Web3 battle royale game Off The Grid has spawned a significant black market for its in-game skins, ahead of the launch of its planned Avalanche Layer-1 chain GUNZ later this year.
As the GUNZ mainnet is yet to be released, players cannot yet freely trade acquired skins and assets in Off The Grid. As such, an underground economy has emerged, with hardcore players spending real money to acquire rare in-game skins and other desirable in-game assets.
Once the GUNZ mainnet is live, players are expected to be able to freely-trade in-game skins and items – though we’re yet to know exactly when this might occur.
What is Off The Grid?
Off The Grid is a post-apocalyptic battle royale shooter, built on Avalanche, and available to play on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Released in Early Access in October 2024, and developed by Gunzilla Games, players are dropped into a large-scale map, featuring the ruins of a futuristic city. They must gather loot – including robotic limbs, weapons, utility items and more – to take down other players and fight to become the last player standing.
Off The Grid was a viral hit on-release, buoyed by top streamers picking up the title and broadcasting it to their millions of fans. The game hit #1 on the Epic Games Store free-to-play list, and was further bolstered by a November 2024 tournament featuring some of gaming’s biggest names, such as xQc, Scump and shroud.
As with other games in the battle royale genre, Off The Grid features a cosmetic skin economy that helps players to stand out from one another. The game has released a number of popular skins thus far, including famed video game streamer Ninja, and both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
How does the Off The Grid black market work?
A number of Discord servers have sprung up to facilitate the Off The Grid black market, with members typically looking to purchase particular skins or GUN tokens for cash.
Although this is prohibited by the game’s Terms of Service, many current players appear to be taking the risk – perhaps looking to benefit once the GUNZ mainnet is live.
Reports have emerged to suggest that some Off The Grid whales – players holding a significant amount of in-game skins or GUN tokens – have received offers in the range of $50,000 to $60,000 for their accounts – though there is no evidence to suggest any such offer has been accepted.
The GUNZ mainnet – which will likely put an end to the Off The Grid black market – is expected to launch by the end of Q1 2025.
COO & founder of NFT Insider. Bullish on web3. Competitive soul.