An ex-Goldman Sachs analyst turned Web3 founder broke down the company's unique approach to the booming play-to-earn market: 'It's like Web3's Call of Duty'

• Undead Blocks is the first play-to-earn, first-person zombie shooter game for the metaverse and Web3.
• Founder Grant Haseley said the platform empowers users to earn tokens from the "sweat equity" they invest in gaming.

Former Goldman Sachs analyst Grant Haseley is expecting at least 25,000 users to log on to his Web3, first-person-shooter, play-to-earn game the very first day it launches this summer.

"Love of zombie-shooter video games is international, particularly in emerging market countries where play-to-earn popularity is exploding," Haseley, the 28-year-old founder of Undead Blocks, told Insider.

The team behind the ethereum blockchain-based game has 45 developers, including staffers who worked on the uber-popular game Fortnite, Haseley said.

But he has also frequently drawn parallels to another shooter, saying "it's like Web3's Call of Duty" though it's not part of that iconic franchise.

Most play-to-earn games, such as Axie Infinity, focus first on the transaction ecosystem within the game, Haseley explained. But Undead Blocks prioritized engaging gameplay above all else.

"We created something genuinely fun, it feels like Call of Duty," Haseley said. "But we developed the game first, before the tokenomics, which is the opposite of most play-to-earns."

Depending on skill-level, players will be able to earn about $5 in a couple hours of zombie-killing once the game launches in August, according to Haseley. But there will also be $1,000 up for grabs in daily tournaments.

Undead Blocks has pledged $10 million to pay gamers during the first year — a number that could go up as revenue increases, the company said.

"We want people to feel empowered — gamers that are disenfranchised by traditional developers who keep putting games out where you can't earn anything even though you play so much," he said.

Free-play mode, zero gas fees

To start playing, gamers can pay upfront or play for free.

There will be 6,000 NFT "weapons" available for purchase, which is how users can enter the play-to-earn platform, Haseley explained. The cheapest NFT is 0.15 ETH, or about $420 at current prices. The most expensive is 1 ETH, or about $2,800.

There's also about 20,000 slots open for people to play for free, without buying an NFT. Haseley sees the free mode as a way gamers can hone their skills before buying an NFT and entering "the big leagues."

Additionally, the game offers a passive-income opportunity for NFT owners to "rent" out their weapons to other players who want to test the play-to-earn mode.

"Users are already playing other play-to-earn games for hours and hours a day, and this offers a way for gamers to earn something from their sweat equity," Haseley said. "People can start in free play, but once they see you can actually make money in it, they'll be more likely to buy an NFT."

Users can earn ZBUX, an in-game stablecoin, during play-to-earn mode. It has zero gas fees because it is not stored on a blockchain.

Haseley noted while that ethereum is the safest blockchain to use, transactions on that chain carry high gas fees.

"We're finally putting the power in the hands of the players, instead of the corporations that make games and require you to keep paying each year without being able to earn," he said. "The traditional gaming model where you pay and pay without earning, we want that model to die. Our game can let people still earn a living even if they can't get a traditional job."