Crypto and NFTs are a global phenomenon. The former now commands over $1.5 trillion in cumulative valuation. At the same time, NFTs are booming, disrupting various industries ranging from gaming to eCommerce and even art. As a pointer, barely three months after crossing the $1 billion mark, the total trading volumes registered on OpenSea, an NFT marketplace, soared past $10 billion in early November. That figure would likely expand to triple digits in months to come due to ongoing developments. For instance, in late December 2021, organic searches for NFTs flipped crypto for the first time.
NFTs in Gaming
The impact of NFTs in gaming is evident. More gaming publishers are now pouring millions as they integrate NFTs. Unlike typical fungible tokens, NFTs are unique and cannot be duplicated. Still, they ride on the same base layer as fungible tokens, meaning they are equally secure and transparent. All NFT transactions can also be tracked on the blockchain. These features directly benefit gamers. As such, developers are releasing games designed expressly to empower their global base.
What is DarleyGo?
DarleyGo is the world’s first mythical horse racing game based on NFTs, set for launch on the Solana blockchain. On the game’s platform, users can purchase, race, collect, and breed NFT horses. Their focus on mythical horses allows the development team to be creative. These powerful mythical horses have now been ported from folklore to web3, allowing users to race them for prizes. The ability to race them for prizes would be desirable to horse racing fans. In the U.S., horse racing is estimated to be worth over $3 billion by the end of 2021, roughly halving from the over $5 billion registered in 2019.
Benefits of Solana
By launching on the Solana blockchain, DarleyGo developers ensure racers don’t have to pay high fees for every transaction. When trading or breeding horses, fees will be low to zero. At the same time, the decision to launch on the high throughput, high-speed Solana blockchain mean every component of the game will work at optimum speed, not impacting the game. Overall, the launch of DarleyGo on Solana means the team can quickly actualize their goal of releasing a fast-paced, engaging game where horses are owned as valuable NFTs. These NFTs can also be swapped for real-world currencies, a monetization strategy that’s lucrative for gamers who previously had to rely on the terms and conditions of game publishers to get paid.
Exploring the DarleyGo Game
Within the DarleyGo gaming ecosystem, there are three dominant horse bloodlines–Darley, Areo, and Hayato. Each bloodline would possess different attributes ranging from personality to character, impacting their performance during races. Depending on their needs, racers can engage in the training, racing, or breeding modes. Horse owners are advised to understand their horses better through training. In this mode, they will explore the horse’s potential. Here, a racer can train their horses using the game’s NPC DarleyHorses. Alternatively, they can practice with other players to earn experience points while also earning the game’s SPL token.
During racing, a beginner horse will start from the lowest level—Griffin—where they can race with up to 12 other players. Afterward, they can build their racing skills from level 1 to 5. The higher the ranking, the more the prize pool. When breeding, a player, after exploring and thoroughly understanding their horses’ capabilities, can decide to breed their horses.
The DarleyGo development team also plans to integrate the metaverse, allowing its players to race in the expansive DarleyGo universe—additional revenue streams for earning SPL tokens.
