What is CryptoVoxels?

CryptoVoxels is a blockchain-based virtual world built on the Ethereum blockchain network. It’s the smallest virtual blockchain world (VBW) by land area, but it’s the only virtual world that’s continually expanding with no set limit on how big it could grow. The original map of this metaverse consists of 3,026 land parcels in various shapes and sizes. However, new islands and parcels of land are being created periodically.

CryptoVoxels contains the main city called Origin City, where users can find streets owned by The Corporation and land parcels that anyone can own. Users who own land parcels can build, develop, and sell their property however they like. They can add features like images, buttons, audio, video, gifs, voxel models, and 3D texts. In addition, parcel owners can make their parcels into sandbox parcels, making them free for anyone to build on. Those who own a parcel in CryptoVoxels can monetise their land and even generate passive income, just like in the real world. Additionally, anyone can explore, hang out with virtual friends, and have unique experiences in CryptoVoxels. In-world events also take place regularly in the virtual world.

It’s worth mentioning that CryptoVoxels is one of the most accessible virtual worlds to get started building in. No special software or hardware is required for users to start building. They can begin building right away using the platform’s user-friendly drag-and-drop interface. Moreover, CryptoVoxels is available in both 2D and VR modes. It supports a wide range of VR headsets.

History of CryptoVoxels

CryptoVoxels was developed by Nolan Consulting, an independent game development company based in Wellington, New Zealand. The team is headed by the founder, Ben Nolan. For a long time, he was the sole developer of CryptVoxels. However, as the platform is becoming more and more popular, several other developers have been added to the team. 

CryptoVoxels began as a project to build a metaverse, like Ready Player One, on the web. The project was inspired by the team’s earlier work on A-FrameVR and SceneVR. When the team saw the possibilities of a virtual world where land ownership could be documented on the Ethereum blockchain, they went all-in on creating a virtual world where anyone can build whatever they want.

The CryptoVoxels project was first launched in May 2018 behind a hidden beta key. In June 2018, the initial land sales were done to the teams’ friends and advisors and then to early adopters. The team removed the beta key in July 2018, and purchases were finally made available to everyone.

What’s unique about CryptoVexels is that the founder didn’t raise money to fund the project with an ICO immediately. Although there have been numerous offers from individuals to venture capital firms to discuss investments, Ben is committed to self-funding to maintain creative freedom and not lose the ability to grow the virtual world as he pleases. So instead of investments, he funded the virtual world by selling off a few land parcels in the central neighbourhood. He sold the lands for low prices at first. However, as the sales took off, he adjusted the market price higher.

Popular Areas in CryptoVoxels

The CryptoVoxels map is divided into different neighbourhoods. A neighbourhood is a distinct part of Origin City, the capital of the virtual world, which is located on the main island. Although they were initially built with a theme in mind, these themes aren’t enforced to give players the freedom to create whatever they want. Thus, each neighbourhood has a fantastic diversity of builds.

There are a total of 63 neighbourhoods in the virtual world of CryptoVoxels. The neighbourhoods located close to the centre of Origin City tend to be more popular. These include The Centre, West End, North Terrace, Music District, Makers, Deep South, Fantasy Fields, Le Marais, Doom, Frankfurt. Aside from the neighbourhood on the main island, there are also smaller surrounding islands.

In terms of popular land parcels, some of the most popular are Glass Age, Space Age, and The Metalith Throne. These parcels are located close to each other, near the centre of Origin city. Glass Age and Space Age have been visited over 120,000 times. In comparison, The Metalith Throne has been visited more than 50,000 times.

Types of Property in CryptoVoxels

The different types of property that users can buy in CryptoVoxels include:

  • Land parcels – Each land parcel in CryptoVoxels is a non-fungible token (NFT, ERC-721). Therefore, they are unique and cannot be duplicated, similar to physical land in the real world. Anyone can buy or sell these land parcels. Since every transaction is stored on the Ethereum blockchain, you officially own that piece of land. Parcel owners can edit, add, remove, and enhance the blocks on their parcels. In other words, they can build and develop their land parcels to their liking.
  • Avatars – Just like in other virtual worlds, users of CryptoVoxels take the form of representative avatars that they customise to match their style and preferences. Avatars in CryptoVoxels take the form of non-duplicable NFTs that can be bought, owned, and sold.
  • Wearables – All wearables in CryptoVoxels are NFTs. Wearables are ornaments that users can use to style their Avatars. The CryptoVoxels community (mainly made up of developers, artists, and metaverse evangelists) are free to create, design, and sell their wearables. Thus, wearables in the platform come in all shapes and sizes. From clothes to accessories, users can find fun and eye-catching wearables for their avatars.

Native Tokens Used in CryptoVoxels

Before June 2020, COLR Token or $COLR was CryptoVexels native token. This token was used to add colour blocks on any land. However, after coloured blocks became free for everyone, the platform ceased supporting or using COLR. COLR Token is now replaced by Ethereum (ETH), which is used for in-world transactions, such as buying land parcels, wearables, and other services. COLR Tokens purchased before 1 May 2020 were exchanged by ETH at a rate of 1 ETH:4000 COLR.

Top 3 Reasons to Invest in CryptoVoxels

  1. CryptoVoxels could dominate the Ethereum-based virtual world market – CryptoVoxels could become one of the dominant virtual worlds. Built with a capital-light approach, the platform has grown organically and has already found product-market fit within the cryptoart community. If the team keeps performing as well as they have, CryptoVoxels can be equal to, or even bigger, than the current largest Ethereum-based metaverse, Decentraland.
  2. CryptoVoxels has built-in compatibility – You can expect to have the same experience on CryptoVoxels, whether you choose the VR or 2D mode, on your desktop or mobile phones. In addition, it’s also compatible with popular VR headsets like Oculus Quest, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive. Soon, it will be integrated with augmented reality to enhance your experience.
  3. CryptoVoxels offers one of the best onboarding experiences – CryptoVexels is among the easiest and friendliest virtual worlds for those who want to build on their land. Since you don’t need any special hardware or software, you can start building straight away using the platform’s easy drag-and-drop interface whether you have programming experience or not. In addition, since the lands can be sandboxed, you can invite artists or anyone else to build on your land if you don’t happen to be creative yourself.