Just when you thought Atari was getting out of the online gambling biz, Atari decides to celebrate its 50th anniversary with a whole lot of online gambling. Except instead of digital blackjack and backgammon, it’s gambling in the form of lootbox NFTs.
Atari has teamed up with Republic Realm on "Giftable Atari NFTs," or "GFTs" for short. Inside each GFT is one of 10 NFTs based on 50 years of Atari gaming, which features legendary titles like Combat, Swordquest, Asteroids, Centipede, and more. However, you don't know which NFT you're buying when you purchase an GFT. The GFT "unwraps" itself on a specific date so that the outcome is a "surprise."
Everyone who remembers the words "surprise mechanics" knows exactly what these GFTs are: lootboxes.
On the plus side, Republic Realm at least provides potential buyers with the odds. Common NFTs will make up 90% of GTF "surprises," while Legendary NFTs will comprise 9.1%. Epic rarity NFTs will only drop with just 0.9% frequency.
You can attach your Ethereum wallet to the Republic Realm GFT Shoppe to pre-order your first wave of GFTs. After that, more GFTs become available as more are purchased. GFT holders will also be eligible to compete in "game competitions" with "leaderboards" through a community Discord.
Pre-orders end on February 1, with the official "unwrapping" date still a closely guarded secret. Atari also hasn't shown what these NFTs will actually look like or what these game competitions will actually entail.
So let's recap: pre-order some lootboxes that contain unknown NFTs that the developer promises will become more valuable after everyone starts buying them. Oh, and there’s an unknown game tie-in with a Discord community. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.
"What better way to commemorate Atari's 50th anniversary than by ushering in a new era of technological innovation while also honoring the brand that launched the modern video game industry?" said Wade Rosen, CEO of Atari. I can think of a few ideas, and none of them involve either lootboxes or NFTs.