The recent crypto crash has weakened the ground beneath the entire industry. As such, it isn’t surprising to learn that huge NFT Pokémon clone Untamed Isles possibly canned due to its reliance on crypto
An NFT game that was funded via cryptocurrency, Untamed Isle’s crypto loyalty may have been the nail in its coffin.
Crypto crash halts development for Untamed Isles
Phat Loot Studios revealed to fans that the development of Untamed Isles has halted due to the recent crypto crash. The studio revealed that its reliance on cryptocurrency is why development won’t be continuing.
While the studio maintains that this Pokémon clone would have been game first and crypto second, the fact that cryptocurrency played such a huge part in the title means this was inevitable.
“We leaned into the crypto market and expanded rapidly off the back of the positive interest. When the crash came, we ended up heavily exposed with too short of a runway,” the studio explains in a blog post. “The game remains game-first, crypto-second in design, but crypto funds have become, and remain, essential in getting us to the release.”
“Unlike many of the projects that have foundered in the storm, we actually have a great game design that could stand on its own two feet,” continues the studio. “But until the crypto situation is resolved – and we’re confident it will be at some stage – then we have to hibernate development on this project.”
It’s ironic that Phat Loot Studios’ Poké-clone was “crypto-second”, especially when the crypto crash played such a huge role in its death. However, it’s a powerful reminder that investing everything into a new trend can have drastic consequences.
Read More: Pokémon crypto ripoff PokeMoney rug pulls buyers out of $3.5 million
Don’t ask the developers about Untamed Isles
Interestingly enough, while the studio believes that the crypto crash will be undone and that the development of Untamed Isles will eventually finish, they also told fans not to contact them. Though it’s framed as “please don’t personally DM the developers,” it’s not encouraging to see a FAQ prepared so that no one can ask them anything.
“I’m sure you have lots of questions and we will try to answer as many as we can. You can find a FAQ in the next message covering some of the things,” says the studio. “Please respect the privacy of team members and don’t send DMs.”
Personally, we think fans should check out other Pokémon clones if they want to get their monster-catching fix. They could also just purchase actual Pokémon games since none of them use cryptocurrency or anything else sketchy.