localized marketing and support, specifically in the APAC region.
8. How do you plan to combat cheating and maintain a competitive environment in your blockchain FPS?
Our team takes security very seriously, it’s why we work with trusted third party providers on the blockchain side, like Fireblocks, Moonpay, Layerzero and Ava Labs. On the game side, our developers have deep experience from their XBox days, so our anti-cheat solutions are robust and proven. Additionally, our community really protects each other and are always on the lookout. They’ve been lightning-fast responding to spoof accounts and phishing attempts.
9. Are there any plans for cross-platform gameplay or collaborations with other blockchain projects?
Yes, we work regularly with Parallel, Wildcard, Overworld, Unioverse, and other web3 gaming projects with both lightweight integrations, like AMAs and game nights, and deeper integrations, like interoperability between NFT collections. For example, Operator Holders can play with an exclusive character in some of NFArcades titles.
10. How does blockchain technology enhance the gaming experience in your FPS game?
Everything in the game is moddable, mintable, ownable, tradeable, and sellable. If you make the coolest building that creates really fun, tense shootouts, and map makers (other players modding shrapnel using our mod tools) want to use your building, they can buy/license it from you for their map. We believe deeply in the creator economy and have leaned into it using our proprietary blockchain technology.
11. The current market of the NFTs is suffering a huge dump of volume due the bear season, is very hard give a value to a NFT and keep it, so can you explain us how will you manage the NFT Inflation? How will you guarantee a stable value of your NFT collections?
We’ll continue to create value for our holders, for example, our holders will receive the $100 Extraction Pack as a benefit of holding. There have been previous rewards like comic books and airdrops and our holders will continue to see benefits as long as they hold. Regarding value as a function of price, we’re currently almost 2x above mint price, and haven’t dipped below mint price since we minted over a year ago.
12. What are plans in for global expansion? Are you focusing on market at this time or focus on building and developing or getting customers and users, or partnerships?
We’re currently spinning up marketing efforts in EU, APAC, South America, MENA, and North America. We believe that the audience for Shrapnel is and continue to be a global audience
13. Can you discuss the governance model of your blockchain FPS and how players can participate in decision-making?
We will have a Foundation (DAO) that manages and defines governance, this organization was just recently formed, but you can expect to see more from them in the coming weeks and months
14. How many team members does SHRAPNEL has? Are they experienced enough in the blockchain field? Do they have any experience of working in crypto and non-crypto projects?
We have over 70 full time employees, most of which are in Seattle. The majority of the game team has been working in video games for 10+ years:
This is our head of game: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clintbundrick/ He created all of the combat and gameplay systems for Bioshock Infinite
This is our head of blockchain: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcmercuri/
He ran blockchain for MSFT and then ConsenSys
These are just a couple examples of our web2 and web3 talent
