In 2001, NetEase Global released Fantasy Westward Journey, a game that has since generated over $26 billion in revenue, primarily from players in China. The game faced a significant challenge when a security breach resulted in the theft of over $20 million. NetEase responded by implementing principles such as decentralization, transparency, and security, which restored player trust and set a new standard for digital economies. This approach reportedly inspired the creation of Ethereum, highlighting the game's influence on blockchain technology and web3 gaming.

Fantasy Westward Journey Logo

Fantasy Westward Journey

Fantasy Westward Journey is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed and operated by the Chinese company NetEase. It was released for the Microsoft Windows platform in 2001. By April 2005, the game had 25 million registered users and 576,000 peak concurrent players across 198 game servers, making it the fastest-growing online game in China at that time.

In August 2006, the average concurrent user count was reported to be around 400,000. By 2007, it was the most popular online game in China by peak concurrent users (PCU), reaching a peak of 1.5 million. Fantasy Westward Journey uses the same engine as its sequel Westward Journey II but features a distinctively different graphical style.

Both games draw inspiration from the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West. Alongside Westward Journey II, Fantasy Westward Journey is one of the highest-grossing video games of all time, having generated an estimated $6.5 billion in lifetime revenue by 2019 and attracting 400 million users by 2015. The IP has since generated over $26 billion in total revenue. 

Fantasy Westward Journey Characters

Mobile Version and Other IPs

A mobile version of Fantasy Westward Journey was released for Apple iOS and Google Android operating systems in 2015. By 2016, it had grossed over $800 million in China alone. In 2017, the mobile version generated $1.5 billion in worldwide revenue, bringing its total revenue to approximately $2.3 billion by that year. In 2015, Fantasy Westward Journey also launched its first 3D animation. Initially released on a major Chinese online video platform, the animation was subsequently aired on several Chinese TV stations. The IP has since generated over $26 billion in total revenue.

Fantasy Westward Journey Mobile 

Did Fantasy Westward Journey Inspire Blockchain Gaming?

Fantasy Westward Journey's economic and social design featured a marketplace called CangBaoGe, where players traded in-game items, sometimes for significant sums of money. This marketplace allowed players to earn through activities like arbitrage, farming, crafting, and trading, showcasing the potential of digital assets long before cryptocurrencies gained popularity.

The game encountered a major issue when a GM manipulated backend scripts, resulting in the theft of over $20 million from the marketplace. This incident prompted NetEase to implement key changes to restore player trust:

1. Public Digital Ledger: Items were placed on a public digital ledger, making each transaction transparent and irreversible.
2. Consensus Algorithm: Transactions were validated through a consensus algorithm instead of centralized verification.
3. Decentralized Governance: Control of the ledger was decentralized by distributing keys to notable figures and key employees, preventing any single entity from making unilateral changes.
4. Stablecoin Introduction: The in-game currency was converted into a stablecoin tied to the RMB, ensuring economic stability. This currency, along with other in-game items, became interoperable with other games, allowing cross-game benefits.

Fantasy Westward Journey Gameplay 

These changes embodied the principles of blockchain technology—decentralization, immutability, transparency, and security—years before these concepts became widely recognized. This approach not only salvaged the game but also set a precedent for future digital economies.

Fantasy Westward Journey's innovations reportedly inspired Vitalik Buterin to create Ethereum. Buterin, influenced by his experiences with centralized game services, developed Ethereum to provide a decentralized platform that empowers users and developers. The game’s legacy continues in the blockchain gaming sector, with developers like Mantle creating new games based on its principles. Games such as Catizen and MetaCene have gained popularity, illustrating that the lessons from Fantasy Westward Journey remain relevant.

Final Thoughts

Reflecting on Fantasy Westward Journey's impact, it is clear that the game’s early adoption of blockchain principles was a pivotal moment in the gaming industry. The innovative solutions implemented by NetEase, such as the public digital ledger and decentralized governance, not only resolved critical issues but also laid the groundwork for future advancements in blockchain technology.

As someone deeply involved in blockchain gaming, it is inspiring to see how these early steps have influenced the development of platforms like Ethereum and shaped the current landscape of digital economies. The game’s success underscores the potential of integrating blockchain technology into gaming and serves as a valuable reference for ongoing and future projects in the field. As the traditional web2 gaming industry continues to explore blockchain's potential, the steps taken by Fantasy Westward Journey continue to provide valuable insights.

Source: Geezee