Trying to predict what Web3.0 will become is analogous to predicting in the 1990s what our current internet would be. As we all know, only a select few visionaries saw the real potential of the internet while the rest of the status quo mocked them. Here’s a video of a popular talk show host sarcastically asking Bill Gates about the internet:
In our recent Twitter Spaces, we invited Michael Sanders to talk about what it takes to build a successful web 3.0 company. Michael's firm (0xHorizon) has successfully developed two products that have generated tremendous buzz in the sector-Skyweaver (game) and Sequence (Web3.0 wallet).
Here’s a recap for ya -
According to Michael, the best way to predict the future is to build it, and Horizon and the rest of the web 3.0 community are building something truly amazing.
Horizon (Skyweaver)
Horizon is building a new dimension where internet economies are fun and accessible. The goal is to make Web3 easy, fun, and powerful for users and builders alike.
Skyweaver is a free-to-play turn-based strategy card game. Its primary game mode is called Constructed. The game has 15 different heroes that players can choose from. Each hero has a special ability which ranges from strength, agility, wisdom, heart, and intellect. Players strategically choose their heroes and create a deck to compete against other players. NFT cards in Skyweaver are ERC-1155 tokens.
The game has several interesting game modes where players can rank high on the leaderboard to win exclusive silver trading cards or participate in the tournament mode called Conquest, where they buy in with 1.50 USDC or a silver trading card and stand a chance to win $50 USDC.
Conquest is a single-elimination play mode, meaning that if you lose, you’re eliminated from the tournament. However, the more rounds you survive, the better prizes you’ll get.
Most of the user base of Skyweaver comes from the trading card game community. Michael claims that 60% of their players have never interacted with Web3 products before Skyweaver. Many players came from popular web-based trading card games like Hearthstone, Magic the Gathering, and Pokemon.
Sequence
Michael and his team set out to build Skyweaver back in 2017 with the objective of creating a gaming experience that could be enjoyed by anyone, not just Web3 natives. In order to facilitate that experience, the company created the Sequence wallet, which in itself became a successful product for the company. We're still at an early stage in the field of Web3 gaming, so most builders will have to work hard to make their own features work, and there's a good chance that their solutions will become standard for the industry.
Sequence is both a developer tool and a smart wallet. Web3 game builders can now use the innovations Horizon created for Skyweaver to easily create their own games.
The wallet is amazing on the user front. Michael says that with just 2 clicks, a user can create a non-custodial wallet through Sequence without needing to download anything.
Teleportation and the Metaverse
Let’s go off on a tangent and discuss teleportation. Through VR and other metaverse technologies, we can finally achieve this popular science fiction trope in a couple of years. He explains that with the right equipment, people would be able to ‘visit’ virtual realms that look and feel as real as the physical ones. For example, you put on your VR headset along with a haptic suit and entered the metaverse to have a 1-on-1 business meeting with your partners in the Europe section. Next, you switch rooms to attend a concert hosted by Jack Harlow, followed by a lunch date with your partner at a metaverse sushi parlor. The future is exciting, isn't it?
Hardware will play a big role in bringing about the metaverse. Innovators in the space are currently working on questions like: what exactly will we use to enter the metaverse? Will it be a haptic suit or a more seamless interface? What kind of tech innovation do we need to emulate physical sensations in a virtual environment? It's entirely possible that the metaverse could manifest in the next few decades, and companies like Meta (formerly Facebook) are investing billions to make it a reality.
Sid points out that the metaverse is the next level in our technological progression of sharing space and time. Currently we do it through Zoom meetings or FaceTime. What’s the next likely step? Meetings in the Metaverse.
Web 3.0
Web3 is similar to a digital nature where both creators and users share in the value generated by the networks they participate in. Web3 games illustrate this by allowing users to own the digital assets they acquire. This is a paradigm shift from web2 networks where users really don’t own their data.
With open protocols and standards like Ethereum, millions of people can collaborate and create without having to ask for permission. The next generation of the internet will be about individuals owning what is rightfully theirs and fostering new forms of collaboration.
Interestingly, Horizon helped develop the ERC-1155 token standard because they needed it for Skyweaver. Folks that aren’t familiar with this token type just need to know that it’s being used by some of the top games in Web3 gaming. While the popular NFT token type, the ERC-721, allows developers to create a single unique copy of a digital item, the ERC-1155 allows them to create multiple unique copies of a digital item at once.
Closing Note
Horizon has built one of the most popular Web3 games in the market right now, along with a smart contract wallet that will be used by many upcoming games. The company knows what it's doing with the trading card genre and, most importantly, they adopted a free-to-play model which allows players to enjoy their game without any financial risk. We’re super excited about where they are headed next, and you should be too.Go check out Skyweaver and let us know what you think.
Ciao!
