Off the Grid Shoots to the Top of Epic Games Store’s Free-to-Play List

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Off the Grid Gains Popularity on Epic Game Store

Off the Grid, a battle royale shooter on Avalanche, is rapidly rising in the Epic Game Store rankings after its early access release this week. It was created by Gunzilla Games and surpassed well-known titles like Fortnite and Rocket League to claim the #1 spot on the list of the Most Popular Free-to-Play PC Games. Off the Grid is also one of the most talked-about new titles because it is ranked #1 on the store's Trending list.

Source: X

In Off the Grid, participants engage in the standard battle royale gameplay mechanics of shooting, looting, and surviving as the playable map gradually gets smaller. The game offers a twist even though its layout is identical to those of Fortnite and Apex Legends. It operates on Avalanche’s L1 subnet and includes the upcoming GUN token. Players can mint and trade in-game items as NFTs, setting Off the Grid apart from other shooters by integrating blockchain technology.

The game didn’t just find success on the Epic Game Store. Off the Grid also gained significant traction on Twitch. 148,000 people tuned in on Friday to watch as dozens of streams competed. Its viewership was on par with popular games like Grand Theft Auto V and League of Legends. With 28,000 viewers on Friday, Spanish streamer IlloJuan had the most crowd for the game. By then, TwitchTracker reported that Off the Grid had amassed about 100,000 hours of gaming on Twitch since its launch earlier that week.

VanEck's head of digital assets research, Mathew Sigel, emphasized the importance of Off the Grid's accomplishments. He pointed out on Twitter (now X) that the game demonstrates how blockchain technology can give players real asset ownership and build a decentralized in-game economy. This could be a major shift in how games operate, allowing players to have true ownership of the digital items they acquire during gameplay.

The early access version of Off the Grid launched on Tuesday for both consoles and PC, but it was a limited release. Players had access to only one map and one mode. More features are expected to come in later updates, including the ability to mint rare weapons and items as NFTs. While this part of the game hasn’t been fully integrated yet, it adds to the excitement for future content.

GUN Token and Future Updates

The game’s in-game currency, GUN token, is already being used for missions and items in the PlayStation 5 version of the game. However, the token hasn’t been officially launched on the Avalanche mainnet. Questions remain about whether Sony and Microsoft will embrace blockchain technology for gaming on their platforms. Despite this, the game continues to gather attention, with many fans eager to see how the integration of NFTs and crypto will evolve.

Source: X

Popular streamers like Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag and Tyler “Ninja” Blevins have been streaming the game, increasing its visibility; Ninja even has his own character skin in the game, demonstrating the level of involvement and investment from top gaming influencers. The hashtag #OTGpartner was widely seen in gameplay clips circulated on Twitter, indicating that many streamers had partnered with Gunzilla Games to promote Off the Grid.