Chia Network, a novel storage-based blockchain network, is making a push into the NFT gaming space with the launch of the Chia Open Digital Economy (CODE) framework and a proof-of-concept trading card game called ChiaTCG. The CODE framework is designed to power an open metaverse of games and applications that use interoperable assets. ChiaTCG will support all NFTs currently on Chia and turn them into playable cards. Leading the gaming push is Richard Tsao, Chia Network’s Chief Metaverse Officer, who spent two decades working in the gaming industry for companies such as Microsoft, Ubisoft, and Riot Games.

According to Tsao, Chia’s unique “proof of space and time” consensus mechanism, which is secured by users’ storage space, offers potential advantages to its gaming plan compared to other blockchain networks. The NFT1 token standard pairs with Chia’s Offers system to enable peer-to-peer atomic swaps without the need for a marketplace or an escrow smart contract in the middle. Chia aims to release a white paper and finalize code by the end of the year to enable interoperability between future games and create an “abstraction layer” that makes it easier for developers to build games atop the network.

While Chia’s gaming ambitions are still in their early stages, Tsao believes that its infrastructure will be appealing to developers and that the network can unlock true functionality around the interoperability premise that has largely been a pipe dream in Web3 gaming to date. However, Chia is starting behind other blockchain networks, such as Ethereum and Solana, which have numerous live games with many more in development. Tsao emphasized that Chia does not profess to be game developers but instead aims to partner with experienced game developers to provide technology for the metaverse gaming use case.