In brief
Fractal, a Aotuverse NFT game on Solana marketplace, has added the ability to create a wallet using a Google account.
The move is designed to make it easier for players to enter the NFT gaming space.
Onboarding new users into the Web3 world is an ongoing challenge for crypto and NFT platforms, due to the complexities of handling crypto wallets and taking custody of assets. But Fractal, a Solana NFT gaming platform, thinks it has a solution that involves users’ existing Google accounts.
Today, the startup announced Sign In With Fractal, a new feature that lets users create a crypto wallet in a matter of moments by logging in with a Google account. The process creates a non-custodial wallet—which means Fractal doesn’t hold users’ NFTs or assets—and then splits the wallet’s private key between the user’s device and Fractal’s servers.
“I think it’s a really necessary step to move beyond just the people who are maybe more crypto-native—maybe they’re more speculative participants in the market—to the people who are ‘real’ gamers,” Fractal co-founder Justin Kan told Decrypt.
Factal is Twitch co-founder Justin Kan’s Solana NFT marketplace for games. Image: Fractal
NFT Revolution
Solana
Twitch Co-Founder’s Solana Gaming NFT Platform Fractal Raises $35M
Justin Kan co-founded Twitch, the massive streaming video platform that redefined how many people discover and experience video games—and he believes that NFTs will have an even bigger impact …
Kan, also a co-founder of video game streaming giant Twitch, previously predicted that crypto-powered games will overtake traditional gaming models due to players benefitting from truly owning (and being able to resell) items, plus rewards from tokenized economies and other potential perks. But the current technical hurdles can be a deterrent to players.
“I’ve always said the crypto gaming market will win when people want to play a crypto game, not because it’s a crypto game—they want to play because it’s awesome,” he said.
Kan pointed to the hassle of needing to set up a self-custody wallet like Phantom or MetaMask, fund it with cryptocurrency, and then keep that wallet secure and safe. While decentralization maximalists may bristle at the idea of leaning on a tech giant like Google, average game players might appreciate a quick and familiar sign-in process.
