SKALE: The Under-the-Radar Powerhouse for Blockchain Gaming

By Topper Bowers

I’m often asked: “Why did you choose SKALE?” Here’s one answer.

So many things to consider when choosing a chain.

SKALE might not be well-known in the blockchain gaming space yet, but it has been onboarding and launching a bunch of games recently. As a game developer, I’ve seen firsthand the benefits SKALE provides. While my games run on this platform, my aim is to highlight its key differentiators objectively, rather than as an endorsement. I’m a fan, and this article will read like it, but I have no affiliation with the SKALE team.

Ethereum Ecosystem: SKALE’s Deep Ties

SKALE is natively integrated with Ethereum, enabling seamless transactions between these two ecosystems. Game assets and tokens are easily transferred to Ethereum, benefitting from its liquidity and established market.

Enhanced Security: Randomized, Rotated, Staked Validators

SKALE enhances its security measures by leveraging Ethereum’s staking and validator selection mechanism. Validators are selected, staked, and rotated on Ethereum, alleviating the complexity of validator recruitment and boosting security. This process provides a secure and stable environment compared to other app chains.

Speed: Fast Block Times and Finality

An independent study found SKALE even faster than Solana. With finality times between 1.5–4 seconds, you can do more on-chain and make blockchain integration nearly invisible to the player. This speeds up the gaming process, keeping players engaged in the gameplay rather than the technicalities.

Access Controls: More Control for Studios

This one may be controversial. Unlike many blockchains, SKALE allows game studios to control who can deploy contracts, if they want. This gives studios a level of control over their gaming ecosystem and allows them to limit liquidity as needed, providing a safer and more curated gaming environment. Think: no crypto regulations apply. This lets traditional studios get comfortable in web3 until they are ready to go full degen.

Free Gas: Easing User Onboarding

One of SKALE’s most potent features for gaming is its free gas. By removing the gas barrier, developers can provide a web2-like experience with fully non-custodial wallets, at no cost to the game or player. This simplifies the onboarding process and lowers the barrier to entry for new players. I invite you to check out our onboarding process here: https://empiregambit.com/minerva.

If your studio is exploring blockchain, I highly recommend a closer look at SKALE. Its new approach and gamer-friendly features might be the chain you’re after.

---

SKALE: The Under-the-Radar Powerhouse for Blockchain Gaming was originally published in gam3on on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.