Key takeaways
- Starchi is a Tamagotchi-inspired play-to-earn NFT game where players nurture characters and prepare them for battle leagues while earning rewards.
- The platform features a staking system with liquid rewards subject to five percent fees and locked rewards offering up to ten times multiplier over twelve months.
- Starchi NFTs are tradeable on the in-game marketplace with value determined by how well players care for their characters.
- The game integrates with Starter XYZ platform through play-to-allocate functionality allowing players to stake in-game rewards to participate in IDOs.
- The MVP launched after a dual IDO on Binance Smart Chain and Polygon with beta testing beginning shortly after staking platform launch.
A Tamagotchi for the play-to-earn era
Ashton Addison: What is Starchi and how does it work?▶ 00:22
Angela Brasington: Starchi is a Tamagotchi-inspired game for the play-to-earn generation. It's a rewarding game about the power of love and care and bringing humanity back to a positive place. Players must nurture their Starchi, help avoid extinction and prepare them for friendly battle leagues. It's like the original Tamagotchi of the 90s, the little handheld egg pet you had to keep alive, but with generous player rewards on top.
Ashton: How else will the Starchi token be used in the game?▶ 05:25
Angela: You level up your characters by nurturing and taking care of them, and you prepare them for friendly battle leagues. You decide who to battle, then pay a small fee in the Starchi token to put up the battle. The winner gets 85 percent of the fee, 5 percent is burned and 10 percent goes elsewhere. There are also leaderboards, including most active collector and best taken care of, and different ways to top them to earn more in-game rewards.
Ashton: Are the Starchis NFTs, and can their value be taken outside the game?▶ 06:36
Angela: Every single Starchi is an NFT, so the better you take care of it, the more valuable it is. You can trade and exchange it in the local marketplace. At Starchi and Starter we're constantly innovating, and we take our community's feedback into how we develop. Down the line, being tradable in other games or partnerships with other NFT games is definitely something we'll consider.
Every single Starchi is an NFT, so the better you take care of it, the more valuable it is.
Staking, Starter and the road to launch
Ashton: How do you keep Starchi popular over the long term, the way Tamagotchi was?▶ 01:09
Angela: Everything we're doing has a long-term mindset. We want to bring work to underprivileged countries and to gamers all over the world through play to earn. We went above and beyond typical play to earn with a staking program we just launched, with opportunities to stake in multiple scenarios for major rewards, especially the LP staking. We're also doing something new called 'play to allocate': you can stake your in-game rewards to participate in IDOs on Starter's platform, starter.xyz. Starter incubated Starchi, the entire game.
Ashton: Where is the game at right now?▶ 03:09
Angela: We just had our IDO on Monday the 22nd. It was a dual IDO on Binance Smart Chain and Polygon, and both sold out very quickly. We've also launched the staking platform. The MVP is coming around the corner, though we haven't announced the date. Once it's ready, we'll bring on beta testers and roll it out to the masses. Follow the Starchi announcements on Telegram for the latest news.
Ashton: How is staking going so far, and how does it work?▶ 03:52
Angela: We launched it yesterday, and it's been fascinating to see how quickly the Starter community has been staking. The platform is user-friendly: you can see all the pools clearly and click a details button for everything you need to know, including the APY. There's both liquid and locked staking. Liquid rewards are subject to a 5 percent burn fee when claimed, whereas locked rewards are up to ten times the multiple of liquid stakers, depending on the length of the lock, which can be up to 12 months. Longer locks give higher multiples, and there's no burn fee when locked rewards are claimed. That lets us adapt to whatever different people want to do.
Bringing blockchain games to the mainstream
Ashton: Can blockchain and NFT games be adopted by teens and children who know nothing about finance?▶ 07:26
Angela: I think it's almost like an on-ramp, the connection between NFTs and gaming. People understand gaming. I have young nieces and nephews who play games all the time, but they're not earning money from it. They buy skins, and once the money is spent, the skin isn't worth anything. With an NFT, your skin is valuable and can be traded when you're done with it, so you can exchange it for something else. That's not a difficult concept even for a child, because many already play similar games. It's a great way for people of all ages to understand that these digital assets are actually valuable and don't just go away when you shut off your game.
Ashton: What will be key to retaining the Starchi community over five to ten years?▶ 09:55
Angela: We've secured quite a few major partnerships that help us reach gamers in big gaming regions like Asia, the Philippines and Malaysia. Staying connected with the most important regions is one part. Another is to keep evolving, adapting and iterating our products, and listening to our community and giving them what they want, not everything we want. It's not all about the developers and the team; it's about everybody playing. We want players to get the most out of it, not just financially but through the experience, including the nostalgia of Tamagotchi. Then there's the Telegram community, with 24/7 moderator coverage. What you see in the game today will be different from what you see in a year.
It's not all about the developers and the team; it's about everybody playing.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Recorded December 2021.
