Call of Duty-style crypto shooter 'Shrapnel' enables token purchases via credit and debit card
Quick Take
- First-person shooter Shrapnel — a title on the Avalanche blockchain that is listed on the Epic Games Store — is aiming to boost transaction volumes by enabling token purchases via credit and debit cards.
- Previously, users had to use an exchange to purchase the game’s utility token, SHRAP.
Blockchain-based video game projects have been exploring ways to make it easier for users to play the games without getting bogged down by the crypto-related elements. In that vein, one of the more highly-anticipated games edging towards its wide release, Shrapnel, has implemented an integration allowing players to buy SHRAP, the game's utility token, using a credit or debit card.
Previously, players could only acquire the SHRAP token through an exchange, according to a statement. "Now, using the integration with Halliday’s onramp, players can quickly and easily convert fiat currency into SHRAP using Moonpay or Stripe as payment gateways," it said.
"Halliday removes a major web3 point of friction, allowing players to use their credit card like any other free-to-play game," said Shrapnel CEO Mark Long.
Gaming has long been considered pivotal in propelling blockchain and trading digital assets into the mainstream. So far, however, there has not been a genuinely mainstream, crypto-enabled video game capable of challenging the status quo: the closed ecosystems visible on gaming platforms like "Roblox" and "Fortnite."
Making it easier to purchase SHRAP tokens could spur more activity for the game, built using Layer 1 blockchain Avalanche. Players use SHRAP tokens to buy in-game assets.
According to Messari, Shrapnel is already having an impact. "Daily average transactions [on Avalanche] continued trending higher in Q1, finishing up 43% quarter on quarter," it said in a report. "Part of this increase was attributable to a strong quarter from Shrapnel, a first-person shooter game with a subnet for in-game transactions."
In February, an early-access version of Shrapnel became available on the Epic Games Store.
Disclaimer: The Block is an independent media outlet that delivers news, research, and data. As of November 2023, Foresight Ventures is a majority investor of The Block. Foresight Ventures invests in other companies in the crypto space. Crypto exchange Bitget is an anchor LP for Foresight Ventures. The Block continues to operate independently to deliver objective, impactful, and timely information about the crypto industry. Here are our current financial disclosures.
© 2023 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
