Hello Skyweavers! The Final Testing Phase of our Private Beta is coming to an end, and we’re gearing up for the next phase: Soft Launch! Today, we’re excited to announce that our Soft Launch will start Thursday, November 25.

Now, you may be wondering: what is Soft Launch? What can I expect from it? What’s different compared to what I’ve been playing in Private Beta? Why should I care? What’s a “real economy” and what the heck does “mainnet” mean anyway?

All your burning questions will be answered in this post, so read on!

TL;DR: With the Private Beta final testing period now complete, our Soft Launch will begin Thursday, November 25. Soft Launch sees our economy go live on mainnet, which means the tradable items (e.g. Silver and Gold cards) you win from Ranked Rewards or Conquest will become your property that you can sell, trade or gift to other players using your Sequence Wallet. When Skyweaver enters Soft Launch, all player progress will be reset to 0. This includes all cards earned on testnet (Final Testing Phase). Soft Launch ushers in a Play-to-Own economy in which you can win items that become your property for free via gameplay. In other words, starting with Soft Launch, you’ll finally be able to own a piece of Skyweaver by owning Silver and Gold cards won through skilled competitive gameplay, or purchased from other players on the Market! Soft Launch also marks the end of Season 0 and the start of Season 1 of our Ranked Leaderboard rewards.

Note: You will still require a beta access code to play Skyweaver at Soft Launch. Sign up to get your beta access code at skyweaver.net/signup

Before Soft Launch begins, try to secure your spot at the top of the Ranked leaderboards so that you can win a rare Doom Shroom or Starfield Gold card at Open Beta! Players in Soft Launch will be pioneers and the first to try their hand at a truly decentralized player-owned economy. A monumental moment in video game history!

Soft Launch is the next step we need to take before we enter Open Beta! We’ll officially launch Skyweaver on mainnet! Read our State of the Game post from August to get all the details about the phases before Open Beta, as well as this post about our Final Testing Period to get up to speed about Conquest, our Economy and the Sequence Wallet.

What’s a Soft Launch for Skyweaver?

Soft Launch is the launch of Skyweaver on mainnet—when our Market and economy move from a testnet to mainnet. During Soft Launch, we’ll continue to manage player base growth by gating access with a beta code. So far, over 250,000 people have signed up to our beta waitlist. And during Soft Launch we’ll invite every one into Skyweaver. Of course, if you already have a code or a Skyweaver account, you’re all set!

Skyweaver Soft Launch is still considered a “closed” or “private” beta as you still need a beta access code to get in the game. Also, keep in mind that because the game is still in beta, it is entirely normal to encounter some bugs and issues while playing. We’ll have more details to share about that as we approach Soft Launch.

What does it mean to have the Skyweaver Market and economy on “mainnet”?

The economy going on “mainnet” is basically blockchain-speak for saying that the Skyweaver economy will become real: with real transactions and real ownership of your tradable items—like Silver and Gold cards.

Up until now, the economy has been running in a test environment, with test transactions. In other words, all of the card trades and currency transfers that have occurred during Private Beta have been a trial run for what’s to come (aka they weren’t “real” transactions). Soft Launch sees Skyweaver move to the Polygon Main Network, which means that the Silver and Gold cards you win or buy will become your property forever (unless you decide to sell them). If you purchase USDC (more on this below) with your credit/debit card, you’ll be making a real transaction.

From Test DAI to USDC

Test DAI is a test currency we’ve been using during the Final Testing phase. Come Soft Launch, we’ll retire the Test DAI and switch to USDC. USDC is what’s known as a stablecoin, which means 1 USDC = $1 USD.

Once Soft Launch begins, you’ll be able to purchase USDC with your credit/debit card. You can then use USDC to buy cards from other players in the Skyweaver Market. If you decide to sell a card in the Market, you’ll receive USDC.

*A note about Transaction Fees on Mainnet.

Good news: you won’t have to pay transaction fees when Soft Launch begins!

When transactions such as trades, sales or gifts occur on mainnet, there are fees that must be paid for the transaction to take place. This transaction fee is called a “gas fee” in the blockchain community, and it helps sustain blockchain networks like Ethereum and Polygon.

During Skyweaver’s Soft Launch, we’ve decided to cover all gas fees for players who trade in the Skyweaver Market in-game. We’re doing this to help simplify your experience. So take advantage of this time and try your hand at trading, and if you love it, trade until your heart’s content at no gas fee cost to you!

We can’t promise that we’ll cover gas fees forever, but we’ll let you know if we plan to stop.

How does the Skyweaver Market work once it’s on mainnet? Great question! We’ve written out a full blogpost to cover this topic here!

What are Horizon Games' objectives with this Soft Launch?

Soft Launch will help us pace the ramp up in player count so we don’t overload the servers with everyone trying to play! We also want to ensure that our economy design, Conquest and game loops are seamless, intuitive, and most importantly, tons of fun for players. Soft Launch also gives our team a chance to ensure the game experience is working as intended, find remaining bugs to fix, and try to make the game as polished and stable as possible.

The only thing that differentiates our Soft Launch from Open Beta is that at Open Beta, no access code will be required to play Skyweaver. During Soft Launch, we’ll continually invite players from our waitlist into the game by sending them a beta access code, but come Open Beta, Skyweaver will be available for everyone to play—no code required.

Why does Skyweaver need a Soft Launch?

In order to make our player-owned economy the best it can be, we want to test it in a mainnet environment before opening the Open Beta floodgates! This Soft Launch lets us test the Skyweaver economy and its security in a live environment where you can own, buy, sell and trade your cards with other players. We want to nail it, then scale it.

In other words, once we see that the economy works well, that the community is happy with what we’ve designed, and that players are sticking around to play, then we’ll know we have something special to share with the world. And then, Skyweaver will be ready to enter Open Beta for the public to play.

By playing Soft Launch, you’ll be a pioneer in shaping the Skyweaver economy, and your actions will make a big impact on Skyweaver’s future!

Soft Launch gives the dev team a chance to fix any last remaining bugs that come up that impact player experience. To ensure Open Beta is as polished and stable as possible, Soft Launch is a crucial and necessary step in the development and public launch of Skyweaver.

How do I get early access to Skyweaver to participate in Soft Launch? 🧐

All you need to do is sign up right here and you will be emailed a beta access code shortly after delivered to your inbox :)

How long will Soft Launch last for?

Although our team worked hard to ensure the experience during Soft Launch is smooth, we’re prepared to tackle any issues that come up that players report. So Soft Launch will last for as long as it takes to confirm that the game and economy work as intended, and to ensure that we have no crashes, no lost funds, and no security bugs. The Soft Launch will help us test the assumptions in our economy design, while also letting us measure our retention metrics in this updated version of Skyweaver that has a full core loop with a real economy. All the data collected during Soft Launch will help us determine when the right time to enter Open Beta will be.

What are Ranked Rewards?

Every week, the top players on the leaderboard will be rewarded tradable Silver cards as part of what we call “Ranked Rewards”. The higher you rank, the more Silvers you’ll receive. Skyweaver provides a true free-to-play and play-to-own experience that rewards skill and mastery.

What is Conquest mode? ⚔️

Conquest is a new game mode that’s a core element to the Skyweaver economy. It’s a "win-streak" game mode where players battle in either Constructed or Discovery game types for coveted Gold cards. Players who win matches win trophy Silver and Gold cards. In order to enter, you must pay with either a Silver card (aka “Silvers”) or USDC.

Once in Conquest, you play until you lose or until you win three (3) times. Based on how many wins you achieve during a Conquest run, you get the following rewards:

• 0 wins: no tradable rewards, only XP
• 1 win: 1 tradable Silver NFT card + XP
• 2 wins: 2 tradable Silver NFT cards + XP
• 3 wins: 1 tradable Gold NFT card & 1 tradable Silver NFT card + XP

More info about Conquest and our Economy Overview.

So what do I do before Soft Launch?

As a beta tester, now is your chance to participate in Season 0 by playing some Ranked Constructed or Discovery matches to try and secure your spot at the top of the leaderboards. If you’re amongst the top 500 players in either Discovery or Constructed when the Final Testing Phase ends, you’ll be eligible to receive a coveted Gold card at Open Beta.

So, play ranked matches, try and get to the top of the leaderboard, and secure your spot before Soft Launch starts!

Top 500 players in both leaderboards will receive a Gold Doom Shroom or Gold Starfield. These will be exclusive to Season 0 winners, and limited edition as they will only be printed once.

Why should I participate in Soft Launch?

If being the pioneer of something revolutionary floats your boat, then you’ll definitely want to play Skyweaver during Soft Launch! You’ll be amongst the first people to experience a game with a truly decentralized player-owned economy.

Playing the game, participating in the economy, competing on the leaderboards and earning rewards that are permanent will shape the future of Skyweaver!

With the Sequence Wallet tied to your Skyweaver account, your early participation in Skyweaver will exist for all to see on the blockchain. Plus, we’ll be releasing some new content regarding Skyweaver’s lore in the game so you won’t want to miss that ;)

Progression 🥇

Will I keep the progress I gained during Private Beta when Skyweaver enters Soft Launch?

No. When Skyweaver enters Soft Launch, all player progress will be reset to 0. This includes all cards earned on testnet. We will keep track of players’ leaderboard placement in Ranked Discovery and Constructed so that we can identify all eligible winners of the Preseason and Season 0 who will receive either a Gold Doom Shroom or Gold Starfield at Open Beta.

Will I keep the account progress I gain during Soft Launch when Skyweaver goes into Open Beta?

Yes. Starting day 1 of Soft launch, all player progression—levels, XP, seasonal rank placements, stats and unlocked Base cards—is permanent and will carry over into Open Beta. Starting day 1 of Soft Launch, all tradable items acquired will also be permanent and carry over into Open Beta.

I ranked in the top 500 players in the Discovery and Constructed leaderboards during Private Beta for Preseason and/or Season 0. When will I get my Gold card?

All players eligible for a Gold card by ranking in the top 500 in either the Discovery or Constructed leaderboards during Preseason and Season 0 will receive Gold card(s) at Open Beta. You can see the Preseason winners here and we will update this list with Season 0 winners sometime after Soft Launch begins.

SEASONS 🏆

Does Season 0 end at the start of Soft Launch?

Yes. Season 0 will end on the first day of Soft Launch. Season 1 will begin on day 1 of Soft Launch. All players eligible for a Gold card for ranking in the top 500 players in either the Discovery or Constructed leaderboards during Season 0 will receive a Gold card at Open Beta.

So, play ranked matches, try and get to the top of the leaderboard, and secure your spot before Soft Launch starts! Top 500 players in both leaderboards will receive a Gold Doom Shroom or Gold Starfield. These will be exclusive to Preseason and Season 0 winners, and limited edition as they will only be printed once.

Can I be eligible to win a Gold card during Season 1’s conclusion?

No. Only Silver cards will be awarded to top ranking players during Season 1 and onwards. Gold cards will be attainable by winning matches in Conquest Mode or by purchasing from other players in the Skyweaver Market.

When is Open Beta? 🌞

The Skyweaver Open Beta date will be determined during this Soft Launch period. The Soft Launch will give us key insights into the health of our game, which will help us decide when to enter into Open Beta.

Where can I find more information about the economy?

You can read more about our economy in this Economy Overview post.

Looking Ahead ☄️

We’re committed to making the game as amazing as possible for our community, so please share your feedback. We’ll constantly monitor and read through all your feedback so that we can determine what works, what doesn’t work, and what we have to do to make your game experience better. Tell us what you like, what you don’t like, and what features you’d like to see in the future. We want to hear it all!

If you have any other questions about Soft Launch, be sure to tune in to our livestream on Wednesday, Nov 24 so that we can answer all your burning questions! And join our Discord community to get in touch with us. We’d love to hear from you!