MetalCore’s moving from Immutable to Solana

In a surprise move, multi-element PC shooter MetalCore has announced it’s ditching Immutable and moving to Solana.

Currently live with the first of three seasons as part of its open beta, the game will be live on Solana when it launches its second season called Gearbreakers in November.

At that stage, players will be able to migrate all their existing assets over to Solana. MetalCore launched its first NFTs – a collection of 10,000 genesis infantry characters – on Ethereum in July 2022. They currently have a floor price of around $90.

The game’s history highlights the shifting trends when it comes to choosing a blockchain. It originally announced it would deploy on the ImmutableX blockchain, before switching to Polygon and then returning to Immutable to use its Immutable zkEVM technology in March 2023.

Its move to Solana is a surprise, however, given that Polygon and Immutable are both Ethereum-compatible blockchains, and while Solana does now have the ability to be EVM compatible, it doesn’t natively support Ethereum assets.

One of the reasons for the switch is Solana Labs’ GameShift platform, which MetalCore developer Studio369 says will significantly reduce friction for web2 and web3 players, making it easier to make in-app purchases thanks to its streamlined payment system and integrated storefront.

“We’re thrilled to bring MetalCore to Solana, leveraging its infrastructure to enhance the on-chain user experience and unlock Solana’s unique advantages,” said Studio369’s CEO Matt Candler.

“MetalCore has repeatedly won best web3 game awards, and we want to bring the best infrastructure to our players so they can enjoy the game in the most convenient and frictionless way possible.”