News Article:
Mech Shooter Game MetalCore to Migrate to Solana’s Immutable zkEVM
Game developer Studio 369 announced on Thursday that its mech shooter game MetalCore will be migrating to Solana’s Layer 2 gaming network, Immutable zkEVM, in November, coinciding with the start of the game’s second season.
Studio 369 cited Solana’s “excellent” capabilities in handling high transaction volumes and its rapidly evolving ecosystem as the reasons behind this move.
Matt Candler, President and CEO of Studio 369, stated, “Solana continues to demonstrate impressive growth and stability, capable of handling billions of dollars in transactions while maintaining 99.95% uptime.”
He also referenced other Solana games like Star Atlas and Aurora, hinting at “countless opportunities for cross-promotion and collaboration.”
Image: Studio 369
MetalCore was initially scheduled for a late 2023 release on Immutable zkEVM, focusing on Ethereum’s Layer 2 for gaming. However, the mainnet of the network was delayed, leading Studio 369 to downsize its team. Candler had previously stated in March that the zkEVM mainnet delay “prevents us from commenting further on our situation.”
In March, the studio announced another $5 million in funding to help launch the game following the unexpected network delay. The game entered its beta testing phase in September through the Epic Games Store and was accompanied by the release of MCG tokens and numerous NFTs on the Immutable zkEVM chain.
When asked about the team’s experience on Ethereum’s scaling solutions, Studio 369 declined to comment.
Candler told reporters, “Since launch, we’ve seen a lot of positive traction and feedback.”
“Our first season was a great success, with strong KPIs indicating a healthy in-game economy. We also saw interest from non-crypto-native users who purchased assets worth over $100,000 through Web2 stores.”
Image: Studio 369
In addition to the beta version, MetalCore’s first game season, titled MetalPunks Rhapsody, started in September, introducing various performance and visual enhancements while upgrading the game to Unreal Engine 5.
Furthermore, the update lowered the level of crypto knowledge required to participate in the game, such as no longer needing to create a wallet. The upcoming migration will also see MetalCore leveraging Solana Labs’ GameShift platform, which helps reduce friction related to cryptocurrencies for users participating in the game economy.
Although an official date is yet to be determined, Studio 369 expects to launch on Solana in November, simultaneously starting its second season. When this occurs, players will have to migrate their NFTs and tokens from Immutable zkEVM to Solana, with more details to be provided before the migration.
Editor: Andrew Hayward
