Bitcoin can soon be won by playing counter-strike
Bitcoin startup ZEBEDEE will soon roll out CS:GO servers that will allow players of Valve’s popular PC shooter to win BTC through competition.
Crypto gaming is now gaining momentum through original games like The Sandbox and Axie Infinity, however, the technology is now implemented into some of the biggest traditional games on the market. For instance, Enjin’s plugin for using non-fungible token (NFT) crypto assets on Minecraft servers.
This week, Bitcoin startup ZEBEDEE will launch the first servers for popular first-person PC shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) that implement Infuse, its technology that allows users to earn small amounts of Bitcoin based on their performance in-game.
According to ZEBEDEE co-founder and CEO Simon Cowell, the news is already generating a lot of buzz in gaming circles:
“The announcement of our Bitcoin integration with CS:GO has resonated with gamers in a way I haven’t seen before in blockchain gaming,” Cowell said. “Waitlist sign-ups are already enough to keep our first 10 servers full, so we plan to expand capacity very soon. I have a good feeling that we’ve finally cracked the infiltration of crypto into mainstream gaming.”
Here’s how it will work: When playing in one of ZEBEDEE’s Infuse servers, the player will scan a QR code by the start of the match with a smartphone app to pay a small amount of BTC, at least 100 satoshis (1 satoshi = 1/100,000,000 BTC). During the game, the potential winnings will fluctuate as the player racks up kills and/or dies, with the share of the pot based on the percentage of the total game score.
In the end, if one had a successful match, the player may finish with more satoshis than he/she used to buy into the match. Players can cash out at any time, and transactions are handled by the Lightning Network.
Eventually, ZEBEDEE plans to also launch servers that require no entry fee because of the support of partners, whose advertisement will be implemented into the experience instead of charging players to compete.
Although the amounts up for rewards are relatively small, it is an opportunity for players to “stack sats” and earn a little amount of Bitcoin while playing a game. ZEBEDEE taps into one million peak concurrent users regularly and had an estimated 24 million monthly active players as early last year.
Cowell says that the company plans to launch 10 servers this week as a start, and they will be open to all players 24/7 as long as there is space for them. Players have to download ZEBEDEE’s desktop app to gain access to the Infuse-powered servers. ZEBEDEE plans to add more servers in time to accommodate additional players, and expects significant demand after showing the CS:G) tech at the latest MintGox Bitcoin gaming meetups, including the one that was held last weekend.
Cowell believes that the opportunity for CS:GO players to earn Bitcoin will benefit amateur and casual players who aren’t part of the professional esports scene the most, although he suggested that the ultimate impact will have a wider range across competitive gaming.
“The biggest revolution will be for ordinary players,” he continued “At the moment, esports tournaments are only open to a small elite of pros who win all the money.”
Cowell stated that he believes the ZEBEDEE integration will change the world of informal esports gaming the similar way Robinhood opened up the world of stock trading.
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