MSV Podcast

Interview: Gunzilla Games - Vlad Korolev

May 26, 2023 Morningstar Ventures Season 2 Episode 6
MSV Podcast
Interview: Gunzilla Games - Vlad Korolev
Show Notes

Building AAA Games On The Blockchain

  • Guest: Vlad Korolev, CEO & Co-Founder of Gunzilla Games
  • Host: Szabolcs Gergely, Podcast & YouTube Host at Morningstar Ventures


Top 3 Key Takeaways:

1. Building a strong team is the key to building a strong game

Vlad started the interview with a brief introduction, explaining that gaming is as much a job as it is a hobby for him. Throughout his career, he founded and co-founded important Web2 games like Warface, which is also the game he likes to play on the weekends. When creating a game, the most important factor for him is the “fun – this was first and foremost when building Off The Grid. He goes on to say that the Gunzilla Games team he put together all come with their unique skill sets, ultimately the key to making the game as high quality as possible. For example, his colleagues (a studio with 200+ employees) come with experience from games like Assassins Creed and game studios like Rockstar Games and Ubisoft.


2. Gunzilla Games’ Off the Grid is a game for pure enjoyment

Off the Grid, the AAA game by Gunzilla Games is not a “traditional” Web3 game. Vlad explained that the game being on the blockchain is not a marketing stunt or an attempt to onboard people to crypto – instead, Off the Grid is on the blockchain to give full control of the assets to the gamers. With the game, he wants to eliminate the centralization of assets. For example, in Web2, if a player’s account is suspended, he will lose all his assets; however, in Gunzilla’s Off The Grid Game, everything can be stored on a hardware wallet, meaning that one's in-game assets are safe. Nevertheless, it is the player’s choice to create a wallet or not, as they can also play the game without being involved in the Web3 features. The game is a game first for pure enjoyment, and if somebody wants to use the perks of the blockchain to improve, buy and sell in-game assets, the option is always there to link a wallet to the account.


3. Gunzilla Games is building its Layer 1 Subnet to improve the efficiency of the game

At the end of the interview, Vlad stated that most of the game's requirements are lower than what a blockchain can offer. Gunzilla Games is building its Layer 1 subnet on Avalanche. Vlad is convinced that the efficiency of the blockchain is more than enough to operate the game smoothly without overloading the potential capacity at hand therefore, it is a no-brainer to give the assets to the gamers and let them decide how they want to transact in-game items, setting scarcity by supply and demand, therefore the price as well.