The fact a game developer is attending Gamescom is hardly enough to make the news. But that wasn’t the case with William Volk and Shiba Eternity.
With Shiba Eternity now in testing, Volk, a developer working on the Shiba Inu game alongside PlaySide Studios, took to Gamescom to show off the mobile game.
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Gfinity and Planet Crypto met up with Volk to ask him some questions about Shiba Eternity and test it out. Here’s what he had to say.
Shiba Eternity Launch
Previous comments from Shytoshi Kusama suggested Shiba Eternity could launch in September, something Volk noted too. “It will come out probably in September for other regions, and we’ll have a download day where we intend to get the ShibArmy to all download it.”
However, Volk stressed the need for testing beforehand, referencing Shigeru Miyamoto’s iconic quote about delayed games being good. “Before we do the worldwide launch, we’re going to make sure it’s fully tested, and that includes handling a volume of users playing together,” he said. Volk did note that performance and response times are now looking good.
Earlier in August, Shiba Eternity went live in Vietnam for its first round of testing. While at the time Volk claimed they need to increase servers 50x to match demand, the numbers were quite different. “It was much more than that, but I didn’t want to sound like an ass. It was more like 100 fold.”
According to Volk, there have been around 1000 downloads in Vietnam so far.
Shiba Eternity Development
One of the major inspirations for Shiba Eternity, aside from SHIB, is Hearthstone, described by Volk as one of the “finest collectible card games”.
“What we want to do is extend beyond that,” he said, referencing the unique concept of having the 10,000 Shiboshis as characters within the game.
“We wanted to do it in 3D, and look good on mobile as well as other devices. We tried to be clever with the cards to make them fit the world, to fit the mythology of the Shiba world.
Alongside the Shiba Eternity cards, the Shiba Eternity bosses are also inspired by figures in SHIB, such as Shyoshi Kusama, Milkshake, and Ryoshi, the SHIB founder.
The Blockchain Version
When first announced, SHIB holders were unsure whether Shiba Eternity would be a play-to-earn title, or a traditional mobile game. Initially slated as both, this has developed into two separate games, with Shiba Eternity, the mobile game, launching first.
For Volk, it was essential the mobile game came first, which was a major factor in his decision to join.
“I loved the fact they were doing a mobile game first, and focusing on the gameplay rather than just a half-assed card game with shoved-in blockchain elements,” he said. “One of the largest blockchain card games is not interactive. You set up the cards, and that’s it. That’s not good enough.
“The fact we’re focusing on a mobile game first to prove the game is good really attracted me.”
Volk also touted the benefits of Shibarium in his decision, and a lowered amount of energy needed per transaction. “I made a climate change game in 2019, and I really care about [the issue].” he said. “So I love the fact the SHIB people are moving to Shibarium.”
However, Volk was also interested in the play-to-earn elements, after working on a Rummy mobile game that planned to include a similar model.
“I was very interested in the play-to-earn model, but I wanted a fair play-to-earn model that can live on and be sustainable, and Shytoshi had that vision,” he said. “It will be a sustainable economy, no matter if the crypto price goes up or down.”
The launch of the mobile game first also has its other benefits, according to Volk. “We don’t have Apple and Google complaining as it’s a legitimate game with in-app purchases, and yet it acts as an advertisement for the blockchain version.”