Adding features based on blockchain can be great for games and players. There are numerous expected benefits in Web3 games from a new monetization model for game developers to greater flexibility for players. Blockchain features gives players ownership over assets to hopefully let them resell their in-game items, as well as open up the gaming ecosystem to bring purchases from one game to another.
However, games using blockchain technology today can be prohibitive to your average gamer. They typically don’t have a blockchain wallet and can get confused when trying to create one. Even if they already have a wallet, the existing flows can feel clunky due to requiring a browser pop-up to interact with any transactions on-chain.
To fix this, Stardust provides game developers a seamless way to onboard players to Web3 – no browser extensions or writing down seed phrases needed. Stardust offers an easy-to-integrate API to create and manage Web3 wallets from a game’s backend. This allows game developers to build wallet creation directly into existing flows and brand it however they want because they own the entire user experience.
A common web3 use case is buying an Access Pass as an NFT for a game.
Game developers can build a flow like the following to attract and onboard the average gamer with a custodial wallet:
STEP 1: Create a Player (which will create a wallet)
After authenticating, the developer calls the Stardust endpoint which will create a Web3 wallet for the player.
STEP 2: Collect Payment/ Mint Token
After a successful payment, the developer calls a different Stardust endpoint to mint an Access Pass on the developer’s blockchain of choice.
They can then call an endpoint to view what assets are in this player’s wallet, shown to the player as their “Inventory” to lower the barrier to understanding a wallet.
The player now has a custodial wallet, purchased an Access Pass NFT using their credit card, and views their inventory (on-chain) with an experience they’ll be very familiar with as it’s similar to web2 games today.
To go a step further, the player comes back after playing your game and is now familiar with web3. They may now have their own non-custodial wallet and want to transfer their assets from the custodial wallet. They open their Wallet page on the game’s website and see a place to connect their external wallet.
STEP 3: Connect External Wallet
STEP 4: Transfer
After approving the developer to access the player’s wallet, they click a button to transfer their Access Pass (Sword) from their Game Wallet powered by Stardust to their non-custodial wallet.
A player can now see the Access Pass in their External Wallet! This will allow them to bring the NFT to a 3rd party marketplace to resell the item, or keep it in their external wallet – whatever the players’s preference is.
Non-custodial wallets can be challenging for new users when onboarding. Automatically creating a custodial wallet for new-to-Web3 users enables them to have a seamless experience when playing blockchain games, opening your game to a broader player base. You’re helping onboard new users to Web3 and giving them the ability to eventually take custody of the asset.
If you’d like to speak with us about creating an experience like the one in this article, feel free to schedule some time here.
