Gamers will see previews of games being played live before purchase and can earn rewards to spend in the Ultra ecosystem for sharing streams.
Blockchain-powered gaming platform Ultra announced Sep. 3 that it will integrate Theta Network’s live streaming technology as part of its user experience.
The service will allow users to see games in action before making a purchase, and earn rewards that can be spent within the ecosystem.
Ultra is a game distribution platform using blockchain technology to bring new features to both players and developers. With a planned release in Q4 2020 it aims to disrupt the $160 billion gaming market by enabling gamers to play, discover, compete and socialize with zero friction.
When a user hits a particular game’s landing page they will see the game being played live via Theta streaming technology directly within the Ultra platform. Users can then earn rewards of both Theta (TFUEL) and Ultra (UOS) tokens for relaying the streams that they watch.
Streamers can also use the system to airdrop non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to fans and viewers, and earn rewards for promoting games on Ultra.
Theta Network is a peer-to-peer decentralized video platform that rewards viewers for sharing bandwidth and resources, which purportedly allows for high quality video streaming without expensive infrastructure. As Cointelegraph reported, its partners and backers include Google, Binance and Samsung.
Ultra also has its big-name backers, including mainstream gaming giant, Ubisoft, and chip-maker AMD.
Its technology enables the injection of a bespoke user interface into 5,000 existing Direct X, OpenGL and Vulkan games to add functionality such as in-app purchases and NFT trading. It also comes with a software development kit (SDK) enabling porting of games from consoles and the Steam platform.
Ultra has set its sights on becoming a blockchain-enabled replacement for Steam, although it may have a fight on its hands.
Fellow gaming platform, Pavilion Hub from GOATi Entertainment, incorporates similar blockchain-based features into a platform which also allows players to directly purchase existing games on Steam. It also features streaming functionality via Twitch.
