Derby Stars: Galloping Towards a Fantasy Horse Racing Revolution in the Metaverse

As the demand for online entertainment continues to soar, digital horse racing has emerged as a popular pastime for people worldwide. Offering the freedom to participate from anywhere and at any time, these games have flourished. This exponential growth can be attributed to advancements in live streaming technology, social media, and community engagement.

Collecting and breeding genetically superior horses and participating in races have proven to be intuitive and highly engaging for players. Furthermore, the integration of blockchain technology has brought unparalleled transparency and immutable records. This has established Web3 horse racing as a successful esport and a potential revenue stream for online sports betting platforms.

Yet, previous Web3 racing games have faced challenges such as imbalanced play-to-earn dynamics and a lack of long-term content, making it difficult to secure a dedicated player base.

Amid these challenges, Derby Stars came along with its enchanting graphics, creative training, and heart-pounding races. But what sets Derby Stars apart from other Web3 horse racing games?

Before we dive into its recent achievements and future prospects, let's take a closer look at what Derby Stars has to offer.

Derby Stars is a free-to-play horse racing game where you nurture and train adorable horses, leading them to victory in races and earning rewards. Through training, you can level up your horses and gather valuable items to enhance their abilities. Best of all, the game is free-to-play, so players can immerse themselves in the gaming experience without any financial commitments.

But that's not all. NFT holders can engage in breeding to produce even more powerful offspring. They can also lend their horses to other players. And for those who raise excellent horses and claim victory in the leagues, substantial rewards in the form of $DSRUN tokens await.

Here are the core elements of the Derby Stars experience:

PvE Training: Players have the freedom to train their horses in any manner they see fit, honing their skills to enhance performance. Training is a good preparation process to ensure that their horse grows sufficiently before debuting in Player vs Player (PvP), as well as a good means to produce Cores that your horse can be equipped with.

Core Enhancement: In Derby Stars, players can obtain equipable items called “Cores” that vary depending on the direction you take in training your horse. Utilizing these Cores allows you to strategically enhance your horse — and therefore gain a competitive edge in races — either by amplifying its existing strengths or mitigating its weaknesses. For instance, focusing on stamina training will grant you a Core that bolsters your horse’s ability to go the distance, while speed training results in a Core that enhances your horse’s top pace.

Seasonal PvP Races: The game’s intense PvP races against other players allow you to compete for valuable DSRUN tokens. Each season presents unique challenges and requirements, where different horse breeds and Cores may be essential for success.

Collecting NFT and Breeding: While you can rent horses to play for free, you may also choose to acquire your own NFT horses and breed them to create offspring with various distinctive characteristics. This not only makes your collection bigger and more diverse but also presents an opportunity to generate revenue by selling horses to others. The art of crossbreeding in Derby Stars is a journey of emotion, offering both exciting surprises and unpredictable outcomes. Embrace the thrill!

Derby Stars initiated an early-access phase in March, gathering feedback from 5,000 NFT holders. Later, in August, it launched the official version with substantial enhancements like core upgrades, seasonal PvP, and various missions. The most remarkable change, however, is the game's transition to a free-to-play model, which has brought in a huge user base from the Asia-Pacific region.

In the upcoming October update, Derby Stars will introduce several game-changing features:

Earning $DSRUN Tokens: You can discover exciting and immersive gameplay mechanics through which you can amass $DSRUN tokens. With hundreds of missions on the horizon from October to year-end, players can tackle personal missions, engage in group challenges, and undertake special quests to empower their horses.

Seamless Social Login: With the introduction of social login, players can now easily access the game without the need for blockchain wallets, lowering the entry barrier. This not only enhances convenience but also allows players to showcase their in-game achievements, horse appearances, stats, and fantastic items to a wider audience, serving as a way to inspire more users to join the game.

Available Soon in the Google and Apple Stores: Derby Stars will soon be available in the Google and Apple stores, which promises a massive influx of new players.

The Vision of Derby Stars: A Metaverse Unleashed

The Derby Stars team's long-term vision extends far beyond the racetrack. Their metaverse encompasses not only Land NFTs but also digital ownership, a thriving creator economy, and further integration of Web3 technology.

The Web3 gaming industry is undergoing a quiet yet rapid transformation. Recent developments in Token Bound Accounts (ERC-6551) technology are revolutionizing the user experience. Within these NFT-based accounts, users can hold not just their horses and ranches but also cryptocurrencies. What's more, the account itself, complete with a user's activity history, can be traded on-chain.

Derby Stars envisions a future where its users can assume diverse roles within the metaverse. Players can become horse owners, trainers, breeders, jockeys or streamers.

All this will greatly expand the existing digital horse racing experience, where a horse's ability and random variables dictate the outcome. Derby Stars' objective is to empower users in harnessing their efforts and skills to create value beyond racing.

Furthermore, Derby Stars’ commitment to open APIs is driving the seamless integration of features like betting, esports, streaming, and more into the game’s ecosystem. Join the Derby Stars community to redesign the digital horse racing and metaverse together.