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Crypto development platform Sequence has launched Builder, a full-stack dashboard for game developers that it says will dramatically simplify the process of adding blockchain elements like <\/span>NFTs<\/span><\/a> to video games.<\/span><\/p>\n Sequence<\/a> was created by\u00a0 crypto infrastructure and game development firm <\/span>Horizon Blockchain Games<\/span><\/a>, which previously launched the NFT trading card game <\/span>Skyweaver<\/span><\/a> and raised $40 million in funding from prominent video game publishers <\/span>Ubisoft<\/span><\/a> and Take-Two Interactive late last year.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBlockchains are scaling, and they\u2019re only going to continue to scale more,\u201d Horizon CEO and co-founder Peter Kieltyka told <\/span>Decrypt <\/span><\/i>in an interview.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBut what they really need is the middleware infrastructure. And they need the applications, which are the games and the apps. And that\u2019s what we do. That\u2019s why we offer this batteries-included thing,\u201d Kieltyka explained.<\/span><\/p>\n Sequence Builder allows game devs to import existing NFT collections to incorporate into their games, add a <\/span>crypto wallet<\/span><\/a> connection function, prepay for <\/span>gas fees<\/span><\/a> for in-game crypto transactions, and launch a white-label NFT marketplace, to name a few of its features. The builder will also add an NFT <\/span>minting<\/span><\/a> feature in the future, according to the company.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted to give an interface to people who didn\u2019t have to know anything about the blockchain,\u201d Kieltyka said of Sequence Builder\u2019s user experience and design, which offers a minimalistic dark-mode aesthetic and a side navigation menu that clearly lists the products\u2019 features.<\/span><\/p>\n Game developers can choose to set up wallets that require as little as a <\/span>Twitch<\/span><\/a> login connection or email address\u2014an option that can significantly reduce the steps required to create a crypto wallet.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>Web3<\/span><\/a> development has been plagued by weak and fragmented tech that destroys the UX for players,\u201d Sam Barberie, Horizon’s Head of Strategy and Partnerships, said in a statement. \u201cThe bar for seamlessness in gaming is incredibly high, and Sequence Builder ensures that there\u2019s never friction in any part of the player’s journey, from account creation to secondary trading.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The Builder enables devs creating with popular game engines like Unreal Engine and <\/span>Unity<\/span><\/a> to add blockchain elements to their games\u2014without making users leave the game application itself.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think a lot of Web3 tech kind of falls short there just being browser-only,\u201d Barberie told <\/span>Decrypt<\/span><\/i> in an interview on the decision to offer Unreal and Unity integrations.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhat we\u2019re hearing a ton is everybody wants their own marketplace, because everybody\u2019s pissed off about the royalty thing,\u201d Kieltyka said, referring to a wave of marketplaces (including Blur<\/a> and OpenSea<\/a>) ditching mandatory creator royalty fee payments on NFT sales. That’s made<\/span> it harder for NFT creators to generate ongoing revenue.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey don\u2019t want a third-party experience,\u201d Kieltyka said of blockchain game devs. \u201cThey want to know when people are in their game or on their site.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe know from our game, and this is obviously true for players in general\u2014they don\u2019t want to leave your game,\u201d Barberie said of Skyweaver, echoing the sentiment that developers don\u2019t want to make users \u201ctab-out\u201d or leave the game just to buy NFTs.<\/span><\/p>\n And while there are other competing blockchain gaming solutions out there for developers\u2014like <\/span>Stardust<\/span><\/a> or <\/span>Thirdweb<\/span><\/a>, for example\u2014Sequence sees its newest offering as a truly full-stack solution that stands out from the bunch.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe have, I would say, a significantly much wider technology stack,\u201d Kieltyka said, adding that Sequence\u2019s wallet is a <\/span>smart contract<\/span><\/a> wallet (as opposed to a simpler <\/span>EOA<\/span><\/a>-type wallet).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe [also] offer an indexer. We have all this core infrastructure that we\u2019ve built internally that we\u2019ve been running for years,\u201d the CEO continued, referring to a tool that organizes and presents various blockchain data.<\/span><\/p>\n When it comes to adding blockchain networks via the builder, there\u2019s straightforward toggle buttons to enable different blockchains. The builder will help devs connect their games to over 11 different <\/span>EVM<\/span><\/a> blockchains if they choose, including Ethereum<\/a>\u2019s mainnet, <\/span>Optimism<\/span><\/a>, Polygon<\/a>, Polygon zkEVM, <\/span>Base<\/span><\/a>, Oasys, Arbitrum<\/a> One and Nova, and <\/span>Avalanche<\/span><\/a>, to name a few.<\/span><\/p>\n Asked if Sequence might expand its offering beyond Ethereum networks to something like <\/span>Solana<\/span><\/a> in the future, Kieltyka said it could happen\u2014if developers really want it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI like Solana, I really do. But that\u2019s not a trivial thing,\u201d the CEO answered, adding that for now, the team feels confident about its decision to focus on EVM. \u201cWe might support it in the future. If there\u2019s enough demand for Solana, we will do it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n