GamesBeat is excited to partner with Lil Snack to bring you customized games just for our viewers. We’re gamers ourselves, so we know this is an exciting way to play and enjoy the GamesBeat content you already love. Start playing the games here!
Atari partners with Coinbase to bring classic games “Asteroids” and “Breakout” to the blockchain.
These games are part of the Onchain Summer and new Onchain Arcade celebrations, allowing players to compete on leaderboards and earn rewards, with Mint’s revenue going directly to the creators who help make these games possible.
Atari and Coinbase say today’s internet needs an update, as the corporate internet often oppresses creators with arbitrary rules, censorship, digital theft, middlemen and transaction fees. That’s why Coinbase and Base partnered with Atari, Stack and several creators to launch Onchain Arcade, bringing popular Atari classics like Asteroids and Breakout to the blockchain.
In an interview with GamesBeat, Tyler Drewes, director of Atari Club and Atari X, said Coinbase has more than 100 million users of its wallet and cryptocurrency services.
Lil Snack & GamesBeat
GamesBeat is excited to partner with Lil Snack to bring you customized games just for our viewers. As gamers ourselves, we know this is an exciting way for you to get involved by playing the GamesBeat content you already love. Play the games now!
According to Drewitz, Atari has been involved with blockchain and cryptocurrency for some time. Former CEO Fred Chesnais was a big supporter of blockchain gaming and launched numerous initiatives. After he left the company in 2021 (and left the board in 2022), Atari stopped many of its blockchain gaming efforts. However, the company has rekindled its interest in blockchain gaming, launching Web3 projects with The Sandbox and Polycade in 2022.
“We started with licensing and now we’re in the production phase, partnering with people who are doing really great things in this space,” Drewitz said, adding that the company is also launching its own projects.
Drewitz said Web3 resonates with Atari because the company likes to serve and reward people who interact with the Atari brand.
“That’s where Atari Club originated. We’re building it, kind of a recreation of the 1980s Atari Club, where people can interact with the community and build in a very native and fun way,” Drewitz said. “We love this partnership, and we’re doing it for the second year in a row as part of OnChain Summer. Last year was a test, to see if we could create a cool experience and a cool vibe of a party summer camp, and some exclusive items.”
This On-Chain Summer collaboration will ensure that revenue from game sales is automatically and fairly distributed to the creators (artists, game developers, etc.) who create these beloved games and artwork. This will solve the issue of creators only receiving a small percentage of the revenue their content generates, giving creators more control and fair compensation for their work, the companies say.
Starting now, you can relive your childhood memories while enjoying Atari classic games in the new Onchain Arcade. Players can prove they are the best and receive attractive rewards such as Atari 2600+, merchandise, game codes, and more. Weekly rewards will be available until 8/30.
“For over 50 years, Atari has been known for innovating in the gaming industry, and our early adoption of Web3 technology is no exception,” said Drewitz. “We’ve found that blockchain technology can help us engage with our community in a variety of ways, from collaborating on new products and social activations, to building competitive leaderboards and rewarding members for participating. This is our second year participating in On-Chain Summer, and we’re excited to delight both new and longtime fans with Atari classic games Asteroids and Breakout as part of On-Chain Arcade.”
Start playing
Players can mint each game, play, and compete for position on the on-chain Asteroid (available today) and Breakout (coming soon) leaderboards.
To do so, players must visit a link, connect or create a cryptocurrency wallet, mint the game with $5, and get on the leaderboard to win prizes.
Onchain Summer will offer special mints, unique experiences, and a loyalty game that will reward players with free onchain avatars, prizes, and more.
On-chain technology allows anyone to build and create on-chain experiences and receive direct rewards every time someone mints their creation. This On-chain Summer, Atari and Coinbase are encouraging everyone to become a builder, and users can visit the On-chain Summer page to find featured and popular mints.
At onchainsummer.xyz, players can explore the latest and past drops from onchain creators such as Adidas, Team Liquid, Doodles, Clement Cases x Bendito, and more.
Blockchain Light
PortalOne players will be taking on Nolan Bushnell in Atari’s Breakout.
Drewitz says the team chose Atari’s “Asteroids” and “Breakout” because they’re very easy to play and the competitive leaderboards with cash prizes are fun. Drewitz sees Atari’s approach here as “blockchain-lite,” with a heavy focus on Base.
“It’s going to be very easy to buy one of these games with a credit card. It’s very hassle-free,” he said.
When it comes to public acceptance of blockchain, Drewitz said it is evolving.
“The more actual meaningful experiences we have and the more fun and interactive games we have on the chain, the better it will be overall,” Drewitz said.
Coinbase is building on Base, which is the core of Atari’s approach.
“They’re really focused on onboarding and proving value,” Drewitz said, “and there’s less friction overall. And they’re trying to make a quality, really good product. They want people to build on the chain, and we support that. As we move forward with this partnership, we’re excited to be able to bring more IP out there with different builders and different ownerships within our vast IP catalog.”
Interoperability has come a long way in recent years, and that’s one of Coinbase’s goals for Base. Drewitz said Coinbase makes it easy to play and trade many different kinds of Web3 games, and it also does a good job of integrating with Web2 platforms.
“I think this is a natural evolution of the underlying technology enhancing the experience,” he said. “From a usability perspective, that’s really where cross-chain comes in. We’re no longer talking about HTML on the web or web servers on the internet. The main selling point is gaming.”
Drewitz hopes that Atari can help soften the lawless image of Web3 and help people feel more at ease and understand that going on-chain can be safe and fun.
“Where Coinbase is really pioneering is this on-chain summer that they’re doing, and that’s what we’ve seen over the last couple of years, which is why we wanted to be a part of it last year, and we’re seeing it again this year,” Drewitz said. “They’re really making it accessible and fun, so that’s the next step. And once people understand that it’s not all bad, that it’s fun and it’s easy, they’re going to continue to leverage it even more.”
Players will also be able to get rewards from their blockchain purchases, such as Easter eggs and exclusive items, Drewitz said. There will also be some exclusive Easter eggs. Atari is running a summer camp based on old Atari computer games from the 1980s, giving players a retro experience.
VB Daily
Stay up to date! Get the latest news every day by email
Thanks for subscribing! Check out other VB newsletters here.
An error occurred.
