In a groundbreaking move, AtariX, the Web3 initiative from iconic video game developer Atari, has announced that it will be bringing its classic games to the blockchain. This is made possible through a partnership with Base, Coinbase’s Ethereum layer-2 scalable blockchain.
Collaboration launched with arcade game Asteroids
The collaboration launches with the timeless arcade game Asteroids, a multi-directional shooter originally released in 1979. In this game, the player controls a spaceship and shoots at asteroids while avoiding them.
The new initiative allows players to compete on a leaderboard worldwide and win prizes, including an Atari gift card worth $1,000, or approximately €922. Atari is making classic games playable via an on-chain arcade on the Base platform. Users must link their digital wallet and purchase a non-fungible token (NFT) access pass to participate and record their scores on the blockchain.
Players can purchase up to 1,000 NFT passes per wallet, but according to the website, owning multiple passes will not affect in-game scores. The access pass costs 0.0015 Ethereum to mine, which is roughly $5 or €4.61.
While Asteroids is available for free on various websites and retro game compilations, the AtariX platform offers a unique experience by allowing players to compete against each other, win prizes, and participate in the wider Atari ecosystem.
Not the first classic game on the blockchain
This initiative isn’t the first time classic games have been brought to the blockchain. Earlier this year, on January 8, developers from Bitcoin Ordinals portfolio tracker Ninjalerts registered a Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) emulator on a satoshi, allowing the community to play classic SNES games on the Bitcoin network.
On January 25, a pseudonymous developer named Mini Doge repeated this process on the Dogecoin network using the Dogecoin Ordinals protocol, making the ’90s first-person shooter Doom playable on the blockchain.
Additionally, on February 22, Ninjalerts registered a Nintendo 64 emulator on the Bitcoin blockchain. Ninjalerts CEO Trevor Owens told Cointelegraph that putting game emulators on Bitcoin is part of their effort to preserve endangered games. Owens believes there is no better place to immortalize data than on the Bitcoin blockchain.
With these innovations, Atari takes a major step in integrating classic gaming and modern blockchain technology, adding a new dimension to gaming fun.
Source: https://newsbit.nl/atari-brengt-klassieke-games-naar-de-blockchain-via-samenwerking-met-base/
