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Wildcard has simply migrated its Wildpass NFTs to Ethereum mainnet and is planning to launch a token.
Wildcard is an upcoming, crypto-optional PVP battle recreation I’ve been following for years. You play as a personality who can run round a 3D battlefield and throw playing cards that flip into highly effective creatures that autobattle one another. Those who spectate Wildcard matches can be rewarded for watching and interact with the sport.
Wildcard is being developed by Playful Studios, whose CEO and co-founder, Paul Bettner, labored on video games like Phrases With Associates, Age of Empires, and Fortunate’s Story.
Why is Wildcard nonetheless not out but after greater than two years? Constructing a enjoyable recreation is difficult, however in Bettner’s view, constructing a great recreation with crypto ties-ins makes it even tougher.
“I personally assume it’s as a result of it’s like constructing video games whereas wandering by means of a minefield,” he tells me with a chuckle. “I’ve acquired two years of doing this below my belt and I’ve misplaced rely of the variety of occasions the place unaligned incentives have tried to hijack the sport design and the main focus [away from] simply making an attempt to create a really enjoyable recreation for a mass viewers, due to crypto.”
Merely put, Bettner needs to make a recreation that you simply’ll select over anything in your Steam library as a result of it’s extra enjoyable.
“Crypto has this gravity to it, it has this set of forces which might be continuously making an attempt to tug the design of a shopper utility, or a shopper product, particularly like a recreation, in sure instructions,” Bettner added.

Supply: Wildpass flooring costs in Polygon
Wildcard initially launched the Wildpass NFTs on Polygon again in 2023 — which gave as much as 4,444 followers early entry to the sport’s improvement. Bettner calls these holders, and the sport’s Discord server’s members, the “golden cohort.” They’re the core group he needs to make pleased with the sport.
Wildcard founders Bettner and his spouse Katy Bettner beforehand attended the Recreation Developer’s Convention previously as a part of the Polygon sales space, representing a part of the chain’s gaming ecosystem (which then additionally included the now-cancelled shooter Deadrop, which launched Founders Passes on Polygon).
Now, the Wildpass NFTs are leaving Polygon. The workforce migrated them to the Ethereum mainnet on Monday and coated the price of gasoline for the transfer for holders.
Bettner tells me they’re not committing to anybody EVM chain transferring ahead, however they see the Ethereum mainnet as a great spot for the genesis NFTs due to the chain’s liquidity. The mainnet has greater transaction charges than Polygon, although.
“The Wildpass will not be supposed to be an asset that individuals are buying and selling each 5 seconds,” Bettner explains. For future Wildcard NFTs or rewards meant to be traded ceaselessly, it’s doubtless the workforce will decide one other EVM chain with decrease charges.

Wildpass stats from Magic Eden on Monday earlier than the transfer to ETH mainnet
Their WC token, which hasn’t been launched but, is in contrast to something we’ve seen just lately as a result of this token will likely be 100% community-owned, with zero workforce allocation or VC involvement. And it’s not a memecoin, both.
“I’m hoping we will set a brand new commonplace right here,” Bettner shares. The token received’t have workforce or VC allocations as a result of he doesn’t need the Wildcard group to really feel pitted towards the workforce or traders financially if traders out of the blue resolve to money out and ship the token nosediving.
The current favorable regulatory local weather with Trump’s election and the shakeup on the SEC has additionally made the workforce extra comfy launching a token.