Ethereum

Will CryptoKitties New Blockchain Flow Be The Next Ethereum Killer?

Martin Young | Sep 13, 2019 | 06:00

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One of the first blockchain based games that was most renowned for ‘breaking’ Ethereum back in 2017 is set to return on its own platform. The founders are hoping to revive the viral CryptoKitties craze that was ridiculously popular two years ago – but will they succeed?

Dapper Labs Gets Big Backers

According to a report by Forbes, entertainments giant, Warner Music Group, is one of a number of investors looking into a new public blockchain for the digital moggies. Others include Andreessen Horowitz, Union Square Ventures, and Digital Currency Group who have helped game creator Dapper Labs raise over $11 million to fund a new home for their crypto cats.

The game, launched in December 2017, allowed users to ‘breed’ digital kittens on the blockchain using ETH to buy and sell them. It was so popular that it brought the then unproven network to its knees with such large scale demand. Ethereum has evolved since then but the makers of the game want to launch their own highly scalable blockchain called ‘Flow’.

Go With The Flow

According to a blog post, the developers saw flaws in solutions such as side chains or sharding which make interactivity between smart contracts significantly more complex. It added that this was ok for a payments platform but not so suited to gaming or social platforms. By using different node types, Flow has been designed to distribute the workload;

Flow has a pipelined architecture that separates the jobs typically done by a single node across five different node types, significantly reducing redundant effort and improving efficiency. To support this approach, the Flow team developed a new cryptographic technique called Specialized Proofs of Confidential Knowledge (SPoCKs) to address the Verifier’s Dilemma.

Warner has shown particular interest in the project as it may allow artists to share or sell digital products and collectibles on the blockchain and create new avenues for fans to engage with their idols. Gaming giant Ubisoft has also shown interest in the project where Dapper will be developing a race car game in which unique cars can be bought, sold and traded between players. Dapper Labs CEO, Roham Gharegozlou, added:

Imagine on flow, the possibility of a platform for billions of sports fans to trade verified, authentic and limited edition digital memorabilia in real time around the world,

As far as becoming the next ‘Ethereum killer’, well, there have been many contenders for that accolade and none have yet managed it despite having faster blockchain networks. EOS and Tron are good examples yet Ethereum still manages to outpace them in terms of development and distribution. With Serenity around the corner, the competition in the industry is heating up but it remains to be seen whether Flow will stand the test of time as Ethereum has done.

Will Flow be the next Ethereum killer? Add your thoughts below.

Images via Shutterstock