Aether Games Observes Dark Fantasy DeFi Dynasty

While GameFi has seen a lot of success in recent years, critics point out that the industry still lacks unique and engaging gaming experiences. 

Web3 blockchain-based games often fail to offer gamers immersive experiences comparable with traditional gaming. Much of the effort is instead focused on the business side of things. This results in players receiving little more than staking protocols and dressing up. 

Aether Games Inc. is determined to reverse this trend and bring some life back into the gaming industry. Aether has assembled a team that includes veterans from the film and gaming industries. They are determined to change the face of GameFi by creating games that gamers will love. The project has already released Cards of Ethernity – a collectible game of cards backed by NFTs – but it is now in the process of releasing a series of DeFi and cinematic sequels that it hopes will make it the leading gaming universe in GameFi. 

We had the chance to talk with Aether Games about their plans to increase the GameFi ante.

When did Aether Games begin? How did you discover that there was something you could offer the GameFi community that was not available?

Aether Games Inc. was founded as a company in June 2021. We developed game design documents for Cards of Ethernity & Gates of Ethernity. After assessing our strengths and core abilities, we put together our development plan and then released the first trailer for Gates of Ethernity. It received over 3M views on Facebook in a matter of weeks. This rapid success enabled us to expand on our vision and the Aether Gaming Universe was born. 

What is the difference between Aether Games titles and others in NFT gaming? 

The biggest difference is noticeable right away: it’s the quality of our true-to-life CGI assets and cinematic production. No other Web3 franchise has ever been able achieve this level of artistic excellence. Aether Games has at least three distinctive features that make it truly special. First, honest and trustworthy world-level experts who are our advisors and artists. Although many people claim to have this, Aether Games has succeeded in having world-class individuals who drive our vision forward. Our second focus is on cinematography, artistic contribution, and blending our CGI advancements with Web3. Third: Our retention-oriented approach that is optimized for long-term gaming. This includes in-game universe exploration and PvP sessions.

How can you reach gamers and grow your audience outside of blockchain? 

As an Esports celebrity manger and avid gamer, I have always believed that almost all gamers exist in a world outside of Blockchain and NFTs. This notion is now outdated as publishers alter their policies and discontinue services. Gamers are more open to other options such as GameFi, NFT gaming, and other venues. Web3 can meet gamers’ basic requirements of variety and security. However, gamers want immersive visuals and high quality visuals. 

Aether Games turned this issue into a success thanks to the hard work of our team and careful planning. A production pipeline was designed by us. It starts with assets of the best cinematographic quality. These assets were developed for Aether series, but first presented as Augmented Reality showcases and NFTs. This made us stand out from all others in the NFT space, and brought new users and plenty of curiosity. We further developed our products, creating unsurpassed CGI quality. 

Three conditions must be met before traditional gamers can experience Web3. First — without exception, cutting-edge Web3 games must match and eventually surpass the established standards in classic game development in order to stand out. Web3’s first iterations were notoriously primitive. This created negative public opinion and damaged the GameFi industry. The second requirement — novelty and resourcefulness. Projects must add to the existing gaming experience by using digital ownership, cross-product compatibility, and a compelling universe. 

We are now reaching a global audience with the release of Aether series on the most popular streaming platforms: Netflix, Hulu and Netflix. We will continue to expand our IP and explore new formats and mediums, including game franchising and toys and apps. 

How large is your team? What’s the split across different functions/departments? 

Aether Games Inc. is made up of several teams. The core team is responsible for operations, planning and PR, the game development team (building Cards of Ethernity & Gates of Ethernity), and the cinema production team (CGI professionals and directors, characters designers, art direction, and CGI professionals), and the film crew (actors, voice actors, operators and photographers), and the web development and blockchain development team (supporting all of Aether Games Inc. titles as well our smart contract services, NFT collections and our smart contracts and NFT collections), along with our smart contract services and our NFT collections and our smart contracts and our Smart Contract Services and NFT collection), as well as well as well as well as well as well as well as well as well as well as well as well as well as well as well as s as well as well as well as well as well as well as well as well as well as well as well as well as well as well as we have s. Aether Games Inc. is home to over 100 individuals who are changing Web3 for good. 

Our understanding is that your team has expertise and experience in CGI and is well-connected to entertainment industry players, such as Netflix. Please elaborate on the team’s past CGI experience and what that kind of expertise has added to what you are building. 

This is very true. Aether Games Inc is a collaboration of extremely talented people behind globally recognised titles, such as World of Tanks, Smite, Hearthstone, Baldur’s Gate 3, League of Legends, Far Cry 6, God of War, Runeterra, Ghost Recon, The Crew 2, Beyond Good & Evil, Raid: Shadow Legends and many more. Although boasting “big names” is a common phrase in the NFT industry, we are proud to have an extremely talented team. The most well known and prominent CGI cinematic pieces produced by our cinema production team are two episodes from Love, Death + Robots — from season one “Beyond the Aquila Rift” and “Snow in the Desert ” from season two. 

How can you ensure that your developers & team members will remain committed to this project?

This is a tricky part because people can change their minds for many reasons. Our multi-layered solution is designed to keep product deliveries steady. 

The commonality between all layers is that we all share the same values, such as honesty, responsibility and workplace ethics. We also share common goals and a love of dark fantasy and gaming. Our tech teams and film crew on the satellite layer work together with casting agencies and talent acquisition service providers. We are always expanding our partnership network.

Who is on your advisory panel? Do you have any partnerships with other companies in the industry? 

Our Advisory Board includes well-known experts in their fields. We are led by Danny Wilson, Kyle Chasse, Master Ventures, Josh Meier, Tom Ngo, Dext Force Ventures, Omar Ghanem, Polkastarter Gaming Guild, and Tom Meier, all from Illuvium. We’ve been able to forge meaningful partnerships every week — we get in touch and team up with projects and services, who share our vision and capabilities regarding the transformation of web3 gaming into the frontier of digital entertainment. Dmitrii Mikachin, our direct contact to Hollywood and the streaming service mentioned above, is one of our advisors.

What’s your strategy for deploying on different layer 1 blockchains? 

This is as long as the project is multichain and not cross-chain. Our games can detect NFTs, and get information from connected blockchains. We appeal to chains that have the most active monthly users. Our strategy also caters to the needs of our community, which includes our partners and users. We want to eventually deploy assets and integrate as many chains as possible. Practically, however, the classic Erc20/Bep20 networks and many Layer2 solutions are our top priorities. As we speak, our list of contacts and potential expansions is growing. However, due to the current market conditions, it is impossible to predict a launch date for our TGE or $AEG network. 

Will Cards of Ethernity be a separate game from Gates of Ethernity? 

The games share the same cinematic universe and characters. They also have 3D Ethernal NFTs. Adventurer NFTs. Special dynamic cross-game NFTs. (Heirlooms). The Aether Vault and mentioned Heirlooms are also used to unite the games. 

We have an exciting deal for community members and Cointelegraph subscribers, which is valid until November 21st. Founderpack NFTs users have instant access to Cards of Ethernity as well as other guaranteed perks such as cardbacks, additional cards, and other treasures for founders. Find out how to join our Founderpack Whitelist.

Can you please tell us more about Gates of Ethernity’s progress? How do you envision your roadmap looking and when will it be released?

We had game design documents for both games prepared as early as June 2021. However, it was obvious that Gates of Ethernity outperformed Cards of Ethernity in terms of unique mechanics and visuals. Gates of Ethernity has over 90 fully 3D Ethernals planned, plus evolution stages for some of them — that’s already way more CGI creatures than cumulatively appeared in all of the Harry Potter films by Warner Brothers. I should also remind you that they are being delivered in hyperrealistic and true-to-life style. OpenSea already has the first samples of our work. 

Are there any other titles planned for the Aether Games universe? 

We are currently focusing on the following titles:

Cards of Ethernity (CoE) — a free-to-play Collectible Card Game/Trading Card Game with NFTs and P2E mechanics, a crafting system, over 150 cards, 6 fantasy races, 9 elements, a progressive Esports system and multiple staking plans through Heirlooms, Goodwill and the Aether Vault.

Gates of Ethernity (GoE) — a 3D autobattler with variable and highly addictive strategic gameplay where players are challenged to make well-thought-out decisions, evolve their Ethernals and compete with rivals. This game can be played with the Genesis NFT Collection. It also features the staking plans.

Gates of Ethernity AR Viewer allows you to view augmented reality on your mobile device. It is compatible with Gates of Ethernity Genesis non-fictional technology collection. The app allows users the opportunity to view their best dark fantasy Genesis 3D NFTs from their home.

Aether (Series) focuses on global recognition of Aether Gaming Universe through streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HBO.

After we deliver on these promises then, sure, we’ll be up for further expansion and the introduction of even bigger things. If our community and goals align, then an MMO RPG might be a great adventure. 

Which is your most pressing concern in DeFi gaming

Although I will try to keep this brief, there are many interconnected issues. To my mind, the most pressing one is, probably, the lack of actually  enjoyable games. DeFi gaming titles featuring great graphics and intriguing mechanics are just beginning to make their way into the market. Yet the gaps between gamers’ demand, publishers’ promises and general game supply breeds trust issues. This is why we are offering access to our game free of charge, before any INOs or other deposits. 

Everyone can join our community and receive their beta key via our discord or our dedicated quests. 

Who are the most prominent supporters and backers of Aether Gaming?

We are most grateful to our backers who have been there since our inception: Illuvium. Master Ventures. Ice Tea Labs. Ice Tea Labs. GameFi.org. Polkastarter foundation. Andromeda Capital.

Material is available in partnership with Aether Games Inc.

Disclaimer. Cointelegraph has no affiliation with any of the products or content found on this site. Although we try to give you all the information we could, we recommend that readers do their own research about the company before making any decisions. This article cannot be considered investment advice.