By Daniel Griffiths

Browser and now-blockchain games firm Kongregate has announced the Bitverse, a collection of Web3 games soon to launch in an 8-bit-esque gaming universe.

Featuring a chunky art style that’s pure nostalgia, the Bitverse will initially consist of three games: the MMORPG Bit Heroes, battle royale shooter Bit Heroes Arena, and a currently undisclosed title.

Each game in the Bitverse will feature unique game mechanics and gameplay while all starring within the same metaverse which uses a combination of fungible and non-fungible tokens. The user’s unique avatar is an NFT and is playable across titles, with the first set to enter presale in Q2 this year.

“Imagine a world where players no longer lose their unique character or digital identity when they want to switch from one game to the next. Instead, players have a larger universe of games to explore that leverage the progress, time and experience they have accrued playing their favourite game,” said Kongregate CTO Max Murphy.

Retro realm
This new metaverse was originally inspired by one of the games that will feature within it: Bit Heroes. The 2016 title already has a retro style and the developer expects its pre-established lore to help tackle any game genre in the Bitverse.

“The long-term goal of the Bitverse is to create a metaverse of cross-platform games united by the blockchain, with an NFT ‘bit hero’ that players can use in every game,” said Kongregate senior director of product Jorge G. Ezquerra.

“With Bit Heroes’ retro vibes, our intention is to create a sense of nostalgia by returning to what Kongregate does best – bringing a community of gamers and developers together to create games with each other.”

Kongregate also recently unveiled its upcoming blockchain game Blood Vessels, which will be launched through a partnership with Immutable X and will feature playable vampire NFTs.