LimeWire launches nostalgic music download game with crypto rewards
The nostalgic branding of early 2000s peer-to-peer music file-sharing service LimeWire has been resurrected in Web3and a quirky music download game that plays on the story has been released today.
The LimeWire game simulates an old Windows operating system with the LimeWire software running. Players must provide their email address in order to play. The browser-based game involves pretending to “search” for old music and movies to “download”.
Players can search for any musician, song or movie that was popular in the early 2000s – most will appear in the results. Players then have to choose which items to ‘download’. Each download that does not contain a “virus”, regardless of type, will reward the player with 10 points. The LimeWire simulation continues until either the clock runs out or the user stumbles upon a “virus”.
It is worth noting that the files are not real nor are they downloaded, so users cannot play or access the content they have collected in the game.
Image: LimeWire/Decrypt.
All scores are entered into the leaderboard, and players with the highest scores are promised crypto rewards in the form of LimeWire’s upcoming ERC-20 tokens, LMWR, which is scheduled for release next month. The top 1,000 players will receive a total of 150,000 LMWR distributed hierarchically among them, in addition to “goods packs,” according to the company.
The game will be available until May 15.
“Our approach to harnessing nostalgia to promote the new LimeWire was a conscious decision to acknowledge and celebrate our roots,” said LimeWire CEO Julian Zehetmayr Decrypt by e-mail.
Image: LimeWire/Decrypt.
Overall, it’s a pretty simple but fun game that maximizes early 2000s nostalgia and recreates the now-defunct LimeWire torrent experience that can feel like a game of Russian Roulette for your computer.
“By carefully designing a game that captures the spirit of that era, we’ve successfully recreated the early 2000s in an engaging and fun way,” Zehetmayr added. “That nostalgic connection not only resonates with those familiar with LimeWire in its early days, but also introduces the younger generation to LimeWire’s rich history as we venture into the Web3 landscape.”
In 2023, LimeWire is now one platform for creator membership and NFT marketplace, where artists can pay wall exclusive content for fans, similar to Patreon. On the new LimeWire, creators can sell each piece of content they upload as an NFT and earn royalties on secondary sales.
Since the launch last year, says LimeWire Decryptthe marketplace has seen $1 million in total traded volume, with a waiting list of 3 million users and 20,000 creators.
