After being accused of fraud and being “dead”, the game Star Atlas announced news. The game developers have informed about the release of a limited demo on the Epic Games Store.
“Star Atlas: Showroom” is a pre-alpha demonstration of the Unreal Engine 5 technology that powers the game. The demo allows Star Atlas NFT owners to explore a 3D environment and view the ships and vehicles they have invested in.
Currently, Star Atlas is only offering access to people who own the NFTs. They can earn a passkey by owning an NFT and joining one of the Star Atlas factions in the game.
According to Michael Wagner, CEO and co-founder of developer Star Atlas ATMTA, the demo does not integrate NFTs. So in this version, everyone will have the same vehicle. Additionally, he stated that some shortcodes go to non-owners of NFTs.
Star Atlas
Later this year, the demo released will also include additional functions, including multiplayer features. Chat functionality and the ability for NFT holders to take their vehicles on a flight will also be implemented.
In addition to releasing its first playable version of Star Atlas, the developer has also released a toolkit. This kit is intended to make it easier for other developers to bring their own Unreal Engine 5 based games to the Solana blockchain.
The Foundation Software Development Kit (F-KIT) is an open source SDK that allows Unreal Engine 5 developers to integrate the Solana blockchain. This allows users to sign transactions to complete in-game actions. Unreal Engine is a tool used in the video game industry as well as in TV shows and movies.
Releasing F-KIT as an open source tool means that “conventional studios now have a faster path” to creating games in Solana. As Wagner reported, other builders can also take the kit and extend it to other networks such as ETH.
Finally, for teams it is a way to encourage others to “build experiences that expand the Star Atlas universe”.