Rainmaker Games announced that it has launched a cross-chain marketplace for non-fungible tokens (NFTs) for blockchain games.
Will Deane, CEO of Rainmaker, said in an interview with GamesBeat that the marketplace represents a new advance in blockchain-based game finance, or GameFi. With the new marketplace, gamers can explore aggregated top GameFi NFT listings from across Web3, complete with guides, strategies, and reviews.
Back in December, Rainmaker Games closed a round of funding, raising $6.5 million. Its investors include CoinFund, Polygon Studios, and Animoca Brands among others. At the time, the company was working on “play-to-earn” blockchain games where players can own their wares and sell them if they wish.
Trading NFTs for games became a multibillion-dollar market in 2021, as collectors were driven by hype and hopes of profits as they invested in NFTs. The problem is that gamers are forced to purchase NFTs on platforms that only cater to specific marketplaces and their respective blockchain architecture, such as Solana or Polygon.
Deane said most gamers and investors are left confused about what to buy, which NFTs perform best, which wallet to download, and how to get started. Adding to that is a general lack of unbiased reviews and accurate rating systems for true gaming communities.
Deane’s solution is Rainmaker’s new NFT Marketplace. Rainmaker wants to empower gamers to play and invest smarter. This gamer-focused NFT marketplace integrates with Rainmaker’s game discovery engine, ushering in the next generation of frictionless experience while delivering educational resources.
The store has been in testing mode and it is getting a thousand visitors a day. There are about 100 games set up to launch on the company’s new launch pad, and there are about 400,000 people in its community across various platforms like Discord, Twitter, and Telegram. The company has partnered with more than 60 games so far.
Deane said active users are growing about 30% a month. Deane said the company has started a new round of fundraising. The company has about 20 people.
Cross-chain NFTs
Rainmaker said it is tying together dozens of Web3 games all in one NFT marketplace. The company said it is aggregating games across all available blockchains with a focus on the most fun, profitable, secure and developed Web3 games.
Rainmaker’s NFT marketplace gives a broader overview of what trading games and NFTs are actually in-demand. A team of 50 die-hard gamers and GameFi experts analyze each game on the site, providing a score that gives much-needed transparency to gaming data.
Poorly-designed or unpopular games with underperforming NFTs are monitored and red-flagged, leaving only the best games for the Rainmaker community.
Buying Guides
Gamers have access to comprehensive Buying Guides to help them make the most informed choices as well as a “Getting started with NFTs” guide for NFT newcomers. It’s a curated experience where gamers explore the most objective reviews out there.
Rainmaker’s Buying Guides are useful when it comes to cutting through the noise and making informed decisions on which games are worth your time – and which ones don’t match up. You can compare in-game footage and other media, transaction fees, startup costs, review the ins and outs of thousands of digital assets, and much more.
The NFT marketplace provides the NFT collection floor price as well as a price estimate of upcoming feature updates using proprietary algorithms. Rainmaker’s data-driven estimates ensure that users have the most relevant and up-to-date info on hand for each game they choose to explore.
Rainmaker’s curated listings are part of a platform that simplifies what it means to play online games by acting as a portal to experience any game without any blockchain barriers. From The Sandbox’s Ethereum blockchain to Farmpoly built on the Binance Smart Chain, all are compatible on Rainmaker.
You will be able to select from thousands of blockchain games around the world, based on categories such as new games or top-rated games. It also has user-generated reviews.
“We’ve started as a cross-marketplace aggregator and we just doing games,” Deane said. “We think that is very valuable to our community and we’re already seeing traction.”
The company is adding more blockchain protocols with the intention of getting everything.
While Deane believes ownership is key to blockchain gaming’s appeal. It enables people to invest in assets and take them out of the game if needed.
“I think the best argument for people is there is no downside,” he said. “I think a lot of gamers want liquidity.”
Deane acknowledges there have been crypto scams, but he doesn’t think gamers have explored true utility for NFTS yet. He thinks things will change when big triple-A game companies start launching high-end blockchain games.
Of course, the company is aware that we’re entering a bear market, particularly for the cryptocurrency traders and collectors.
“We’re answering that question, ‘Where do you go to learn about blockchain games?’” Deane said. “The short answer is Twitter. There’s really no discovery engine to learn about new upcoming games, free to play games, what has the coolest graphics, you know, and find game reviews.”
Right now, there are more than 600 games across every blockchain on the Rainmaker platform, Deane said. Deane said the plan is to add another 1,400 games.
“Others tell you a token price and transaction volume. Gamers really want to know what games are fun, what’s the newest game, all these different things,” Deane said.
There are other companies also trying to become the Steam store of Web3, but the market is pretty fragmented now. Some rivals like Fractal are focused on specific markets, like Solana.
“We’re completely cross-chain,” Deane said.
The crypto winter
As for the crypto winter, Deane said it is a “valuable thing.”
“I’ve been an entrepreneur my whole life,” he said. “I sold companies before. Being scrappy is a core attribute of what makes great companies in this environment. We’re going to see a lot of great projects with utility come out and I think that’s what blockchain needs right now. Everybody wishes it was a bull market, but in a bear market you are going to see the cream rise to the top.”
He believes the marketplace is part of the flywheel. Once players can locate the best games, they will play more and the market will grow. There are blockchain game haters, he acknowledged, but he thinks they haven’t experienced ownership yet.