Zima Red ep 120: Michael Sanders - Skyweaver and Sequence: The Future of Web3 Gaming
Primer: Michael Sanders is one of the co-founders of Horizon Blockchain Games. The company is behind Skyweaver, a free-to-play blockchain trading card game, and Sequence, a Web3 wallet that is easy, fun, and secure to use. In this episode of the Zima Red podcast, he goes through the various features of the products his company has created and their plans for the future.
Background
Learned about Bitcoin in 2010
Met Vitalik in 2014, before Ethereum’s launch
“I was convinced that he's [Vitalik] an alien from the future that's here to teach us about technology, economics, and love.”
- Michael Sanders
Spent a lot of time thinking about how to realize the potential of these technologies
In 2017, he met Peter Kieltyka, who have conceptualized blockchain gaming even before CryptoKitties
In January 2018, they founded Horizon Blockchain Games
What Attracted Him To Bitcoin?
Experienced some disenchantment after the 2008 financial crisis
Saw Bitcoin as something special and free from any central authority
Meeting Vitalik
Met Vitalik in Bitcoin Decentral in Toronto
Vitalik was talking to people about Ethereum and smart contracts
“Within five minutes, I was covered in goose bumps, even though, admittedly, I didn't understand most of what he [Vitalik] was saying.”
- Michael Sanders
What attracted him to Ethereum:
It’s the next generation of the internet
It enables reciprocal value exchange between everyone who participates in it
His Book
💡 Michael indicated on his Twitter Bio that he’s the author of Ayahuasca: An Executive's Enlightenment
Ayahuasca is a plant medicine that has been used in shamanic/medicine ceremonies for millennia in the Amazon Basin region
It’s used in all kinds of experiences ranging from healing of physical ailments to spiritual awakenings
It shattered his previous paradigm of reality
Why Are People In Crypto More Open To Psychedelics Like Ayahuasca?
Crypto people are curious and open to such stuff. They are authentic and present themselves for who they really are
In traditional industries, it might not be acceptable to talk about such things
Founding Horizon Blockchain Games
There are 5 co-founders in total
Peter first conceptualized the idea and they were bouncing around ideas
A trading card game is the perfect way to onboard people to crypto
The cards in the trading card game are the assets
Skyweaver was conceptualized
Skyweaver is a free-to-play trading card game where players can win, own, trade, sell, and gift their NFT cards
Had to build the infrastructure and wallet for mainstream adoption
60% of their user base has never interacted with crypto prior to Skyweaver
What Differentiates Skyweaver From Other Blockchain Card Games?
Skyweaver is game first
Have been playtesting it for over 3 years with TCG enthusiast and world champions
Have been collecting data and iterating
Have conversations with their community
Release patch updates every 1-2 weeks
The Gameplay
It’s a turn-based strategy card game
Skyweaver has 500 unique cards, each with their own mechanics, abilities, and artwork
Play your cards in order to bring your opponent’s health from 32 to 0
There’s tons of strategies and depth for expert players
There’s tutorials and different game modes to make it easy to learn
The Lore
Across the ages, the Prisms have chosen their champions, the Skyweavers, to weave the energies of the sky source and protect its people
There’s some tension in the sky and there are different energies
As a Skyweaver, you choose from different Prisms to play with and shape this destiny
Each Skyweaver has different abilities/elements
The meta is always changing based on how they balance or nerf different cards
Designing The Player Economy
Built Skyweaver as a browser-based game so anyone can access it
Made it free-to-play
Each of the 500 cards exists as three different grade types:
Base
Silver
Gold
Base cards are non-blockchain and non-tradable items. This enables players to unlock the entire gameplay strategy without ever needing to spend anything
Silver cards don’t have any gameplay advantage, but are just cosmetically enhanced
Have a game mode called Conquest:
Gamers pay 1.5 USDC or 1 silver card to enter
If they lose, their stake is gone
Have a set of 3 matches
For each victory, winners earn a silver card
For winning all 3 matches, winners get a limited supply gold card
Each week, 8 cards are allowed to be minted in Conquest
After the week, those cards can no longer be minted and supply will be fixed, incentivizing players to play each week
Have a built-in P2P decentralized marketplace that makes it easy for players to buy and sell cards
The marketplace is powered by Niftyswap, an AMM built by them
Is not a play-to-earn game. The game is more about having a fun and strategic gaming experience
“The fact that skilled players are the ones who are going to be winning the most of these cards enables a really sustainable economy. And this is a lot different than many of the play-to-earn games that we've seen so far.”
- Michael Sanders
Game Modes
Ranked mode has the most activity
Competitive players are playing Conquest mode
Have a practice mode where players can refine their skills against a bot
Private mode where you can play against your friends
Defensibility Of Skyweaver’s Moat
Defensibility is about treating your user base well and fostering an inclusive community
Always open to community feedback
Have been monitoring data and figuring out where they need to iterate
Thinking deeply about layering a token into the game
Niftyswap
They co-authored the ERC-1155 standard
ERC-721s are 1 of 1s
In gaming, digital fashion, and other use cases, 1 of 1s are not the best expression
ERC-1155s enable the creation of semi-fungible tokens
E.g. 100,000 copies of a particular card instead of each copy of a particular card being totally unique
Niftyswap could be thought of as Uniswap for ERC-1155s
Niftyswap will be a standalone marketplace
Sequence Wallet
A wallet that makes Web3 easy, fun, and secure
Is a non-custodial EVM multichain smart contract wallet
Have social and email logins
The product is already live
Have already ~240,000 accounts created so far
Working on integrations with other DApps
Expanding Skyweaver
In the near term, they will be introducing match replays and observer mode
Will have in-game guilds. Thinking of having a guild transition into a DAO
Will have new cards and expansion sets
Will have alternative game modes, new cosmetics, skins for heroes
Seriously considering the layering in of a token this year
What Advice Will He Give To Other Founders In The Space?
Do something that you truly love
Hardest Thing Being A Founder In Web3
“Being a builder in Web3 is like having 45 browser tabs open in your head all at the same time.”
- Michael Sanders
Staying true to what you are building and not getting distracted
Managing your internal state, emotions, and taking care of yourself
Thoughts On The Current Market Environment
Crypto market is heading in a wonderful direction
Biggest issue right now is the onboarding experience to Web3
NFT gaming will be the biggest on-ramp to Web3
Single Favourite NFT
Pandora gold card from Skyweaver
The character looked like his fiancee
“Daniel, our head of design, showed me the art for the very first woman character in the game. And I was like, oh my god, I started crying. And I sent the image to my girlfriend at the time, who's now my fiancee. And she responded immediately. She's like, oh my goodness, that's me.”
- Michael Sanders
Most Controversial Thought
Most games within the next decade will be Web3 games
Thinks that Web3 games will eventually win over traditional gamers who are against NFTs
If He’s Not Allowed To Work In Web3, What Would He Be Doing?
Will be playing a lot
His life revolves around play and perceiving everything as a fun experience
If He Could Improve One Thing In The Space
Onboarding and access to Web3
Sequence wallet to be integrated into every DApp
NFT Ecosystem In 3 Years
By 2030, everyone with an internet connection will be a Web3 participant
In 3 years, it will be progress towards that goal
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