Upcoming NFT launches you can watch out for in 2023

The non-fungible token market has had a topsy-turvy performance in 2023 so far, with demand constantly changing on the heels of a shaky crypto market. As per the analytical platform DappRadar, NFT trading volume in Q1 2023 increased by 137 percent compared to the last quarter of 2022. However, a separate report highlighted that the number slacked once again in April 2023, in which NFT holders dropped to their lowest point in the last 12 months.

Despite the poor data, numerous NFT-related projects are scheduled to launch this year. Among them, blockchain-based gaming platforms are the most popular.  Here's a list of upcoming NFT launches that you can watch out for in 2023.

RobotEra is an up-and-coming play-to-earn metaverse game and NFT project where players assume the role of a robot avatar. Its gameplay revolves around managing land in the metaverse, gathering resources from the land, and creating other robot companions.

The in-game currency, $TARO, serves as the backbone of its metaverse economy. More specifically, TARO can be used to buy NFT robots and land within the metaverse. The first presale took place in February 2023, offering TARO tokens at a price of $0.02. Currently, the TARO token is in its second presale stage, with each TARO priced at $0.023 and available for purchase with ETH or USDT.

According to the project’s roadmap, RobotEra character NFTs will be released in the second quarter of 2023, followed by the RobotEra Land NFT presale in Q3 2023. The full release of the RobotEra metaverse, along with RobotEra DAO, is planned for Q4 2023. As of now, 1,295,380 TARO tokens have been sold out of the total supply of 13,500,000, raising over $1.2 million for the project.

Meta Masters Guild is a play-to-earn gaming platform that offers playable NFT games. In addition to earning rewards, MMG extends the gaming experience to include staking and trading. The platform features its own digital marketplace where players can acquire NFTs to use across multiple games within the MMG platform. It also incorporates a rewarding system with $MEMAG tokens as the in-game currency, which players can earn by participating in competitions.

MEMAG has a total supply of 1 billion tokens, which is distributed across various aspects of the ecosystem. The distribution breakdown is as follows: ecosystem (15 percent), team (10 percent), company reserve (10 percent), marketplace (15 percent), liquidity and presale (35 percent), and exchange listings (10 percent). Currently, a total of $121,737 worth of $MEMAG tokens have been staked on the platform.

The project has three games in the pipeline: Meta Kart Racers, Raid NFT, and Meta Masters World. The presales for these games have already been completed, raising $4.97 million in the process. In March, the project was listed on several crypto exchanges, including XT.com and Uniswap. According to the project’s roadmap, its NFTs will be listed on CoinGecko and CoinmarketCap in Q2 2023.

Calvaria: Duels of Eternity is a play-to-earn game that raised $2.8 million in its presale in January 2023.

Its flagship game, Duels of Eternity, is a card game in which players build decks with NFT cards and defeat opponents to earn RIA tokens. The whitepaper mentions that $RIA tokens will also be issued on other L2 solutions and on Ethereum. Periodic NFT collections will be released outside of the game on Ethereum, allowing users to trade NFTs on high-volume trading platforms such as OpenSea and Rarible. The game is expected to be released in 2023 Q2.

Krafton, the South Korean studio behind PUBG: Battlegrounds, is now venturing into the world of Web3 metaverse gaming with its new platform called "Migaloo." The platform is expected to launch sometime this year. Krafton has partnered with the augmented reality firm Naver Z and has already raised $36.8 million for the development of Migaloo.

In the joint venture company created with Naver Z, Krafton holds 85 percent of the stake while Naver Z holds the remaining 15 percent. Migaloo will be a create-to-earn game that allows users to buy, create, and sell in-game assets as NFTs.

Renowned game publisher, Ubisoft, is gearing up to launch NFT play based on the well-known open-world action series, Assassin's Creed.

Ubisoft has joined forces with Integral Reality Labs to introduce Assassin's Creed Smart Collectibles. These collectibles take the form of NFT passes minted on the Polygon network, which can later be exchanged for physical collectibles.

Dubbed "Digital Soul" NFTs, these tokens can be utilized for customization and are paired with a tangible collectible—a 3D-printed figure encased within a transparent cube. NFT collectors will have can choose between different outfits, poses, and weapons for their character before redeeming it for a corresponding physical collectible. The NFTs will be available in different rarity levels, with higher tiers unlocking additional customization options and elements. The NFT sale is scheduled for May 16.

Swoops is a basketball strategy game where each player is represented by a tradable NFT. The gameplay revolves around the concept that every NFT character will age and undergo changes in attributes and appearance over time. Holders of these player NFTs will have the ability to trade and stake them within the game.

Swoops successfully raised $3.5 million in April 2022, backed by investors including Alpaca VC and Countryside Ventures. The game is now scheduled to be released on May 19. Notable backers of the project include entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, Red Beard Ventures, DraftKings CEO Jason Robins, and Slow Ventures, among others.

The NFT gaming space is experiencing rapid growth, with a multitude of games emerging in various sectors. It will be intriguing to witness how these games will shape the NFT gaming economy and gain popularity in the upcoming months. By staying informed about these upcoming projects, both traditional and casual players can choose games that interest them and participate in the play-to-earn ecosystem to monetize their gaming experiences.