Turnt Gaming today announced partnerships with Polygon Studios and Esports Technologies to develop Taunt Battleworld, an upcoming fighting game simulator built around NFT combatants.
Taunt Battleworld works on a principle of “engage-to-earn,” according to founder Jeff Liboon. Players can play to earn by using their unique NFT fighter in skill-based contests. They can customize their fighters to with a specific skill set, and then unleash them to fight against others. The actual gameplay is more of a management sim. Liboon described what makes the game different in an interview with GamesBeat, “Our model is a bit different because we’re embracing the play-to-earn model. All of the fighters will be owned by the actual players. Players will be able to grow their fighters.” In addition to original characters in the game, Taunt Battleworld will featured licensed IP and real-world fighters, including Floyd Mayweather and Deontay Wilder, with more to be added later.
Liboon stressed that playing the game itself is not the only way players can earn currency. They can also watch-to-earn, viewing the contests in order to earn in-game currency, and predict-to-earn, making currency by predicting which of the fighters will win their contests. As he told GamesBeat, the plan is to make the game more accessible for those who don’t wish to make the initial investment in an NFT: “If you think about it, when you go into a play-to-earn game, there’s always a monetary investment. You have to buy an NFT. Why I love our concept of ‘engage-to-earn’ is that anybody can start participating, getting comfortable with the blockchain and crypto in general — they can start to earn something of value.”
The game will be built on Polygon’s blockchain solution and Esports Technologies’ predictive gaming platform. Shreyansh Singh, CEO of Polygon Studios, said in a statement, “Turnt Gaming is forging ahead with a disruptive model for NFT-based gaming that offer players a new way to reward and engage their community. We are excited to be part of that solution.”
Turnt will also be partnering with Stardam Images to bring more fighters into the game. Floyd Mayweather said in a statement, “I’m honored to be one of the first combat sports athletes to appear in Taunt Battleworld, and can’t wait to see the game come to life.”
Taunt Battleworld is scheduled for release in early 2022.