20-4-2025 – Minecraft’s monumental success story continues to inspire innovative technological ventures. The beloved sandbox game, which has shifted an extraordinary 300 million copies globally through 2023, has further cemented its cultural impact with a blockbuster film adaptation, raking in $580 million at the box office.
Amidst this backdrop, British gaming infrastructure specialist Improbable’s subsidiary, MSquared, has unveiled an ambitious blockchain-powered project called Chunked, setting tongues wagging in the Web3 community. This experimental venture aims to revolutionise gaming architecture by recording every minute player interaction on the Somnia network’s blockchain.
Rob Whitehead, at the helm of MSquared, emphasises the project’s pioneering nature, distinguishing it from conventional games merely adorned with NFT elements. The revolutionary aspect lies in its complete independence from traditional server infrastructure, instead operating entirely via the Somnia testnet.
What sets Chunked apart is its potential for immortality. Should MSquared cease operations, the game’s open-source smart contracts ensure its survival through community-driven development and maintenance. This architectural approach represents a significant departure from conventional gaming models.
However, the path to innovation isn’t without its hurdles. Whilst achieving smooth gameplay, the development team acknowledges certain limitations, particularly regarding inventory management and world size constraints compared to Minecraft’s virtually limitless environment. These challenges underscore the current technological boundaries of blockchain gaming.
The broader implications for the gaming industry are significant, as Somnia prepares to launch its mainnet in the coming months. MSquared’s experimental portfolio is set to expand, with successful prototypes potentially evolving into full-scale commercial enterprises, despite the present limitations of blockchain networks in supporting large-scale gaming operations.
