Can “Big Time” Change the Trajectory of Crypto Gaming?

Decentraland and Zynga alum Thor Alexander wants to change the narrative around NFTs in the video game industry.

As the executive producer of the upcoming third-person multiplayer role-playing game “Big Time”, Alexander is passionate about making the title feel like a “second-generation crypto game” that goes beyond the 2D experience of a play-to-earn title that “Axie Infinity,” which fell out of favor this year after meeting falling token prices and a massive $622 million hack.

“Big Time” must be different.

“One of our main challenges has been to introduce traditional players to our idea of Web3“, Alexander told Decrypt by e-mail. “So many of them had early experiences with NFTs that ended up being blankets/scams, which left a bad taste in their mouths.”

“Big Time” is now here early access development and only available to selected ambassadors and creators as well as buyers of VIP passes, which can cost upwards of $4500 depending on the level purchased.

A gold standard

As the executive producer of “Big Time”, Alexander focuses a lot on developing his game economy.

“It’s one of the biggest next stages,” Alexander said, adding that “there’s no firm timeline” for when the game will move out of its current development stage.

“Big Time is currently in early access co-development with our community,” he wrote. “Once they tell us the game is ready, we’ll open it up to more users.”

Alexander has worked in the video game industry since 1992, cutting his teeth on a variety of titles such as “Medal of Honor” and “Ultima X” for Electronic Arts for seven years before partnering with Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz at Metaplace. The social gaming company was then sold to Disney, and Alexander moved on to Zynga to work on the now defunct “PetVille” and “CityVille”, to name a few.

“Big Time’s development process is a throwback to smaller games from the late ’90s,” Alexander said. “We don’t have a massive budget or six years to build the game, so we borrowed development processes and design thinking that went into previous MMOs and RPGs.”

When asked where he sees “Big Time” in a few years, Alexander is optimistic.

“We would like to see ‘Big Time’ serve as the gold standard for what NFTs and crypto can offer players and the gaming industry itself. Right now, there is general cynicism around first generation crypto games.”

Gamblers and greed

The seasoned executive isn’t afraid of the army of NFT haters that seem to be pervading the traditional gaming space, calling all the backlash to crypto in gaming “a pretty normal reaction.”

“We saw a similar trend with early free-to-play (F2P) games where their thin nature allowed many to misjudge how things would play out. Fast-forward a few years after ‘FarmVille’ and the same core of F2P mechanics drove large mainstream gaming hits like ‘League of Legends’ and ‘Fortnite’.”

But why do some players hate NFTs in particular? Gamers think publishers are “greedy,” Alexander said, and see NFTs as the next way studios will “come after their wallets.”

Some game studios’ attempts to call their NFTs “digital collectibles” or other such euphemisms don’t help either, Alexander said.

“Players are not easily fooled by marketing words. What we need to do is show them how NFTs can have a positive impact on gaming.”

“For years, players have felt like they weren’t getting value for their money and time spent in the game,” argued Alexander. “[Traditional] the studios are juicing their players for every penny, at the expense of the player experience.”

With player ownership thanks to Web3, things can be different – in the right hands.

“If done right, blockchain technology opens up the world to players, allowing them to truly own the assets they collect in-game,” he said.

First look thoughts

When I logged into “Big Time,” it felt like I was jumping into a game of “Fortnite” or “Dauntless,” as the game’s aesthetic and user interface feel clean and seamless. It screams Epic Games Store material.

But I was also met with a visual disclaimer: “The game is a work in progress, and you should expect to encounter unfinished, unpolished, or downright broken content along the way.”

Well, it’s certainly one way of managing expectations.

That said, I was impressed with the number of different servers the game already has online, despite still being in development. “Big Time” has servers in Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo, Seoul, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Sao Paulo and Singapore – an impressive array of locales comparable to a AAA Blizzard title like “Overwatch.”

Solid servers are the basis for good games – and for good reason great frustration to players when they crumble (looking at you, “Apex Legends”).

Network latency to “Big Time” – which gamers colloquially refer to as ping – was also good, ranging from 12-50ms in my Los Angeles-based test.

Why is ping important? Well, low ping is essential for a smooth, enjoyable gaming experience, especially when playing an online multiplayer game that involves hitting targets. It’s especially important for first-person shooters like “Call of Duty” and “Valorant” and role-playing games like “Big Time.”

It’s not unfair to compare “Big Time” to these fierce Web2 competitors, considering that Big Time Studios’ developers come from Epic Games, Electronic Arts, Riot Games and more. And back in May 2021 Big Time Studios left million in financing from the likes of FTX Alameda Research and Ashton Kutcher’s VC firm Sound Ventures.

“Big Time” had the spirit of “Dauntless” with an aesthetic similar to “Pokemon Sword and Shield” mixed with “Fortnite.” When it comes to combat animations and killing enemies, the movements are smooth, satisfying and require precision and thought. It feels like a proper RPG.

While the character model graphics are arguably simplistic, the environments look great. I imagine the game runs well even on low-end PCs. On my souped-up gaming rig and 240hz monitor, the solo gaming experience was very seamless, but I wanted a bit more detail graphically.

Alexander told Decrypt that Big Time Studios chose “a very stylish look” implemented to “keep our art production under control.”

And fair enough – there’s something to be said for games that don’t over-invest in graphical detail so that users with cheaper PCs can actually enjoy the game.

Surprisingly, neither crypto nor NFTs played a role in my first few hours of “Big Time” playthrough. If no one had told me, I wouldn’t have even known it was a “crypto game.” As it stands, the crypto-economy of “Big Time” poses no threat to the gaming experience.

But higher level players can embark on quests and dungeon runs that can earn them NFTs. They can then be sold for anywhere from a few dollars to over $500 per item on the “Big Time” online marketplace.

Room to grow

While still in development, what do other players think of “Big Time” so far?

Jonah Blake, founder and Chief Gaming Officer of Web3 VC firm Game Fund Partners, believes the title is off to a good start, but could still use some tweaking.

“I think they have the structure for a great game, but are early adopters and lack the content needed to get traditional players to switch over,” Blake said Decrypt via Twitter DM.

“I’d say the enemy variety is seriously lacking, the sound design needs improvement, and the raids feel grumpy,” he elaborated. “On the plus side, the world design is extremely nice and I think the story concept is compelling. It needs more time in the oven and probably more capital to move forward.”

An Early Access “Big Time” player who logged over 12 hours in the game with friends said he regrets his $20,000 purchase.

“Paid about 6 ETH for 3 Gold Passes which was close to 20k at the time,” G.nft told Decrypt. “They advertised a model to play to earn a limited offer [of NFTs] under gold.”

But anyone who held on to their expensive Gold Pass saw reduced chances of return on investment over time, G.nft said.

“The early investors/backers who held the NFTs ended up getting diluted. The Gold Pass got diluted because more than tens of thousands of NFTs were produced under Silver, Jade and Ruby [Passes].”

As an early buyer, G.nft said he felt Big Time Studios “didn’t deliver” on its promises.

In contrast, Web3 game content creators Brycent have had a more positive experience with “Big Time” so far.

“We see a game creating an ecosystem to include non-Web3 players in innovative ways,” Brycent said Decrypt via Twitter DM. “I think it’s powerful, and with the right cultivation of story and lore, the game has a great chance to succeed.”