The developers of collectible trading card game Tides of Magic have just moved their game from a closed to an open beta. Gamers can start testing the web-based card game by logging into their wallet, like for example Metamask. In addition players can now trade cards on marketplaces like Opensea.
Tides of Magic is one of many games tapping into the idea of blockchain-powered collectible trading cards. Gods Unchained is probably one of the most famous examples, while games like Axie Infinity, Drakons and Chibi Fighters use cards as part of their battle system. Each of these games works different. Some times players need to collect cards, and with other games character actions are shown as cards.
Those who dive into the open beta of Tides of Magic, will notice that the game stands out because of its strong focus on interoperability. The developers have made partnerships with other gaming projects like for example Axie Infinity, Cryptopunks, Flowerpatch, and Etheremon. Players who own non-fungible tokens from these games, will automatically have access to a certain card in Tides of Magic. In short, one token gives access to multiple items across different gaming universes.
Even though the team already has deals with multiple game studios, the developers acknowledge that their idea is 'a challenging hurdle'. They aren't able to just rip-off artwork and integrate brands into their game. The studio needs to work together with other studios to really get this idea to come to life.
Traditionally game developers don't favor secondary markets. The moment a game or item has been sold through an online shop, the business model ends. That's the reason why game companies move towards digital distribution in the first place, because it cuts costs and eliminates secondary markets through eBay and other marketplaces. Thanks to blockchain technology and smart contracts this practice has come to an end. Now players can sell their digital items and gaming companies can reap the fruits from that.
Tides of Magic is taking 4 percent of every sale on OpenSea. So when a card has been sold for 10 dollars, they will receive 40 cents. This is not much, but it adds up. Gods Unchained has 27 thousand dollars in trading volume in the past week. If they would take the same cut, it would earn them over 4 thousand dollars per month. These number go on top of the traditional digital sales they do through their own respective websites.
The base game of Tides of Magic offers five different schools of magic. Each of these decks has their own packs of cards, which came in both a standard and an elite version. Packs of cards can score you minions, spells, and habitats. Minions fight for you, spells perform special actions and habitats produce mana.
A standard pack of cards costs 0.0272 ETH, while elite cards a double the price. There are legend packs as well. These grant the highest chance of getting rare cards. The price is set at 0.272 ETH.
