The Walking Dead: Empires Closes Its Zombie-Infested Doors
The Walking Dead franchise has had many iterations. Originally a successful comic book, it was turned into a smash TV series and has since been in everything from board games to mobile titles. One of the more innovative concepts was the blockchain-based game ‘The Walking Dead: Empires.’ However, the game has now shut down as many similar Web 3 titles also face closure.
The Closure of Blockchain Gaming
In 2020, the possibilities for blockchain gaming seemed endless. It promised to bring transparency and in-game currencies with new NFT assets. Yet the truth is that five years on, many games have failed to deliver. With a lack of funding and profit at a low, the future is looking bleak.
This can be seen in the range of titles that have vanished. In January, it started with the closure of Deadrop. Then Nyan Heroes, the much-lauded feline shooting game, was shut down in May. These were the most well-known and played ones. From MetalCore to Blast Royale, the bottom began to fall out of the blockchain gaming community.
The Walking Dead: Empires
What set Empires aside from other games in the field was that it was unique in its official license. Where most titles were imaginary properties or ones copying other concepts, this had a well-known franchise backing it. Announced for release in 2021, the decision was made to close it in July this year.
The game itself was not that unique in concept: find and craft weapons, and try to survive. All of this was done while acquiring land, which meant more resources. However, the concept of in-game assets that stuck with players was a novel idea. A land deed title from the game sold for $67,000 on NFT marketplace Opensea in its heyday. In 2023, when the game was still wildly popular, even basic items were listed for around $1,000.
The Walking Dead franchise has never shied away from using its characters and world in innovative, cutting-edge titles. Cash Collect is a game that has proven extremely popular on many of the bingo sites UK players frequent. Now a one-stop shop for real money cash games, titles like this can be played alongside traditional bingo titles. What makes this different to other slot games is the cash collect mechanic, which involves landing the right symbols to enter a range of bonus games. When combined with the imagery of Alexandria’s post-apocalyptic world, it makes for an instantly recognisable and intuitive experience for Walking Dead fans. So why have games like this flourished, when Web 3 ones have failed?
Why Close the Game?
The game was created and run by Gala Games, which took a lot of heat for pulling the title. This was mainly due to the money players had spent on it. Gala did promise to distribute NFTs of equal functionality to be used in other games, but many were unhappy at this and did not believe they equated in value. Even away from Web3 development, 90% of games fail. Finally, it seems the players are just not there anymore. Unless this changes, the Web 3 gaming space may go down in history as a failed experiment, and Walking Dead Empires will live on as one of its shining success stories.
