Sam Y.
FIFA recently launched World Cup AI League, a mobile game with a 4v4 soccer strategy gameplay. World Cup AI League utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) to develop its characters and gameplay elements. The game was developed by Altered State Machine, a prominent Web3 AI company.
The game is currently available in open beta on Android devices. The iOS version of the game will be released soon.
The characters in the game are reminiscent of those seen in popular animated movies, like Pixar’s. Those characters’ movements and abilities are controlled by the game’s AI. Therefore, players can make strategic decisions based on their strengths and weaknesses.
The sad news is that the game will not include popular soccer players, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. The reason is that both players signed endorsement deals with other crypto companies. However, despite their absence, FIFA World Cup AI League is a more engaging and entertaining alternative to traditional soccer games.
Aaron McDonald, Altered State Machine’s co-founder, stated about the game:
“Our mission is to lead casual gamers into the world of AI gaming in the metaverse, and with FIFA’s AI League, we are unlocking a unique new opportunity for football fans around the globe to interact with their favorite sport.’’
The game allows players to take active roles as both team coaches and owners. Moreover, it offers maps inspired by international cities, such as Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Yaoundé, and Seoul.
The game is currently free to play! On the other hand, Altered State Machine mentioned launching an NFT marketplace for the game soon. All current and future characters in the game will be minted as NFTs once the marketplace is launched.
The game’s creators plan to introduce NFTs in the future but want to ensure that the user experience remains smooth. Altered State Machine does not want players to be overly focused or distracted by the NFT aspects. The company’s team wants to keep the NFT elements low-key to avoid disrupting the game.
World Cup AI League allows players to buy cosmetic enhancements by using an in-game currency. The specified currency isn’t a cryptocurrency due to Apple and Google’s crypto trading restrictions.
To address criticism from gamers, some game developers in the Web3 space have adopted a strategy. The developers are initially launching games in a traditional Web2 form without blockchain elements and then introducing them later. This approach is increasingly being seen in the industry.
FIFA is experienced in the world of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. It already launched more than one NFT collection, announced four new blockchain games, and collaborated with Web3 game studios for World Cup-themed integrations. Hence, FIFA is very active in this virtual world, so the launch of an NFT marketplace for the World Cup AI League is not surprising.
