Crypto gaming, often called Web3 gaming, has gained notable attention from the gaming community, investors, and crypto enthusiasts. Combining elements of Web2 technology, crypto games are a catalyst to bridging the gap between Web2 and Web3, allowing more mainstream users to transition into the next generation of gaming. According to the crypto gaming community, the future of Web3 gaming combines elements of poker, esports, and the renowned game World of Warcraft, focusing on competitive, skill-based games with open economies and cross-chain interoperability. MixMob, a Morningstar Ventures portfolio company, hones in on the abovementioned elements by building the world’s first card strategy racing game on the Solana ecosystem. With a team of crypto natives who have worked on Halo, Nintendo, FiFa, PokerStars, and more, the project continuously grows its ecosystem and works on exciting new releases.
This month's review will cover everything from the founding team behind MixMob to the $MXM and SUD$ tokens, the Racer 1 Game, and recent partnerships. The review will end with an analysis of what we like about MixMob and where we see potential challenges for the project.
What is MixMob - Racer 1 Gameplay and NFT Collection
MixMob is a crypto gaming ecosystem that enables players to compete for cryptocurrency through intense gameplay and reinvesting their winnings. This attracts more participants and benefits token holders. The main game, Racer 1, is a hybrid racing card battle strategy game that combines the racing experience of Mario Kart with the tactical card-based strategy and resource management elements of Clash Royale.
Three core principles are essential in MixMob: racing, raiding, and remixing. Racing enthusiasts seeking admiration and adrenaline focus on MixBot Racers, fine-tuning their MixBots for a competitive edge or challenging opponents on the Surface. Those preferring strategy can level up their MixBots through Surface raiding, gaining power and valuable rewards. Additionally, MixMob caters to creative minds through its Marketplace, where players can craft unique fashion and looks for avatars and MixBots, building their cultural empires.
Gameplay
Currently, Racer 1 is in an incentivized open Beta where players, or “Raiders,” are testing the game before its big public release. Players can choose to play the game's free or paid versions. Unlike other web3 games, MixMob does not require players to have a crypto wallet, one can sign up to the beta via a Google or Discord account and generate an in-game wallet for purchases. As said, the game is free to play, PVE, and PVP and no payment, such as the in-game NFT masks or SUD$, is required to play the accessible mode. However, the paid PVP mode requires players to purchase SUD$ to enter the arena.
Unlike other games, Racer 1 isn't NFT or token-gated, meaning players don't need SUD$ or a mask to access and play the game. After signing up, players will be able to choose their card deck. The card gives players abilities and is categorized under offensive, defensive, and remix. Players who know how to use the cards correctly during the race are the ones who stand out from others.
Players are put into an Arena to race, and the cards they choose give them abilities within the arena, allowing them to have different skills in the race.
NFTs
In December 2021, MixMob minted 5,000 Gen0 masks. Each Mask was minted for 2 SOL and is exclusively available on Magic Eden. To ensure fairness, participants were limited to minting 1 Mask per wallet during the Presale and 2 Masks per wallet during the Public sale. Right now, there are 1,596 unique holders.
Gen0 Mask traits have the following traits: Common/Uncommon (Pirate Eye Patch, Cigar), Rare (Lego, Neon Goo), Legendary (Gold), and Mythic (Glitch). MixMob Gen0 Masks serve as unique player identities in the MixMob universe, evolving with players' progression. These mutable NFTs blend 2D and 3D art, sketches, stickers, and cultural references. Apart from their distinctive appearance, Gen0 Masks offer various utilities within the MixMob universe.
Fundraising and Partnerships
The project undoubtedly has its fair share of industry experts – the MixMob team comprises veteran gaming developers who have worked on renowned games and gaming consoles, including Halo, Nintendo, FiFA, PokerStars, Disney, Battlefield, and Xbox. In February 2022, MixMob raised $7 million in funding in a round led by Defiance Capital. Other significant investors include Ascensive Assets and Not3lau Capital, Solana Ventures, Morningstar Ventures, as well as individual investors Arthur Hayes, Kieran Warwick from Illuvium, Loi Lui from Kyber, and Danish Chaudhry, the CEO and founder of FMFW.io.
Current MSV.GG Partnership
MixMob is also a partner of Morningstar Ventures invite-only investment club, MSV.GG, where the teams have been working closely on user testing the game's beta version via direct user feedback from MSV.GG members. The objective of the partnership is to:
- Utilize acquisition strategies during their Incentivised Beta phase, which is currently active.
- Conduct outreach and awareness campaigns for the upcoming MixBot Sale, which will take place in mid-November (the exact date has yet to be confirmed).
- Attract a substantial user base and create significant momentum leading to their token launch.
The partnership will implement various phases to achieve these objectives, including AMAs, gaming tournaments, and engagement with specialized gaming guilds and Discord communities. While bug testing and reporting will be a secondary activity, it will still be carried out.
Tokenomics of $MXM & SUD$, and Game Economy
As MixMob is a cryptocurrency gaming ecosystem, players can compete to earn cryptocurrencies and reinvest their winnings to boost profits. This, in turn, attracts more players to join the game and ultimately benefits token holders.MixMob operates with two distinct tokens: $MXM and SUD$ (pronounced SUDS). $MXM is the governance token, enabling users to manage the league, incentivize players, purchase premium items, engage in Turbo Arenas, and explore various DeFi methods to enhance earnings. SUD$ functions as the in-game currency, allowing players to earn winnings, acquire items, and engage in gameplay mechanics while playing the game.
Players who are not interested in playing the game can still participate in MixMob by holding these tokens for several reasons:
- Revenue Sharing: Earn a portion of the revenues generated by MixMob.
- Referral Rewards: Bring new players into your Arenas and earn SUD$ and MXM.
- Governance: Influence the future and regulations of the League, Turbo Arena, and Crews.
MixMob’s Turbo Arenas creates an in-game economy where players invest or purchase SUD$ or $MXM to participate. These arenas are designed like liquidity pools and generate revenue through entry fees and betting, fostering sustainability while providing players with more opportunities.
Within the Turbo Arenas, there are several ways users can spend and invest their tokens:
- Turbo Arenas Racing
- Betting in Turbo Arenas
- Sweepstakes & Staking
- Referrals & Customization
(Read more about each feature and concrete examples in MixMob’s Token Mechanics)
To summarize the flow of the token economy, players are motivated to recruit others, leading to larger yields and rewards. With the introduction of new Turbo Arenas, a higher dynamic APY entices players to participate. The growing player base and the increasing number of Arenas create competition among Arena stakers to attract more players. Additionally, players looking to establish their Turbo Arenas must stake and hold MixMob assets, further contributing to the ecosystem's vitality and competitiveness.
Our Analysis:
Strengths:
- MixMob’s two-token system with $MXM and SUD$ allows people to participate in the MixMob ecosystem without necessarily having to play the game as they have different utilities. Furthermore, the betting and staking features, Arenas, through the in-game liquidity protocol, are not standard in other games. This allows players to interact with the game meaningfully, which is another strong point of the game. The successful alpha and ongoing beta tests are also significant for the team to learn more about their target audience and the missing features before their official public launch.
- After launching its NFT collection, MixMob successfully sold out its official resistance masks and changeable NFTs, which act as distinctive player identities within the MixMob ecosystem. These digital masks grant players exclusive access to special Discord channels and early access to airdrops. Additionally, all NFT holders are automatically enrolled as members of the MixMob DAO. The success of these masks allowed MixMob to create a strong community before the game's official launch and created a large pool of users for their various testing phases.
- Without a doubt, MixMob has a strong team of gaming and web3 veterans. As aforementioned, having worked across many renowned names in the gaming and multi-media industry, the game has a strong pool of knowledge and experts who understand the intricacies of players and where gaming trends are heading.
Challenges:
- Like MixMob, casual games are a very competitive market in web2 and web3 studios. Setting itself apart from other games will be critical for the game to succeed. Furthermore, though the game has user-friendly elements, it is mainly created for crypto natives and those with affinity in the space, to make the game more mainstream, it will need to include some more web2-friendly features.
What’s Next for MixMob
In the upcoming months, the team will continue to test the incentivized beta version of the game via players, tournaments, and focus groups. Everyone is welcome to sign up via the website. In the future, MixMob wants to expand to a ten-player race, offer higher card complexity, utilize AI to produce more game content, go cross-chain, and create decentralized Turbo Arenas. Morningstar Ventures and MSV.GG looks forward to working with the MixMob team and the game's public launch.
Learn more about MixMob:
🌐 Official website: https://www.mixmob.io/
🐦 Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/MixMobOrigin
📜 Blog: https://mixmoborigin.medium.com/
🕹️ Discord channel: https://discord.com/invite/mixmobthe missing features
