Solana’s gaming ecosystem faces major developments: Aurory expands to Ethereum, Automata announces layoffs

Aurory, a gaming franchise operating on the Solana blockchain, has announced its expansion to Ethereum’s Layer-2 network, Arbitrum. The move is seen as an expansion rather than a migration, with the aim of broadening the project’s reach beyond the Solana ecosystem. Aurory’s SyncSpace technology will enable users to move their assets between Solana and Arbitrum, and into the games.

The decision to expand to Arbitrum was driven by a desire to tap into other crypto communities and their liquidity. The move will allow players to bring Aurory NFTs and USDC stablecoins into the game via either chain, and then swap USDC for the game’s AURY token for use in Aurory. The expansion to Arbitrum is the first step out of the Solana ecosystem for Aurory, but it may not be the last, with Polygon, Avalanche, and BNB being potential future targets.

Concerns and potential benefits of Aurory’s expansion

While the expansion opens up new opportunities, it also raises concerns about the user experience for those only familiar with the Ethereum ecosystem and wallets like MetaMask. To address this, Aurory offers users the option to sign into their game accounts with just an email address and connect a crypto wallet at a later time.

On the other hand, the expansion could offer functional in-game benefits. For instance, non-playable characters (NPCs) could be tied to specific chains to encourage cross-chain exploration. This could add an extra layer of complexity and excitement to the gaming experience.

Automata announces mass layoffs

In a contrasting development within the Solana gaming ecosystem, Automata, the developer behind the game Star Atlas, has announced mass layoffs. The restructuring will reduce the team from 235 staff to just 45. The decision was driven by financial constraints, including a significant tax liability, the loss of funds with the collapse of FTX, and the depreciation of the in-game token Atlas.

Following the restructuring, the Automata team will shift its focus to “delivering SAGE and the newly announced Crew Mobile App.” The development of a software development kit (SDK) combining Unreal Engine 5 and Solana will continue, albeit at a significantly slower pace.

At the same time, Solana Labs, the team behind the Solana blockchain, unveiled GameShift, a software tool designed to facilitate blockchain game development. The tool will allows developers to integrate third-party crypto applications into their games on Solana.

Today, the two-day PlayGG event kicks off in San Diego at the Julep Venue!

Streamers, @G2esports talent, developers, and gamers have gathered to celebrate, connect, and play 50+ games built on Solana 🎮

Learn more: https://t.co/XxVvsGdtKT pic.twitter.com/zrSk5rVawF

— Solana (@solana) July 18, 2023