Automata

Automata is a mobile game for iOS that combines virtual and real-world fashion collectibles. Players can equip virtual clothing items and visit geofences on a map to claim reward tokens called $DRP. The items have different powers which modify how many reward tokens the player receives. The clothing items can be either fully virtual NFT items, or they can be real-world garments with NFC chips attached to them. When the player scans the chips, they appear in the game.

The purpose of the game is to serve as a marketing tool for fashion brands, encouraging players to wear their clothes at specific locations and events. Because the virtual items and $DRP tokens exist on the Ethereum blockchain, players can earn and trade assets to generate income. Combining play-to-earn mechanics with rewards for wearing clothing items IRL makes Automata the first ever "wear-to-earn" game.

One of the main challenges we faced during the development of Automata was creating a seamless experience for players when switching between virtual and real-world elements. We needed to ensure that the NFC chips worked correctly when scanned and that the virtual clothing items were correctly synced with the real-world garments.

Another challenge we faced was designing the gameplay mechanics to be both engaging and fair for players. We wanted to create a sense of competition and progression, while also ensuring that the game was balanced and was a valuable marketing tool for the partner brands.

To address the challenge of creating a seamless experience for players when switching between virtual and real-world elements, we experimented and made iterative improvements to the NFC scanning flows. We also included clear prompts in the UX on how to use the NFC chips and how to import and export virtual clothing items. We also incorporated a variety of items with different powers and abilities to add an element of strategy and choice for players.

Automata is set to be released in 2023.