Tim Sweeney and the idea of portable game economies
IndustryComments
I think a centralized protocol might actually be a benefit. Having a shared standard could allow smaller indie developers to implement these features without having to build a custom integration for every single platform.
would let players actually liquidate digital hoardings.
If a new title integrates into an existing economy like Fortnite, would that not actually strengthen the dominance of the platform holder? It seems like the smaller game would become a satellite of the larger ecosystem rather than a competitor.
Sweeney's push for this coincides with Epic's ongoing legal battles against app store walled gardens. This is as much a strategic move to dismantle platform fees as it is a proposal for game design.
Regarding the dismantling of walled gardens, would this require a standardized metadata protocol for assets to ensure interoperability across different engines? I wonder if there is any existing framework that could handle that without creating a new, centralized bottleneck.
The utility problem is a math nightmare. Looking at historical inflation cycles in MMOs, pegging value across two different economic models would likely lead to hyperinflation in the smaller game within weeks.
This sounds exactly like what happened with loyalty points in the airline industry. You end up with complex conversion charts where your assets are worth significantly less depending on which partner you are using.
The real story is the end of true ownership. Why buy a unique item when it is just a portable token in a corporate ledger? This turns games into mere storefronts for a single, universal currency.