Love him or hate him, you’ve got to give credit to Tron CEO Justin Sun for clinging onto every opportunity to push the Tron ecosystem to potential adopters. In a new development on that front, Sun took to Twitter on November 8, 2018, to announce that Tron has entered a new partnership with NeoWorld, a blockchain-powered massively multiplayer online (MMO) roleplaying game.
Neither party has so far divulged the specifics defining the partnership, except for that “TRON has already successfully entered NeoWorld.”
What Exactly is NeoWorld?
NeoWorld is an online virtual world built using blockchain technology. It offers multiplayer gameplay where users, according to the company, can immerse themselves in a 3D virtual environment while exploring new frontiers, pursuing careers, accumulating wealth, creating skylines, and building legacies.
Additionally, users can interact among themselves, have fun, and even create personal and professional networks. The gameplay also offers land parcels for purchase where users can construct buildings and increase their value. As of today, NeoWorld has sold more than 100,000 land parcels wherein no less than 7.5 million buildings have been raised.
The developers claim on the official NeoWorld portal:
“NeoWorld does not sell any virtual items to its users for profits. Its developer team encourages trades and business activities amongst users, and charges transaction fees as a means to support its operations.”
NeoCash: An In-game Crypto Token
As pointed out in the project’s whitepaper [PDF], NeoWorld offers an Ethereum-based ERC223 token that enables trades and other monetary activities within the gameplay. The game introduces this token as NeoWorld Cash (NASH) claiming that it is backed by a “complex economic model.”
Blokt is yet to independently verify how “complex” and sustainable this economic model is, but judging by the content of the white paper; it is obvious that a lot of the “complexity” referred to by the developers is linked to the demand-based pricing of in-game purchases. They claim to have no “influence or control” over pricing and assure users that the underlying blockchain strictly determines the value of all products and services within the game.
What Role Does Tron Expect to Play in NeoWorld?
Tron is yet to shed light on the details of the partnership with NeoWorld. In a rather short Medium post announcing this new development, Tron Foundation stated:
“TRON has established a partnership with NeoWorld. The cooperation between both parties will revolve around entering NeoWorld, planning the NeoWorld Exclusive Island, strengthening the cooperation within the community ecosystem, etc.”
The announcement adds that the Tron Foundation has already built a building in NeoWorld, which also happens to rank “the top in both its height and working rewards.”
However, there is no word so far on whether or not TRX will be acceptable as a currency in the virtual world. Till press time, NASH continues to be the sole cryptocurrency accepted in the gameplay with no new updates.
However, considering that NeoWorld is a simulated replica of the real world (or so it claims to be), it wouldn’t be a shocker to see TRX being used for transactions between individual players within the gameplay.
