Tom Cichoki, founder and CEO of Revived Overworld, started gaming early by building Minecraft servers. Now, he’s building a Minecraft-inspired Web3 gaming ecosystem that allows players to build their dream games without writing a single line of code. We sat down with Tom to learn about his experiences, his project’s goals, and their upcoming token launch.
About Tom Cichocki and Revived Overworld
Hello Tom, please tell us briefly about yourself and the experiences that inspired Revived Overworld.
Gaming has always been a significant part of my life. It all started when my dad brought home a Commodore64 around four. My journey continued when a school friend and I began working on our first Minecraft server, where we recreated League of Legends within Minecraft. That was just the beginning.
We went on to develop subsequent servers in collaboration with various influencers, and one of them became the largest Minecraft game server in Poland. By 2017 and 2018, my interest in esports had grown significantly, particularly the massive tournaments held in large arenas that attracted thousands of participants. This competitive spirit was missing in Minecraft.
So, we decided to focus on our server’s most competitive game mode, BedWars, which was also popular on other global Minecraft servers. We created our unique version that met all esports standards and received approval from Mojang and Microsoft to hold an esports tournament in a physical location.
We invited top influencers with a combined following of over 25 million, resulting in one of the largest physical Minecraft tournaments, with over 5,000 participants. This was the perfect test for the gameplay of our upcoming game, Strifest.
Now, we’re transferring Strifest from Minecraft to the most advanced engine, Unreal Engine 5, with top-quality graphics to meet the expectations of demanding players. But we didn’t stop there.
Most major games, such as Minecraft, Fortnite, or GTA V, are modded, so why not allow users to modify our game on a dedicated platform? We offer tools like a no-code game maker, asset creator, and marketplace. All the mechanics and assets we’ve created will be available for players to use in a simple, non-coding way to create their games and experiences.
So, to answer the question, the most competitive gameplay in Minecraft inspired the creation of Strifest and the Revived Overworld platform.
Revived Overworld is an ecosystem. Walk us through the various features of the platform.
Revived Overworld is an ecosystem that allows users to easily and enjoyably build their games and experiences based on the games we create.
Several tools will be available, including:
- No-Code Game Maker, which is a tool for building innovative games and experiences inside Revived. Our Game Maker toolset is powered by Unreal Engine 5, the world’s most advanced real-time creation tool. Its pre-made mechanics allow anyone to build and launch a fully functional game. Also, creators earn a share of the revenue from games launched in the Overworld.
- Asset Creator: An easy-to-use tool that allows users to create 3D elements for their games. This tool also lets users import 3D objects from external compatible programs, adapt them to the metaverse infrastructure, and convert them into NFTs.
- Marketplace where users can find and buy items created by the platform and the Revived community. Once purchased, users can use their in-game items in their Realms or sell them on other marketplaces such as OpenSea.
- Realms: Realms serve as virtual spaces within our Metaverse where users can host and manage games and experiences. These are created using our no-code game maker and asset creator tools without the hassle of server setup or maintenance. Owning a Realm allows public access to your creations and offers the potential for revenue generation.
Moreover, exceptional games and experiences hosted on Realms can be featured on our main website and in-game browser, maximizing exposure and engagement.
What web3 features are you incorporating in the game, and why did you choose that route?
When we started working on the game concept, we didn’t initially plan to incorporate any Web3 features. However, while observing the traditional gaming market, we noticed certain gaps. For example, when some Minecraft game servers shut down, users lose access to all their purchased in-game items. Additionally, a grey market emerged where users sold their accounts with valuable items. Similar situations were observed in other major titles.
At this point, we realized we needed to build a marketplace for users to sell their items and release limited item drops to add more user value. That’s when we discovered blockchain technology, Web3, and NFTs. These technologies were the perfect solution, giving users true ownership of their purchased items.
Gaming economics and competition
Tell us about the gaming economics. You have an upcoming token lunch.
Our in-game currency is the backbone of our gaming economy, both for our games and community-built games. Players can earn coins through various in-game activities, such as completing quests, participating in tournaments, and achieving milestones.
In addition, we have our NFT Marketplace, where players can buy, sell, and trade in-game assets. These assets include unique items like skins and realms, which can enhance the gaming experience. So, our primary revenue streams include microtransactions, NFTs sales, and fees from marketplace transactions.
We are also excited to announce the upcoming launch of our token. This token will be integral to our gaming ecosystem, providing liquidity and enabling various economic activities within our platform. The token launch is scheduled for Q3 this year.
Once launched, players will be able to stake their tokens to earn additional rewards. Moreover, token holders will be able to participate in governance decisions, shaping the future of the game and the platform. This includes voting on new features, game modes, and other key developments.
Our economic model is designed to be sustainable and scalable. By continuously introducing new content, maintaining active community engagement, and fostering a thriving marketplace, we aim to ensure our platform’s long-term success and growth.
In summary, our gaming economics are built to provide an immersive and rewarding experience for players while ensuring a robust and sustainable ecosystem. The upcoming token launch is crucial in achieving these goals, and we are excited to share more details with our community in the coming weeks.
How do you address lag, frame rate drops, or crashes? Also, what are the minimum hardware requirements for playing?
One of our top priorities is ensuring a smooth and enjoyable gaming experience for our players. We use Unreal Engine 5, one of the most advanced and optimized game engines available. This engine is designed to handle high-quality graphics and complex game mechanics efficiently, reducing the chances of lag and frame rate drops.
In addition, our development team conducts regular performance testing and optimization to identify and address any potential issues. This includes stress testing under various conditions to ensure the game runs smoothly, even during high-demand situations.
We also provide adaptive graphics settings that allow players to customize their gaming experience based on their hardware capabilities. Players can adjust settings such as resolution, texture quality, and frame rate limits to find the optimal balance between performance and visual quality.
Our networking infrastructure is designed to minimize latency and ensure stable connections. We use advanced server technology to provide players with a consistent and low-latency gaming experience worldwide. Additionally, we have a robust bug-reporting system that allows players to report any issues.
In terms of hardware requirements, we have not yet defined the minimum hardware requirements. However, we are working on partnerships with cloud gaming platforms to allow users to play on low-budget devices with good-quality graphics.
Who are your competitors in the space, and how does Revived Overworld stand out?
Our main competitors are platforms that allow users to create their games, such as Minecraft, Roblox, and Fortnite. We stand out in terms of graphic quality compared to platforms like Minecraft and Roblox, and overall quality will be our distinguishing factor. One of our key differentiators is ownership of items not provided by any of these platforms—a feature we believe players will greatly appreciate.
Our competitors in the Web3 space include platforms like Sandbox and Decentraland, which offer similar solutions to ours. However, most launched projects in this space lack good-quality graphics, gameplay, and gamification. By providing the quality of Web2 gaming, we stand out from the competition.
While we expect some quality games to launch in the Web3 space in the coming months and years, what we’ve seen so far in terms of quality gaming in Web3 is made in a different style and follows repeated patterns, so we don’t see them as direct competitors.
In summary, our focus on high-quality graphics and true ownership of in-game items sets us apart from traditional and Web3 gaming platforms, positioning us uniquely in the market.
Minecraft gameplay is known to be welcoming and supportive. However, it is also known to harbor toxic behaviors like harassment and trolling. How does Revived Overworld address these concerns?
We understand the challenges associated with online gaming environments, such as harassment and trolling. Revived Overworld is committed to creating a safe and supportive environment for all players. We will implement several measures to address these concerns, including moderation, reporting, community guidelines, etc.
We will establish a comprehensive moderation system with automated tools and a dedicated team of human moderators. These moderators will actively monitor in-game behavior and community interactions to identify and address toxic behavior quickly.
On top of that, players will have access to user-friendly reporting tools to report harassment, trolling, or any other form of toxic behavior. Our moderation team will review all reports, and appropriate action will be taken based on the severity of the behavior.
Also worth mentioning are our Community Guidelines that outline acceptable behavior and the consequences of violating these rules. These are clearly communicated to players during the onboarding stage.
Furthermore, preventive measures such as chat filters and behavior-tracking algorithms will be implemented to reduce the occurrence of toxic behavior. These tools automatically detect and filter out offensive language and behavior patterns indicative of harassment or trolling.
We will introduce a reward system for players who contribute to a welcoming and supportive community to encourage positive behavior. This includes recognition, in-game rewards, and special privileges for exemplary conduct.
We believe in fostering a culture of respect and inclusivity. We plan to hold regular in-game events, workshops, and community discussions to raise awareness about the impact of toxic behavior and the importance of maintaining a positive gaming environment.
Lastly, our game design incorporates features that promote collaboration and teamwork. By encouraging cooperative gameplay and providing opportunities for players to work together towards common goals, we aim to reduce the likelihood of negative interactions.
Upcoming features/updates
STRIFEST is an exciting game.
Absolutely! STRIFEST is an exciting new game that’s going to blow your mind. Our team has poured immense effort and dedication into developing this game. With its innovative gameplay, stunning graphics, and epic storyline, it will be a blast for gamers, and we promise to deliver an unforgettable experience.
What upcoming features/updates should gamers be excited about?
We are planning our Genesis NFT mint in the upcoming weeks. This will be a free mint with a total supply of 600, making it exclusive. Holders of the Revived Genesis Collection will receive various benefits, including exclusive access to certain game features, early access to new content, and special rewards. Specific details about the date, process, and benefits will be announced soon.
Soon, we plan to conduct playtests in which our most engaged users can participate.
What would you say to gamers who are apprehensive about joining Web3?
Web3 has the potential to reshape gaming by enabling true ownership of digital assets and creating new avenues for value creation and exchange. It’s an exciting and rewarding ecosystem that gamers should not miss out on.
