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How to Create NFT Game – Everything You Need to Know

In this article, SapientPro’s team shares its expertise as an NFT game development company. We explain how to develop an NFT game, how does NFT games make money, and how much does NFT game development costs. Read on for more!

NFT games are a genre of video gaming that incorporates non-fungible token technology into its core gameplay, economy, and user interaction. Unlike traditional in-game items, NFTs are singular digital assets living on a blockchain, thus ensuring their scarcity, ownership, and provenance. 

NFT technology integration provides real ownership of in-game assets in the form of avatars, items, pieces of land, or whatever virtual goods there are.

NFT games have changed the perception of the gaming industry. They gave people the opportunity not just to have fun, but to earn real money. However, NFT games are not developed for charity but for the profit of their creators.

Any game is a commercial project. The main purpose of NFT game developers is to earn money via various monetization models. Developers can effectively combine them in one NFT game for maximum revenue. Let’s take a closer look at the possible monetization models.

Game Entrance Fee

A one-time payment or subscription format is required to access a game. Many mobile games allow people to play for free at the beginning, and if they enjoy it, they will suggest them to purchase the full version. 

In NFT games, you have to buy a cryptocurrency and use it to pay for a starter set of playing cards, characters, or virtual sneakers to run with.

For example, to start playing Axie Infinity, a user needs to buy at least three NFT characters named “Axie”. In September 2021, a starting Axies team was sold for $1,000. Now, the price of 1 Axie is around $2.5. This is the result of the decreased popularity of this NFT game.

In-App Purchases

The developers try to encourage players to spend more by pumping up game characters, either by setting more and more difficult tasks or buying improvements for real money: artifacts, weapons, and elixirs.

There are many examples of NFT games with in-app purchases. 

For example, the NFT card game “Gods Unchained” does not require any registration fees, yet it offers only standard-level NFT cards at the very initial stage. The rare, epic, and legendary levels can be received by users when they level up, win championships, or buy for real money. 

Thus, users who have a paid deck receive some advantage in the game and have the possibility of reselling their NFT cards at a higher price than they have bought them for.

In-App Ads

Game developers can publish completely free games and get revenue by showing advertisements. The longer people stay in such a game, the more money its developers will have. Users' attention is attracted by an interesting plot, thought-out gameplay, and the same opportunity to win real money.

However, it’s necessary that the ads don’t conceal any key elements of the interface. They shouldn’t disturb the gameplay and irritate users. For example, ads can be shown up while the player is waiting for the results of a draw to prevent any distractions.

A lot of game projects have already implemented NFT in their games, especially in the form of customized NFT marketplaces. Let's take a look at the most famous NFT games examples.

Cryptokitties

This is one of the first and most famous examples of games based on NFT technology. CryptoKitties allows players to collect, breed, and trade unique digital kitties on the Ethereum blockchain. Each kitty represents a unique NFT with specific characteristics and genetic code.

Decentraland

This is a virtual world built on the Ethereum blockchain where players can create, buy, and sell virtual real estate and other digital assets in the form of NFTs. Decentraland gives players the ability to create their own virtual properties and content that can be monetized through NFT trading.

Splinterlands

This is a collectible card game where players collect and trade cards that are unique NFTs. Each card has unique characteristics and abilities that can be used in battles with other players.

NFT game development is all about a deep tech stack that sews blockchain technology together with traditional gaming toolsets. Each technology plays a role, whether it's handling blockchain interactions and designing game logic or safely storing NFTs and player data.

If you want to develop an NFT game, this process merges both traditional game development and blockchain. It will involve everything from appealing game design to the actual implementation of smart contracts and secure storage of digital assets. Let’s learn more about NFT game development below.

Define the Game Concept and NFT Mechanics

Start by conceptualizing exactly what the idea of your game is and what part the NFTs are going to play in that game. Any NFT-based game has its core in how it uses unique digital assets in a way that delights and incentivizes players. This may be something as basic as using NFTs as characters, items, or collectibles but can extend to more sophisticated usages, such as virtual land or customizable avatars. 

You must think of:

• Game concept. Describe the genre, theme, and main NFT game features. Is it a fantasy adventure, a strategic RPG, or a social world? 
• NFT integration. Describe clearly the function of the NFT within the gaming platform and how it will add value to the players. Are they in-game items and collectibles, or are they player-created assets?
• Economic model. Consider the in-game economy, play-for-earn model, in-game currency, and trading of assets. The balance between all these factors would maintain the asset values in the long run.

Having these foundations set will give your game direction and will help you make many technical decisions later on in the process.

Choose a Blockchain Platform

This is very important because scalability, transaction fees, and UX depend on the kind of blockchain platform you choose. Since NFT games basically function on blockchain for asset ownership, your choice regarding this will affect the future growth and accessibility of the game.

Here is a table describing the top 5 blockchain platforms for NFT game development.

Smart Contract Development

The core of any NFT game is based on smart contracts, which organize all the assets, transactions, and interactions between players in a blockchain network. Writing secure and robust smart contracts will enable you to ensure the stability and security of the game economy. 

Smart contracts regulate:

• NFT minting and management. Structure the smart contracts to mint and manage the ownership and uniqueness of NFTs.
• In-game economy. Establish contracts that say something about rewards, staking, or other in-game financial activities.
• Game mechanics. Integrate these contracts with the game mechanics. Hence, with regard to the nature of the in-game action that should be performed, the update happens on the blockchain.

Well-designed smart contracts for NFT games enable high-quality gameplay.

Design Game Assets

It is true that beautiful graphics are important for players, especially when considering an NFT game that has real-world value tied to the assets. This might include designing and animating cool, functional characters, environments, and items within the in-game universe.

When designing and creating appealing and functional game assets, they create a more captivating gameplay experience and will add value to NFTs in the game ecosystem.

Choose the Game Engine

The game engine you choose depends on three main things: how complicated the game is, what platform it's on, and how well it looks. Most modern engines have native support for Web3 integrations that could easily allow you to add blockchain features directly to your game. 

Consider using the following:

• Unity/Unreal Engine. These are two of the most developed game engines for 3D games and are highly recommended for complex projects featuring beautiful graphics.
• 2D game engines. If making lightweight 2D games, simpler engines such as Godot or Phaser will suffice.
• Integration of Web3 and blockchain. The integration of blockchain capabilities in the game can be done using SDKs and APIs such as Moralis.

Selecting the appropriate game engine will reduce development overhead and ensure compatibility with blockchain functionality.

Backend and Database Infrastructure

All of this requires a very strong backend that can handle real-time interactions, data storage, and game mechanisms. In the case of NFT games, this includes synchronizing blockchain data with in-game events for consistency across the player experience. NFT game development requires:

• Backend logic. Set up the backend with management over player progress and scores, maintaining game interactions.
• Database for non-blockchain data. Utilize traditional databases such as MongoDB for data that is not blockchain-related.
• Blockchain data sync. Blockchain and in-game state data are kept in sync.

A well-developed backend improves game performance and supports seamless blockchain interaction.

User Interface Implementation and Game Mechanics

The user interface and core gameplay are contact points between the player and the very essence of gaming. Good UI design provides frictionless interaction with NFT features, while engaging game mechanics keep the players interested. 

Here are some game mechanics you can consider from the start:

Focus on players' seamless and entertaining experiences. This will impact the overall retention and satisfaction of the player. Some UI features to consider from the start:

Testing the Game and Smart Contracts

Through testing, you will be able to ensure your game is stable, secure, and balanced. Testing will involve debugging gameplay and performing extensive testing of smart contracts so as to avoid hacks and bugs. 

Here are the aspects you must consider during the testing phase.

With an NFT game that is more or less finished and features an average level of complexity, NFT game development cost is about $100,000 up to $300,000. High-end NFT games may reach costs far above $500,000 up to $1 million, depending on the level of detailing, blockchain platform selected, and marketing push. Here is a detailed explanation of the costs of NFT game development.

As NFT games are primarily created with the idea of generating a profit, developers should implement mechanisms to regulate the size of their profits in advance. It’s essential that income from player contributions, in-game purchases, and advertising commissions should exceed maintenance costs.

Developing an NFT game requires you to consider dozens of factors: monetization approaches, features, branding, and a development team. It’s essential that you work with a reliable tech partner who will guide you through the process and ensure your success.

SapientPro provides NFT game development services for over 7 years, helping startups and businesses bring all their ideas to life and turn them into profitable projects. Team up with our experts today and start earning on your own NFT game in no time. Let’s team up! Contact SapientPro and get an estimate.