Gamedev

How to build a blockchain game under tight deadlines?

Volodymyr Zakrevsky

CTO & Co-founder Admixer

Project overview

We played a key role in developing Verko, a blockchain platform that serves as the foundation for the game Cantina Royale.

While the Verko platform struggled to attract investors and is no longer under active development, Cantina Royale thrived.

The game has a live player base and operates successfully on Verko, which remains essential to its functionality despite the lack of other games or further platform promotion.

Start of the project

Our involvement began through a recommendation. A client from our White Label ad exchange, impressed by our rapid development, responsiveness, and support, reached out. Their company lacked the resources to handle Verko and Cantina Royale’s development independently. Recognizing our interest in new projects, they introduced us to a business co-owner to discuss outsourcing the platform and game development to our team.

At that time, the existing development team was small and using a traditional waterfall model, which created friction between the blockchain-focused business owners and the developers. The owners sought to launch the product quickly, while the team spent over four months merely defining requirements, with little progress in execution. The requirements were in constant flux—each time a draft was completed, it needed revisions a month later.

This approach stalled progress. Instead of coding functionality and iterating based on feedback, they were bogged down with reworked plans. In modern software development, the waterfall model often proves incompatible—particularly in dynamic sectors like blockchain, where agility is key.

Thanks to our success with the ADX WL and feature development, we were invited to take over Verko’s development and adapt Cantina Royale as its flagship game.

Challenges we faced

01. Exploring New Frontiers

Entering the blockchain space was uncharted territory for us. While we didn’t need to work directly with the blockchain, we operated as a Layer-2 solution atop a Layer-1 blockchain that provided the necessary APIs.

One of our key tasks was building a user identification system for the Verko platform. This system allowed users to log in, create accounts, and store funds credited by the game. These funds were later reflected in the blockchain through corresponding transactions—a new challenge for our team.

02. Building an Advanced Platform

The Verko platform pushed the boundaries of blockchain innovation, introducing technologies ahead of time. For instance, Cantina Royale’s monetization relied on NFTs, which are already gaining popularity. Players could purchase NFT characters to use in the game, with Verko facilitating an NFT marketplace and a native wallet for buying and managing assets.

One groundbreaking feature Verko introduced was NFT lending contracts. Unlike most platforms, Verko allowed players to lend their NFTs to others under specific conditions—a feature that set it apart from competitors.

However, the blockchain powering Verko—Elrond, developed by the Romanian community—was still in its early stages. While promising, it was also raw, requiring frequent updates and adaptations to accommodate change requests.

03. Racing Against Deadlines

Time was our biggest adversary. We signed the contract in mid-May and were tasked with delivering a functional platform for the game's beta launch by mid-July. The platform had to enable:

User logins and wallet functionality.
NFT-based gameplay with lending capabilities.
A play-to-earn model with blockchain transactions after every match.

These transactions had to award tokens to players instantly, which they could later withdraw, convert into other blockchain currencies, or even exchange for fiat.

04. Addressing Backend Gaps

Adding to the complexity was the lack of a proper backend. The clients had acquired an indie game with no backend architecture. The original developers, though talented in graphics, game engines, and character creation, lacked expertise in client-server architecture, security, and blockchain transactions.

This posed a serious risk. Blockchain games, much like casinos, require server-side processing to prevent tampering. Running matches or calculating results on a client device is highly vulnerable to hacking. Unfortunately, the indie developers had designed the game focusing on visuals and mechanics, overlooking the necessity of a server-based system.

We quickly realized that completing the platform as planned within three months was unfeasible. It was only after our intervention that meaningful progress began on implementing the backend and blockchain transaction logic.

How development started

2 weeks

2 live prototypes

After several initial meetings to understand the platform and its challenges, we quickly created a Proof of Concept (PoC) to showcase our approach.

The Verko platform needed a robust login identification system and a wallet to store general tokens, accumulated funds, and NFTs.

Additionally, a proprietary game marketplace was planned, similar to Valve’s Steam, where users could browse and select games.

In just one week, we developed a prototype for the marketplace. Our team implemented the backend for user identification, allowing users to log in, and created two demonstration games:

A Unity-based game.
A web game developed with React Native.

These prototypes illustrated how the login system functioned and how blockchain transactions were processed.

For example, after a game session, the results were sent to the backend, converted into a blockchain transaction, and reflected in the user’s wallet.

We completed the entire prototype within two weeks, convincing not only the founder but also the board that we could deliver results quickly and efficiently.

With the PoC successfully demonstrated, we moved into full-scale development.

01. PoC

02. Initial prototype

03. Two demo games

04. Full-scale development

Prioritizing the First Game

The primary business goal was to release the first game, Cantina Royale, as the project’s funding was tied to its success.

Before our involvement, the client had built a substantial community through fundraising efforts.

Using the ICO (Initial Coin Offering) model, they raised investments from individuals by issuing certificates for future tokens, even though the token itself hadn’t yet been created. Notably, these investments were made not in the Verko platform but directly in the game.

The blockchain powering Cantina Royale, Elrond (recently renamed Metaverse X), carried high expectations.

The Romanian community, which comprised 80% of the supporters, eagerly awaited the game’s release. Their trust in the platform heightened the pressure to deliver.

Key Development Responsibilities

Our team’s challenge was to build not only the Verko platform but also its critical infrastructure.

This enormous responsibility extended beyond traditional game development—it required us to balance the technical complexities of blockchain with the community’s high expectations and tight timelines.

A backend with a full-fledged identification server to manage user accounts securely.

An API for seamless integration between the game and blockchain, ensuring smooth processing of transactions.

A wallet for users to view deposits, withdrawals, and NFT assets.

BETA VERSION

The initial version of Cantina Royale was built on WebGL, but significant changes were necessary for the development team.

The original indie developers were replaced by experienced specialists who rebuilt the game engine for WebGL.

Meanwhile, our team ensured all the essential components for the game’s functionality were in place, including:

The identification server
A secure wallet
The API enables seamless interaction between the game and the blockchain

Despite the intense workload and regular overtime, we successfully launched the beta version at the end of July. The client appreciated our efforts and rewarded us accordingly for our hard work.

A strategic beta phase

Initially, the game was more of a mock-up.

Recognizing this, the client’s talented business team extended the beta phase for three months, allowing users to test the game, provide feedback, and engage with its features.

Although the core mechanics were already implemented, the beta phase doubled as a clever marketing strategy.

To keep the community engaged, the team introduced weekly challenges. For example, one challenge involved earning the highest score by shooting opponents with a crossbow. A week after the beta launch, we developed and deployed a dedicated API to support these challenges. This feature became a cornerstone of the game’s appeal.

Successful ICO and Token Integration

The game’s release coincided with a highly successful ICO, tied to the in-game currency Crowns and the blockchain-based Cantina Royale Token (CRT).

At launch, CRT was valued at 30 cents. Without the game’s release, the token would have had no value, making the launch pivotal to the project's financial ecosystem.

Between May and September, we worked tirelessly to ensure not only the game’s existence but also its success.

Delivering a functional and engaging beta version was one of our key achievements, helping to cement Cantina Royale’s position in the blockchain gaming space.

Weekly Challenges

One of the next significant hurdles was implementing the game engine for weekly challenges. These challenges required us to revise the logic and mathematical models frequently as the development requirements constantly evolved. Our team developed leaderboards, calculated winners, and ensured prizes were distributed to the weekly tournament champions. The complex rules for these challenges added layers of difficulty to the development process.

Despite these challenges, the enthusiastic business team continually adjusted and improved the rules for each challenge. This meant our system needed constant adaptation, requiring weekly updates to align with new conditions. Meanwhile, our team was also preparing to transition the game from beta to a commercial release.

Transitioning to the Commercial Version

It’s important to note that blockchain games are deeply tied to economics—particularly in play-to-earn models.

The in-game economy must balance giving players resources with maintaining long-term stability, making mathematical modeling a critical component of our work.

Initially, Cantina Royale was an indie project lacking a proper backend. Our next challenge was transforming it into a polished, industrial-grade game.

At this stage, a game economy expert joined the team.

The game economy specialist delivered a tough verdict:

“The current implementation is fundamentally flawed and unsuitable for the project; it requires a complete rewrite."

Rewriting the game database

Reworking the game mechanics

Redesigning the backend to meet new standards

Aug 2022

Oct 2022

For three intense months, from August to October 2022, we completely overhauled the game.

This sprint resulted in a completely new version of the game. While the end-user experience may have looked visually similar, the game that launched at the end of October was fundamentally different from the beta.

Commercial Launch

The official release marked a significant shift: Cantina Royale evolved from a WebGL beta into a mobile game for iOS and Android, with gameplay closer to Brawl Stars than the original cross-platform concept.

The Decline of the Verko Platform

While the game flourished, the Verko platform saw minimal development attention. By late 2023, changing conditions in the crypto market led to a decline in interest in launching new games on the platform. Originally envisioned as a multi-game hub, Verko ceased to attract investors and stopped evolving.

However, Cantina Royale, the game in which everyone had invested, continues to thrive. Its transformation into a robust, engaging mobile experience demonstrated the team's ability to adapt and innovate under pressure.

Impact and Outcomes

Although the Verko platform did not succeed commercially as a multi-game hub, Cantina Royale emerged as a success story. Our team played a pivotal role in:

Preventing Risks

We helped the client avoid potential pitfalls, particularly during two high-stakes phases—the beta version launch and the production release.

Delivering Stability

The game launched without significant technical issues, building trust with its players and the community.

Summary

We operated as a dedicated team, collaborating closely with stakeholders to ensure the project’s success.

When we completed our work, the game had a player base of over 10,000, with approximately 1,500 daily active players.

Daily game sessions ranged from 30,000 to 50,000 — a manageable load that didn’t require any specialized scalability solutions during our development phase.

The Cantina Royale game continues to thrive, with its backend, developed by our team, functioning seamlessly

Technical Highlights

Adapting to Changes

Frequent changes to the database and other components required an incredibly agile development process, with requirements being implemented directly into the code and minimal reliance on documentation.

Cloud Services

While the client chose Amazon Cloud for hosting, our team was flexible and could easily work with any cloud provider, including Azure Cloud.

Infrastructure

We implemented a robust monitoring system and built CI/CD pipelines for the automatic deployment and building of the game, handling the entire deployment process end-to-end.

Integration

To ensure stability, we conducted comprehensive integration tests covering all possible game scenarios.

By the end of the project, we had successfully transitioned the game from an indie concept into a polished, commercial-grade product. While Verko as a platform may no longer be in development, Cantina Royale continues to grow, showcasing the resilience and adaptability of our team’s work.