Image source: Indian Express

When non-fungible tokens (NFTs) made waves in 2021, they started as collectibles with benefits for holders.

However, things have changed, and Yuga Labs, the startup behind the popular Bored Ape Yacht Club collection, believes the future of NFT lies in gaming.

The vision

Yuga Labs co-founders Wylie Aronow and Greg Solano, better known as Gordon Goner and Garga, have a version for their “Otherside” metaverse game.

The two bet on video games that use NFT resources; however, they don’t want to create a “walled garden.”

After the announcement of “Otherside,” the founders of Yuga Lab worked hard to build the development team.

“Otherside” has been described as having everything from a metaverse to an MMORPG.

The Metaverse

In early 2020, the startup raised $450 million in its first round of funding, earning a $4 billion valuation.

Yuga Labs is currently sprinting towards the launch of its Web3-centric Metaverse.

According to those who have seen the Early Access footage, the Metaverse can easily be compared to World of Warcraft.

“We’re building a team of creative technologists,” said Aronow.

“I’ve been calling them the Yuganeers, but they’re like the Imagineers—they’re our creative ninjas.”

Aronow is so busy right now that it’s hard for him to focus on one thing.

“I don’t prioritize,” he said. “We do everything all the time.”

In the meantime, Solano aims to keep BAYC alive, but he also wants to show the world what Yuga can achieve with its Web3 funding.

“I want to impress and show off technical prowess that we can do now with a bigger team, but also just remind people, ‘Hey, this is a pretty ridiculous club here,'” he said.

“And we’re just here to have fun.”

Yuga Labs game development

The startup process is different from that of traditional game publishers.

Their team scales faster, bringing NFT owners as de facto testers for “Otherside.”

“I think we’re doing things in contrast to the way a lot of gaming companies would do things,” said Aronow.

“Starting with the iterative development of the game itself.”

“Typically, what you see is you’d maybe get a teaser, a few months later you get a trailer, three years later, you get a game.”

Instead, Yuga Labs will slowly unveil “Otherside” through multiple “trips” that will allow selected individuals to explore areas of the upcoming virtual world.

The company does not manufacture game products for the widest possible demographic compared to other game developers.

“We are always building out everything for the person who bought an Ape for $200,” Aronow added.

Access

Although Otherside looks like an MMORPG, it’s not for kids or people who don’t have coins.

“I think one way of thinking about it is as a semi-decentralized, but absolutely Web3 native, Roblox,” described Aronow.

“But obviously much better looking and geared for a slightly more adult audience.”

“Otherside” has an MMORPG feel to it thanks to Greg Solano, who co-authored a book on “World of Warcraft” in 2019.

“We want to tell an amazing story,” explained Solano. “You know, about what the f*** these Koda things are, and a strange world that we found ourselves teleported into.”

“And we want to give the space for people’s creativity to build on top of and enjoy.”

Reference:

Bored Ape co-founders want ‘Otherside’ metaverse to be ‘Web3-native Roblox’ for adults