The NFT market’s unprecedented exponential growth continue to soar as 2021 closed with earnings of $17.6 billion surpassing its projected value of $1.3 billion. The uptick rose to a staggering 21,000 percent from 2020’s total of $82 million according to the record released by the NFT data company, Nonfungible.com. The crypto sports game market alone earned $5.17 billion. Moreover, 2021 proved to be cryptocurrency’s best year when dictionary publisher Collins Dictionary declared NFT as 2021 Word of the Year. The meteoric rise of NFT as a sudden presence in conversations, from art platforms to social media and financial pages throughout 2021, catapulted it into the general public’s awareness. Meanwhile, NFT’s weekly sales volume since the beginning of 2022 averages at around $687 million.
In February, best-selling NFT game Axie Infinity racked up $4 billion in sales becoming the first NFT series to break the $4 billion sales volume in the crypto sports game. Axie is a play-to-earn NFT game on the Ethereum block chain where players can purchase cute monsters, called Axies, to breed and pit against each other. Sky Mavis, creators of the crypto game, plans to release Version 3 of the game known as Origins soon.
Other NFT games that dominated in 2021 include Sorare, Cryptokitties, Battle of Guardians, Sandbox 3D and Gods Unchained.
The leading NFT games of 2022
There are a number of new crypto sports game releases that NFT gamers are anticipating but quarter one of 2022 continues to lead with the following games along with the reigning royals of NFT games, Axie Infinity, Sorare, The Sandbox and Gods Unchained.
- My Neighbor Alice
Developed by Antler Interactive, My Neighbor Alice is a charming NFT game that allows players to purchase a virtual land to do their farming business. Through virtual avatars, they can engage in various activities such as decorating the farm, fishing or socializing with the other characters like Bjorn the Bear, Bob the beekeeper, Shipwright Jose and Ivan the Merchant. In-game assets can be acquired through the currency called Alice and increase its value.
- Splinterlands
Splinterlands, similar to the physical card game Magic: The Gathering, is a digital collect-and-trade game where players can engage in battles and quests. There are 500 cards in the game that have values, stats, and rarities for players to collect, trade or sell. Splinterlands, which is recorded in the Hive blockchain, features a currency called DEC or Dark Energy Crystals. Dedicated fans play to earn in the game through tournaments, receiving gifts, card flipping or burning cards. - Decentraland
Metaverse NFT game Decentraland runs on the Ethereum blockchain where players can buy plots of virtual land which they can turn into real estate. The real estate has a value in the form of an NFT token that can be sold in the open marketplace. Players enter Decentraland using a customisable digital avatar. Decentraland, coming from the idea of a decentralized world, is not controlled by any entity but is governed and owned by MANA, LAND and Estate holders through the Decentraland DAO (decentralised autonomous organization), which are also the users, thus, creating a new kind of metaverse.
Upcoming NFT games of 2022
- Mines of Dalarnia
Currently testing at version 2, Mines of Dalarnia is a free-to-play game where players can mine blocks for minerals. Players can update their characters and items using the minerals, go on an adventure to search for artifacts and improve their skills. This 2D-platform mining game will officially launch its mainnet version this April. Fans are eager to explore the four launch planets— Luna Praxis, Terra Prime, Terra Simia and Terra Caldera, which the developers at Workinman Interactive and Chromia Studios have been building for years including the game’s backstory and lore.
- Illuvium
Illuvium is an open world fantasy RPG (role-playing game) on the Ethereum blockchain. The 3D open world immerses players to explore and capture beasts called Illuvials. But, in order to capture the Illuvials, players need to mine, uncover the natural disaster, and unlock obelisks. Collected Illuvials have real-world value represented through NFT. There are one hundred Illuvials lurking within the open world with different classes and affinities. This is an exciting adventure game where players can choose the free-to-play or paid version. - Silk
Silk is a metaverse game where players earn rewards by participating in horse racing. It is one of the crypto sports games that garnered a lot of buzz this year. The virtual horses have actual counterparts in the real world. The in-game horses’ traits and characters are extracted from the training histories and racing records of their real-world counterparts. Other interesting activities in the game include building horse farms and training horses.
SorareSharp is a leading mobile app for crypto fantasy football managers on Sorare. With auction alarms, player news and projected lineups, SorareSharp helps players achieve better trading results while saving time and easily tracking profits. The app is available for download on Google Play and App Store.
