While mobile play-to-earn games still head directly to either Google Play Store or the Apple App Store for distribution, that might change soon with the launch of Colizeum.
This new platform, which is currently in the works, plans to become the next hub of play-to-earn or NFT games with its goal of being the “Steam for play-to-earn mobile titles”.
Out with the old, in the with new
In their whitepaper, Colizeum states that the current monetization option for existing mobile games usually include in-game transactions as well as advertising. The problem with these, according to Colizeum, is that the prices are not always within the developers’ control as platforms and agencies charge additional “fees per dollar of revenue” and have “zero transparency on pricing methods and fee formation”.
The former has become a talking point amongst developers particularly on the PC platform where game creators have been refuting the ‘standard’ 30% cut that major distribution platforms get for game sales. This has led to developers sometimes self-publishing their games or moving to other, newer distribution platforms with more attractive pricing schemes.
Colizeum plans to tackle this with the use of blockchain technology and decentralization to give mobile game developers another option for monetizing their game. In Colizeum, developers can drive revenue not just through their own individual tokens but also through Colizeum’s own token, ZEUM.
How does Colizeum work?
Aside from earning using their own in-game native tokens, developers can earn revenue and take advantage of Colizeum’s other services by staking ZEUM tokens. As staking provides passive income for token holders, games that are able to drive more players also mean more demand for ZEUM, theoretically increasing its value and in turn increasing the value of the ZEUM token. This helps remove the dreaded revenue cut that platforms charge developers and publishers for putting up games on their platforms.
In-platform advertising is also going to be driven mainly by ZEUM, with the key determining factor of a game’s visibility being the amount of ZEUM the developer has put up for staking. Through this, the cost of contacting agencies for ad placements or working with high-paying influencers for promotion programs could potentially be minimized and the developers might instead allocate more time in working on their game.
More tools for game creators
Aside from being just a new environment for play-to-earn games, Colizeum also plans to offer additional support to game creators with tools like an SDK, tournament-related services, and even prediction markets.
The Colizeum SDK will allow even regular developers to create blockchain experiences without the need for a blockchain development team as it already incorporates the technology, and even supports Unity 3D, one of the most popular game development engines, with more to come in the future.
As for tournaments, Colizeum’s ecosystem will host both “free” and “paid” tournaments. These tournaments will aim to drive more player activity and reward not just the developers but also the participants and as well as tournament organizers.
Tournaments will also be tied up with the prediction market functionality, which can have stakeholders “bid on the outcome” of the organized tournaments, a scheme similar to betting. But bettors and bidders are not the only ones earning from the prediction markets as tournament creators and developers get a minimal share of the total pool regardless of the result.
Future plans
Colizeum is hosting multiple IDO rounds with the last one on March 11, 2022. Part of their roadmap milestones this year include the launch of their NFT cards, which will have additional functionality within the Colizeum environment; the public launch of the Colizeum SDK and marketplace; and increasing the number of games under the Colizeum umbrella.