Tencent Games has announced a partnership with blockchain esports entertainment platform Sliver.tv to create an esports channel for the battle royale game Ring of Elysium.
Theta rewards will power the 24-hour, seven-days-a-week esports channel, and it will feature streamers from FaZe Clan, Method, and NRG. It will also include interactive predictions, trivia, and prizes for viewers.
The companies will create in-game items, such as the Golden Winged Jacket skin, which will be purchasable in the Sliver.tv store for Theta tokens, which are used to encourage users to share their unused computing and bandwidth resources as caching nodes for video streams.
“We’re excited to be partnering with Sliver.tv and bringing unique Theta rewards to Ring of Elysium players,” said Tencent Games in a statement. “We want viewers to be able to become part of the esports experience, and will be able to do so with the interactive esports channel with Sliver.tv.”
Ring of Elysium launched September 19 as a free-to-play game on Steam. While viewing Ring of Elysium matches on community-driven livestreaming platform Sliver.tv, players will be able to earn Theta tokens by logging in, watching live content and will also be eligible to win premium crates.
Viewers can also use tokens to purchase in-game exclusive skins and premium items or for discounts on real-world products from sponsors.
“Our partnership with Tencent Games will help us continue to drive interactive esports by featuring exciting content from Ring of Elysium,” said Mitch Liu, CEO of Sliver.tv and Theta Labs, in a statement. “Combined with our unique Theta rewards and blockchain technology, users become part of the esports experience, driving greater engagement and retention for our partners and games.”
As fanboy GamesBeat writer Jeff Grubb pointed out, Ring of Elysium is a last-man-standing game like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds or Fortnite, where the point is to find good loot to improve your chances of survival against other players in a massive open-world map.
But in Ring of Elysium, you get to choose where you will start, and only one person is allowed per square in a grid so that you have plenty of time to find weapons. You can also focus on high mobility by grabbing a hang glider, a snowboard, or climbing gear. You have to stay ahead of a storm closing in on you. The goal is to make your way to a rescue helicopter.