Shrapnel Unveils Updates for Early Access Players
Shrapnel, the highly anticipated first-person shooter game built on the Avalanche network, has announced several new updates for players participating in its early access experience on PC via the Epic Games Store. These updates include the launch of a marketplace where players can purchase premium cosmetic items.
Marketplace for Premium Cosmetics
The latest version of Shrapnel, called Shrapnel Training Exercise 2 (STX2), introduces equipable in-game cosmetics such as premium weapon skins. Players can now purchase these cosmetic items using the game’s SHRAP token. According to Shrapnel CEO Mark Long, the introduction of the marketplace and premium cosmetics is a significant milestone in their journey towards creating a unique Shrapnel economy that rewards creators and players in new ways.
New Features and Additions
In addition to the marketplace, STX2 brings several other updates and additions to the game:
- A new sub-machine gun weapon
- A suppressor attachment for quiet firing
- New environment art
Although players cannot currently loot cosmetics from others, this feature is planned for future releases, along with options to sell, trade, and create user-generated content.
Purchasing Premium Cosmetics
The premium weapon skins available in Shrapnel’s marketplace range in price between 5 SHRAP (approximately $1.40) for common skins and 30 SHRAP ($8.25) for legendary skins. These weapon skins are tokenized as NFTs (non-fungible tokens), but the ability to trade them within the game will be added at a later date.
Shrapnel has also announced that players who own the game’s Operator Collection NFTs, Extraction Packs, and Partner NFTs or tokens will be rewarded with various cosmetics and loot. Additionally, ecosystem partners like Superverse, BoDoggos, Alchemy, and NeoTokyo will airdrop weapon cosmetics to their respective communities.
In-Game Competition
To coincide with the STX2 early access release, Shrapnel is hosting an in-game competition where players have the opportunity to win SHRAP tokens. A total of 298,971 tokens will be distributed to players based on their leaderboard placement between Wednesday and Saturday. As of now, this amounts to over $82,000 worth of tokens.
Player Engagement and Funding
According to Neon Machine, Shrapnel has already amassed over 100,000 active player accounts. The early access version of the game requires an Extraction Pack key, which is currently priced starting at $20. Neon Machine raised a $20 million Series A funding round last year to support the development of Shrapnel.
The Future of Shrapnel
Decrypt’s GG previously had the opportunity to try out an earlier version of Shrapnel’s early access game and found it to be an impressive glimpse into the extraction shooter genre. Despite being unfinished and lacking certain visual details at that time, the game showed great promise. Decrypt will continue to closely follow the rollout of Shrapnel as it progresses towards its full free-to-play launch in 2025.
Editor’s note: This article was written with the assistance of AI. Edited and fact-checked by Andrew Hayward. This story was updated after publication with clarification from Shrapnel regarding weapon skins being NFTs.
Hot Take: Shrapnel Introduces Marketplace for Premium Cosmetics
Shrapnel, the first-person shooter game built on Avalanche, has made significant strides in its early access phase. The recent updates, including the introduction of a marketplace for premium cosmetic items, mark an important milestone in the development of Shrapnel’s unique economy. Players can now purchase premium weapon skins using the game’s SHRAP token, enhancing their in-game experience and supporting creators. With new features and additions like a sub-machine gun weapon and quiet firing attachments, Shrapnel continues to evolve and provide an immersive gameplay experience. The ongoing in-game competition and partnerships with various ecosystem partners further contribute to the game’s engagement and community involvement. As Shrapnel gains traction among players, it is poised for a successful full free-to-play launch in 2025.
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