Today, we aim to take you behind the scenes with an interview with one of our team members at LiquidX, Anthony Bray. Anthony Bray is a senior producer directly involved in the day-to-day development of the main Pixelmon game, overseeing our production roadmap, and ensuring a high quality and enjoyable gaming experience.
He has almost 29 years of experience within the game development industry, working for studios such as Sony, Marvel, EA, and Nintendo Gameboy. His first venture into NFT GameFi was in 2019, with a GameFfi trading platform he built.
Below are some questions on the game development process in its current early stages and his opinions on the space and its trajectory.
What do you see as the biggest opportunities and challenges of building in the Web3 gaming sphere?
In my opinion, the biggest opportunities lie within the decentralised gaming economies and marketplaces, granting players the ability to gain real rewards for their playtime and contributions to the community and game. The largest challenges will undoubtedly be in mass market adoption.
What does your current work at Pixelmon entail on a day-to-day basis, and can you tell us a little more about the game you’re developing and what sets it apart from other games in the Web3 gaming industry?
My day-to-day work at Pixelmon involves working with the development team and working out ways to overcome daily and weekly challenges involved in developing Pixelmon. At the moment, we're working on the prototype for Pixelmon - Hunting Grounds. It's an explorable world that will involve combat, hunting, resource gathering, parkour, and so much more. We are focussing more on creating the best game possible, not purely on just creating a great Web3 game.
Is there anything you can tell us about what players expect in terms of gameplay mechanics, storyline, and world-building in the Pixelmon game, and how will you ensure that the final product meets player expectations?
We have a vision of what we'd like the Hunting Grounds game to be in the future, but it is currently still very early stages, and we are still in the prototyping phase. The world will be explorable with different challenges, quests, and game mechanics. The player will be able to explore the Pixelmon world, consisting of the four tribes' territories, as well as the social hub.
In terms of meeting player expectations, we'll build a team of experienced industry professionals and will do our best to meet community expectations.
If you’re interested in discovering more about the lore and storyline behind Pixelmon, head over to the lore section on our website. Pixelmon Lore.
How does Pixelmon plan to approach player feedback and community engagement in the development process? What steps will be taken to ensure player feedback is incorporated into the final product?
We would absolutely love to get community feedback later this year through focus group tests, once game development has progressed further . One of the biggest benefits of building within Web3 is the ability to work alongside the community, as we’ve done in the past with our Discord focus groups, workshopping our models, future evolutions, trainers, lore, and more. We aim to build alongside our community and use their feedback to push development every step of the way.
What advice do you have for aspiring game developers and entrepreneurs looking to break into the Web3 gaming industry, and what qualities do you think are essential for success in this field?
My advice would be, firstly, to always focus on making a great game. Try to innovate, but don't make it the core focus. My second piece of advice would be to understand your business model: how will the product monetize while remaining sustainable and enjoyable?
What role do you see Web3 gaming playing in the larger ecosystem game development, with all the powerhouses strongly cemented in the industry already? Do you think we’ll see new companies rise to tackle this emerging market, or will more established teams adapt and pivot to incorporate Web3 and Blockchain tech?
I think that with Web3, we'll see a lot of gaming innovations coming from smaller game studios, as well as from new companies and established companies alike. Although there are some big players, it's still a great time for smaller companies to enter the market.
What are some of the most exciting gameplay mechanics and features your team is currently working on, and how do you see these features impacting the overall player experience?
Even though we are still in the prototyping phase, there are some great mechanics in development. The character movement system will be sophisticated enough to allow for some cool gameplay, including Parkour movement such as climbing, jumping, crouching, and more. On top of this, the stealth and hunting features we’re working on are exciting to say the least.
What are some of the most important lessons your team has learned so far in the development process for your current game project, and how do you plan to apply these lessons in the future to ensure a successful launch and gameplay experience?
Liquid X's game development team is still very young, not even 6 months old. The team and the are both still young, so there will be many lessons to be learned on this journey. Our core focus is to build a great game that the players will love.
Do you follow any other Web3 gaming projects or communities, if so, what draws you or interests you about them?
The main project I follow is Sandbox, being one of the earliest, most well-established, and supported gaming experiences on the platform. Community is clearly integral to what they’re building, and it’s interesting to follow.
What’s your favourite Pixelmon and why?
I love Brawler. Not necessarily because I identify with this Pixelmon, but because I just love the Charisma.
What advice do you have for players who are excited about your current game project, and how can they get involved and stay informed about updates and developments?
It's still the early stages of the development of Hunting Grounds. However,there will be more to share in the coming months. Follow us on Twitter, and join our Discord to stay up to date with all of our developments and news.
