Web3 Overview
Is Sparkball a Web3 Game?
Sparkball is an unambiguously fun and addictive game that sits at the center of a Web3-enabled ecosystem we call 'Sparkadia', a comprehensive platform designed to provide players additional ways to engage with all things Sparkball.
This unique architecture allows us three key wins:
Players will find their gameplay experience in Sparkball completely unaffected by Web3, able to play, compete, and unlock
Actively allows us to be more aggressive in how we provide valuable utility to players and additional flexibility in how we integrate Web3 beyond just PvP matches within Sparkball.
Ensures maximum reach by allowing Sparkball to launch on primary distribution platforms like Steam, Xbox (already confirmed!), and PS5.
How does it work?
The Sparkadia platform encompasses our entire ecosystem, and not only includes Sparkball, but also our universe, characters, IP, and even future games!
Traditional gamers, hardcore traders, and everyone in between can interact with the various Web3-enabled 'Companion Apps' within Sparkadia. Using Sparkball's data and content as their engine, these 'C-Apps' can range from simple 'secondary' implementations like staking portals or analytics tools all the way to 'primary' buildouts like Fantasy Sparkball or UGC/Mod Tools.
Through these C-Apps, a synergistic relationship is formed:
an increase in players/playtime within Sparkball translates to increased interactions in Sparkadia
Additional engagement within Sparkadia leads to higher retention in Sparkball
Players are now free to participate only in activities they want to participate in while at the same time being actively encouraged to participate in others. Traditionally, the onboarding ramp into non-native activities would deter users, but with existing IP attachment and content carryover, this ask becomes a much simpler one. For example, a purely Web2 player may love a hero so much, they educate themselves on Web3 solely to engage with that hero in new ways (an example we've already demonstrated on our VISION BOARD!).
At the core of Sparkadia lies your identity - your legacy of everything you have done and will do within the ecosystem. Define what role you play in the universe of Sparkball, fill your trophy cabinet, and even mint your accomplishments to cement, and maybe even monetize on your greatness!
Put simply - You PLAY Sparkball, but you MANAGE, COACH, OWN, CREATE, and LIVE within Sparkadia.
Companion Apps (C-Apps) and Integrations
Our team's initial focus is on four primary integrations within Sparkadia:
Community and Public API Use
Along with 'official' C-Apps, much of Sparkball's data will be available via a public API. Much like Leagues u.gg or Blitz and Destiny's DIM, the community can use this data to build their own applications that enhance the Sparkadia ecosystem. Select tools and products will even gain access to $SPARK and NFT integration where community members can now easily monetize their creations.
Staking and Burning
While our full economic whitepaper coming in Phase 3 will detail exact NFT and token flow within Sparkadia (staking utility, faucets, sinks, tokenomics, etc.), here's some high-level use cases around staking or burning the $SPARK token:
Currency - Stake to slowly generate our in-game soft currency, #Glimmer, or burn for a burst.
Lottery - Earn raffle tickets for daily/weekly giveaways for things like NFTs, in-game content, and more.
Eggs - Players can tier up and/or speed up their Egg charge via staking or burning.
Acquire - Stake to own a literal part of Sparkball and Sparkadia (more coming on exactly what that means!)
Is Sparkball free to play (F2P)?
Season Zero for Sparkball is 100% free to download and play.
On full release, Sparkball will be sold as a $20 premium product which includes one free month of an optional monthly ~$10 subscription that allows players to unlock additional content across the ecosystem (like a battle pass), including exclusive cosmetics like skins, sprays, emotes, loading screens, and more. The subscription is ecosystem wide, providing not just bonuses within Sparkball, but Sparkadia as well.
Sparkball is always better with friends. Each copy purchased comes with a free game code to send to a friend which can also be 'supercharged' for only $5 (or $SPARK!), granting the recipient a free month subscription as well!
Why this over F2P?
Sparkball is designed primarily as a 'retention and reach' tool, aiming to attract as many players as possible and keeping them engaged for as long as possible. We do this by enforcing an extremely friendly monetization strategy within the game, giving players additional reasons to play and building significant goodwill with players (see Helldivers 2).
Sparkadia on the other hand serves as an 'engagement and monetization' tool, aiming to discover the various ways that players WANT to engage with Sparkball. You can grind the game, or you can grind the metagame, but regardless, you'll be able to access content through mechanisms you want to participate in while avoiding the ones you don't.