Published on: 21/07/2022

Lucid Sight CEO discusses projects, future of blockchain gaming

Randy Saaf is the CEO of Lucid Sight, a blockchain game company currently developing tools to improve the software development process for independent developers.

Seeking to expand out of game development and into developing tools, Saaf recently moved to acquire Colyseus, one of the most popular multiplayer frameworks in the world due to its open-source nature with around 350,000 developer downloads, in 2021.

His company also previously launched Crypto Space Commander (CSC), a play-to-earn MMO. The game takes inspiration from EVE Online, a spaceship-based MMORPG with a heavy emphasis on a player-driven economy. As one of the market’s largest blockchain games, CSC uses its blockchain elements to foster a stronger sense of community to improve the gaming experience.

The University of California, Irvine graduate noted that digital ownership of items in games is still a very novel concept and has not had much support as the technology is still developing. He cited that Diablo 3 tried to implement a real-money economy back in 2012 through its Real Money Auction House feature. This integration was unsuccessful, with the feature closing down as it clashed with the intended game experience.

Saaf learned from this example, which is why CSC builds its entire experience around the blockchain. Here’s how it works: Players can gather materials and turn those materials into items — said items are NFTs which give players incentive to sell and trade them, offering a unique twist to the player-driven economy, therefore providing players more reason to interact with each other and increase enjoyment by providing opportunities for cooperative and competitive experiences.

The future of blockchain gaming

Saaf believes blockchain gaming is in a similar state to how mobile gaming was in 2009. The market is still very new and experimental, with many developers trying different ideas. The key breakthrough of the mobile gaming market was the free-to-play monetization model, which emphasized advertisements and in-app purchases to drive revenue. He views that the blockchain gaming industry is still waiting for its “free-to-play” moment. A development or idea that propels blockchain gaming into the mainstream.

The Fresno-native predicts that blockchain games will move to alternative platforms. The main reason behind this is traditional platforms’ hostility towards NFT and blockchain games. Platform rent rates are too high for most projects to be viable, especially for developers that don’t have access to many resources. To solve this, the company is looking at ways of making blockchain gaming accessible for both players and developers.

What’s next for Lucid Sight

For now, Saaf said Lucid Sight would focus on developing tools to improve the software development process and make them accessible to other developers. According to him, many have ideas out there but lack the tools to realize their projects. The company is looking to help those independent developers create more with fewer resources.

Improving the accessibility of tools and features to developers is also one of the main goals of Lucid Sight. To accomplish this, Saaf believes the recently-acquired Colyseus would be a foundational investment, as real-time data channels will only become more important in the future.