TOPIA, formerly known as NFT Worlds, burst onto the NFT scene in October 2021, captivating gamers with its Play-to-Earn (P2E) model and unique integration of the Minecraft universe. Despite facing a setback when Minecraft disallowed NFT integration, the project's team exhibited resilience and announced plans to build their own platform. Strategic partnerships and a recent rebranding to TOPIA have reignited community excitement, leading to a surge in floor prices and high retention rates.

In this article, we explore TOPIA's journey, its ambitious aspirations, and the potential it holds for revolutionizing the gaming industry.

Article Outline

• A Brief History of TOPIA

• Charting the Course: TOPIA's Masterplan to Onboard the First Million

• What are TOPIA Worlds?

• What is the TOPIA Chain?

• What is the $TOPIA Token?

• What’s Next for TOPIA?

• Project Runway Analysis

• Closing Remarks

A Brief History of TOPIA

TOPIA, formerly known as NFT Worlds, emerged into the NFT space in October 2021 as a free mint, offering a unique gaming experience within the Minecraft universe.

With its distinct features of Play-to-Earn (P2E), decentralization, asset ownership, and tradable assets, the project quickly gained traction, attracting an impressive player base of 100,000 people.

However, the project faced a significant setback in June 2022 when Mojang, the creators of Minecraft, announced their decision to disallow the integration of NFTs and blockchain technology within the Minecraft ecosystem. This unexpected turn of events resulted in a sharp decline in the floor price of NFT Worlds, plummeting 97% from a high of 15 ETH (~$40K USD at the time) to 0.4 ETH (~$500 USD at the time). Community sentiment turned negative as concerns and fears grew among its members.

Fortunately, the NFT Worlds team demonstrated resilience and determination by choosing not to give up. Instead, they decided to redouble their efforts and focus on building a thriving ecosystem that could rival Minecraft. The team unveiled plans to create their own platform and integrate into a GameFi ecosystem, providing a glimmer of hope for the community.

In January 2023, NFT Worlds announced a strategic partnership with gaming API Meta Fab, leveraging its capabilities while simultaneously constructing their own underlying infrastructure. This strategic move aimed to enhance the project's capabilities and pave the way for future success.

Adding to the excitement, TOPIA's founder, ArkDev, made a bold declaration that NFT Worlds would become the next Minecraft, solidifying their ambitious aspirations. To mark this pivotal moment and signify the activation of their full vision and plan, the project underwent a rebranding in May 2023, adopting the name TOPIA.

This rebranding, along with the project's continuous stream of active updates and tantalizing sneak peeks, has reinvigorated the community, igniting a renewed sense of excitement. As a result, the floor price of TOPIA has recently experienced a remarkable surge, climbing from its previous low of 0.4 ETH to a new local high of 2.25 ETH. This promising upward trend reflects the optimistic outlook for the future of the project and reinforces its potential for success.

TOPIA has not only managed to increase its floor price but has also seen an increase in community retention and conviction. Data from Dune Analytics indicates that 90% of buyers have held their NFTs for over 90 days, reflecting one of the highest retention rates in the NFT space.

Charting the Course: TOPIA's Masterplan to Onboard the First Million

TOPIA has recently unveiled its clear vision for the future.

“Our vision is to ignite limitless imagination by empowering the next generation of players and creators in a diverse, global community.

At the core of our vision is the firm belief that our brand, technology, and platform should give everyone a place to thrive.”

When it comes to comparing TOPIA and Minecraft, it's important to recognize that both platforms offer unique experiences and have their own strengths. While Minecraft has established itself as an iconic sandbox game with a massive player base, TOPIA aims to bring a new level of innovation and opportunities to the gaming industry.

TOPIA differentiates itself by providing an immersive gaming experience coupled with blockchain technology, which introduces a range of possibilities for players and holders.

To position themselves beyond the realm of "Web3" and compete with industry giants like Minecraft and Roblox, TOPIA has devised a comprehensive master plan encompassing five core pillars:

1. Modernized Game Engine

2. Cross Compatibility

3. Free, Everywhere

4. Support Creators

5. Leverage Competitor Shortcomings

With this master plan, TOPIA demonstrates its ambition to revolutionize the gaming industry and establish itself as a formidable contender alongside established titans. By focusing on these core pillars, TOPIA aims to create a gaming ecosystem that transcends boundaries and inspires players and creators alike.

1/ Modernized Game Engine

TOPIA aims to overcome limitations in existing games by developing a new game engine from scratch using modern technologies like Rust. This engine offers modularity and customization options, empowering creators to shape unique experiences. The focus on optimization and accessibility ensures a seamless gaming experience across various devices, breaking down barriers to entry for players.

2/ Cross Compatibility

TOPIA has devised a unique hybrid approach to bridge the gap between the old and the new in the gaming industry. By prioritizing backward play compatibility with Minecraft servers, TOPIA offers improved frame rates, visuals, user interfaces, and experiences while seamlessly introducing Minecraft players to the TOPIA ecosystem. This approach allows TOPIA to attract a significant player base and introduce them to the deeper and more capable gameplay offered by TOPIA's world servers.

3/ Free, Everywhere

TOPIA aims to create an accessible and free-to-play game that can be enjoyed on any device and hardware specifications. It envisions an open ecosystem where players worldwide can come together and enjoy the game without the need for purchases. While all TOPIA servers are free to play, players seeking backward compatibility with old/legacy Minecraft servers must link their Microsoft/Minecraft accounts to their TOPIA accounts, ensuring compliance with rules while providing an exceptional gaming experience.

4/ Support Creators

TOPIA is committed to prioritizing the needs of creators and providing them with powerful tools and APIs to surpass the limitations of games like Minecraft. The platform empowers creators with flexible monetization options, allowing them to sell custom cosmetics and in-game items while retaining over 95% of their content revenue. TOPIA also fosters a democratic platform through creator-led governance and regularly showcases top creator games to drive the content ecosystem forward and help creators gain recognition.

5/ Leverage Competitor Shortcomings

Lastly, TOPIA aims to address the long-standing gaps in existing gaming communities, such as Minecraft and Roblox, by addressing the needs of creators that have gone unheard for years. Drawing from their own experience and the expressed needs of successful creators, TOPIA is committed to building an open game platform inspired by Minecraft, placing the community, creators, and players at the forefront. This commitment sets the stage for TOPIA to become an extraordinary platform in the gaming world.

What are TOPIA Worlds?

When TOPIA was launched, the community was given the opportunity to obtain digital collectibles called TOPIA Worlds for free. Each TOPIA World represents a unique entity among a limited total supply of 10,000. It's important to note that no additional Worlds will ever be created, making each one a valuable and exclusive asset.

At its core, owning a TOPIA World grants you the ability to create monetized or massively multiplayer experiences that are visible and playable by all players within the TOPIA ecosystem. However, the functionality of TOPIA Worlds extends beyond this primary purpose.

1/ Development & Monetization

The goal of the TOPIA ecosystem is to attract tens of millions of players. To ensure a high-quality gaming experience and prioritize World quality over quantity, the number of available Worlds is limited to 10,000.

Developers aiming to profit from TOPIA players or appear on the "TOPIA Worlds" page need to own or rent a World, while personal/private/developmental Worlds can be launched without ownership.

Owning or renting a TOPIA World enables monetization through various means, including selling in-game cosmetics, digital collectibles, hosting events, and leveraging the $TOPIA ecosystem for incentivized purchases.

2/ Visibility & Placement

The TOPIA Worlds page in the game client showcases Worlds for players to explore, and to qualify for a spot, a World must be connected to an existing Minecraft server or an advanced TOPIA server. Owners or renters of Worlds can gain reach to the entire TOPIA playerbase through this page.

Players can sort Worlds by gameplay type and popularity ranks, which are determined based on player activity trends, rarity, and metrics such as daily average playtime, unique daily active players, and economic activity.

3/ Staking

By staking a TOPIA World through the World Manager, owners unlock benefits such as receiving daily $TOPIA tokens that can be claimed at any time.

Additionally, staked Worlds can be configured to earn $TOPIA tokens through renting on the TOPIA Worlds Rental Marketplace, where owners set rental terms and renters browse listings.

The daily earnings and staking rate of a World are influenced by its rank and weight relative to other Worlds. Staked Worlds cannot be listed for sale, and to sell a World, it must be unstaked from the staking/renting contract and returned to the owner's wallet.

4/ Renting

TOPIA provides a free market for developers and game studios to access Worlds for game development, including the option to rent a World from an existing owner.

Staked Worlds can be made available for rent, ensuring secure ownership during the rental period.

Rental parameters such as security deposit, rent amount, minimum and maximum rentable days can be set by the World owner.

Renting a World grants access to development, monetization opportunities, visibility on the TOPIA front page, and the ability to deploy smart contracts on TOPIA's blockchain.

Upon termination of the rental agreement, the developer retains all rights to their development, games, and player base unless specified otherwise in the rental terms.

5/ TOPIA Chain Access

TOPIA operates its own sustainable blockchain, utilizing a variant of the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) for smart contract functionality.

By owning or renting a TOPIA World, you gain the ability to deploy custom smart contracts, interact with low-level logic systems, create new TOPIA item collections, request approval for your own cosmetic items, and engage with default TOPIA smart contracts and pre-deployed systems on the TOPIA chain.

6/ Lootbox Rewards

The core TOPIA team periodically releases lootboxes containing unique cosmetic items that can be worn in all Worlds across TOPIA. These lootboxes offer random cosmetic item rewards, including rare and scarce items.

Owners of TOPIA Worlds receive these recurring lootboxes for free from the TOPIA team at varying intervals.

In summary, owning a TOPIA World goes beyond mere ownership; it opens up a world of opportunities for development, monetization, visibility, staking rewards, renting to other developers, TOPIA Chain access, and recurring lootbox rewards. These features empower creators to unleash their creativity, engage with the community, and unlock the full potential of their TOPIA World within the immersive TOPIA ecosystem.

What is the TOPIA Chain?

As the backbone of the entire TOPIA ecosystem, and set to launch in the third quarter of 2023, the TOPIA Chain serves as the foundational blockchain technology that facilitates various essential functionalities. This includes in-game trading, economic systems, digital item ownership, and much more. By leveraging the power of blockchain, the TOPIA Chain ensures these processes occur in a decentralized and secure manner.

At its core, the TOPIA Chain operates as a semi-permissioned blockchain. While it allows anyone to engage in transactions, trade game items, and interact with existing smart contracts, the deployment of new contracts and systems on the chain is restricted to authorized community members and projects. This approach offers an added layer of security by shielding the TOPIA ecosystem from potentially harmful smart contracts and ensuring end users are protected from potential attacks.

To further bolster security and maintain the integrity of the TOPIA Chain, periodic checkpoints are established with both the Polygon and Ethereum blockchains. These checkpoints serve as reference points, ensuring the TOPIA Chain remains in sync with the larger blockchain ecosystem and providing an additional layer of assurance for participants.

With the imminent launch of the TOPIA Chain, the TOPIA ecosystem will be fortified by a robust and secure blockchain infrastructure. Users can look forward to seamless in-game transactions, verifiable ownership of digital assets, and a vibrant and trustworthy economic system. The TOPIA Chain's arrival marks a significant milestone in the development of TOPIA, solidifying its position as a trailblazer in the world of blockchain gaming.

What is the $TOPIA Token?

At the heart of the TOPIA ecosystem lies the $TOPIA Token, serving as the primary in-game currency that facilitates transactions and trades among players, Worlds, and other interactions within the platform. Beyond its role in enabling value exchanges, the $TOPIA Token plays a crucial role in powering the TOPIA blockchain itself.

With a limited supply of 5 billion tokens, the $TOPIA Token contributes to creating a stable and incentive-driven platform for both creators and players within the TOPIA ecosystem. Its significance extends to several key aspects of the ecosystem's functioning.

Firstly, the $TOPIA Token ensures secure and seamless value exchanges throughout the entire TOPIA platform. It serves as the medium of exchange for in-game transactions, providing a reliable and efficient means for players to engage in economic activities within the ecosystem.

Moreover, the $TOPIA Token plays a crucial role in the operation of the TOPIA Chain. It is utilized for network fees, which facilitate smooth network operations and maintain the integrity of the blockchain. These fees ensure that the TOPIA Chain remains efficient and robust, supporting the various interactions and activities taking place within the ecosystem.

Furthermore, the $TOPIA Token offers staking options, rewards, and governance mechanisms. Staking $TOPIA tokens allows participants to earn rewards, encouraging active engagement and participation in the ecosystem. Additionally, the governance mechanisms tied to the $TOPIA Token provide a means for community members to have a voice in shaping the future direction of the platform.

What's Next for TOPIA?

As TOPIA approaches its full release in 2023, the journey is far from over. The team is actively engaging with the community and building excitement through regular teasers and updates. These sneak peeks provide glimpses into the upcoming features and experiences that players and holders can expect from TOPIA, fueling anticipation among the community and attracting interest from outsiders.

Twitter user, MΔNI, also points out potential additions like 'Cool Cats' and additional NFT skins.

Project Runway Analysis

To truly understand the scale of the brand that TOPIA has built, it's essential to examine the resources at the team's disposal. Despite the volatile nature of cryptocurrencies, the team has created over four collections, raising an estimated $18.6 million USD in funds over the past year.

While the team could have exchanged a significant portion of their ETH and $TOPIA funds for stable currencies to preserve their runway, it's assumed that all funds were retained in their original currencies, with most royalties in ETH and mints in ETH and $TOPIA currencies. These funds were then converted at the spot rate to provide a ballpark estimate of their runway.

Closing Remarks

TL;DR

Here are the summarized points made throughout this article:

• TOPIA, previously known as NFT Worlds, entered the NFT space as a free mint offering a unique gaming experience in the Minecraft universe. Despite facing setbacks due to the disallowance of NFT integration by Mojang, the project demonstrated resilience and was rebranded as TOPIA. This move, along with strategic partnerships and active updates, has revitalized the community, resulting in a significant surge in TOPIA's floor price and high buyer retention rates.

• TOPIA has unveiled its clear vision for the future, aiming to empower the next generation of players and creators in a diverse, global community. By focusing on modernizing the game engine, offering cross-compatibility, providing free accessibility, supporting creators, and addressing the shortcomings of competitors, TOPIA aims to revolutionize the gaming industry and establish itself as a formidable contender alongside established giants like Minecraft and Roblox.

• TOPIA Worlds are unique digital collectibles representing a limited supply of 10,000 entities. Owning a TOPIA World grants the ability to create monetized or multiplayer experiences within the TOPIA ecosystem, with opportunities for development, monetization, visibility, staking rewards, renting, TOPIA Chain access, and recurring lootbox rewards.

• The TOPIA Chain is the foundational blockchain technology that powers the entire TOPIA ecosystem, enabling in-game trading, digital item ownership, and other essential functionalities.

• The $TOPIA Token is the primary in-game currency within the TOPIA ecosystem, facilitating transactions and trades among players and Worlds.

• As TOPIA prepares for its full release in 2023, the team continues to engage with the community and generate excitement through regular teasers and updates. These previews offer a glimpse into the upcoming features and experiences, creating anticipation among the community and drawing interest from external sources.

• The TOPIA team has demonstrated impressive resource management, raising an estimated $18.6 million USD in funds over the past year through four collections. Despite the volatility of cryptocurrencies, it is assumed that the team retained their funds in their original currencies, providing a ballpark estimate of their runway based on the spot rate conversion.

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