2023 - Year of the Gotchi | ROADMAP

2022 was a huge year for Gotchigang, with multiple major product launches, significant protocol upgrades, and even a few surprises (FAKEgotchis.com anyone?).

However, despite these major releases, it is evident from the numbers that Aavegotchi is still a niche community in the overall cryptosphere.

That changes in 2023.

2023 is the Year of the Gotchi, the year that Aavegotchi goes from an innovative yet niche NFT project, to a major player and leader in the Web3 gaming industry.

In 2023, our two main focuses are: player growth and decentralization.
Player growth–meaning the development of games and features that will attract new players, along with a simplification of onboarding processes to ensure the technical barrier of entry is as low as possible.

Decentralization–meaning the full transfer of ownership of the Aavegotchi NFT Gaming protocol smart contracts to AavegotchiDAO.

With these two goals in mind, let’s peek behind the curtain and see what’s in store for #Gotchigang in 2023, Year of the Gotchi!

AavegotchiDAO - the DAO of Aavegotchi

AavegotchiDAO is one of the most active DAOs in the world, by voting and activity metrics. Our early integration with Snapshot, coupled with on-chain benefits for individual voting has proven to be a success formula for retaining stakeholder engagement, compared with protocols with much greater TVL.

As described in one of the earliest AavegotchiDAO documents, Scaling AavegotchiDAO, we are moving through a process of gradual decentralization, in three main phases – Genesis, Metamorphosis, and finally Oasis. For many months now, we have been in a fourth “Cocoon” stage, growing as a community and letting the Aavegotchi protocol mature, while also waiting for DAO tooling to catch up with where we need it to be.

In 2023, we expect this transition to be complete, with control of the Aavegotchi NFT Gaming protocol being handed over fully to the community.

Below are some of the steps we’ll be taking to get there in 2023:

·  Launching the AavegotchiDAO Foundation

Currently, AavegotchiDAO has no legal entity, and while some on-chain maximalists believe the best legal structure for a DAO is no legal structure, we tend to disagree. Aavegotchi is a big enough idea to exist both on and off-chain. For the DAO to function at its full potential, the DAO will require a non-profit foundation. Without legal protection, all members of AavegotchiDAO face legal risk from ever-encroaching regulations in various jurisdictions.

On this front, in 2022 Pixelcraft Studios brought forth a motion to incorporate AavegotchiDAO as a Cayman foundation, and this motion was passed by the AavegotchiDAO.

Incorporation of this foundation is currently underway, and we expect it to be completed in early 2023.

·  Implementing On-chain Smart Contract Execution

On-chain smart contract execution is the sine qua non of any serious DAO, and up to this point we have not yet made the leap from delegated execution by Pixelcraft, to true decentralization through on-chain execution.

On-chain execution of smart contract functions is an absolute necessity if AavegotchiDAO is truly going to grow its wings in our Metamorphosis stage, and we intend to make 2023 the year in which it becomes a reality.

·  Decentralizing our Workflow

2022 ended with fruitful research into decentralized workflows using platforms such as Dework and Wonderverse.

In 2023, such workflows will be incorporated into AavegotchiDAO, allowing greater decentralization and transparency of all work being paid for or done on behalf of the DAO. You can watch the Aavegotchi team demo both Dework and Wonderverse on Aavegotchi’s official Youtube Channel now.

· Turning off the GHST Bonding Curve*

*Pending DAO vote

The $GHST Bonding Curve has been a cornerstone of the Aavegotchi ecosystem since its inception on September 15, 2020. Providing stability for $GHST and sustainable revenue for the development team, the Bonding Curve quickly grew into its own meme, “The Curve is Forever”.

2022 saw a drastic shift in the macro crypto ecosystem. Many of our heroes turned into villains, and many protocols we thought would lead the transition to a new society turned out to be just as corrupted as the old.

Governments decreed that TornadoCash, a decentralized finance network, be purged from the internet, and so it was purged, its developers jailed.

It is in this macro-context that we consider the existential threat to our ecosystem that coupling GHST to DAI, the collateral of the bonding curve, represents. So far MakerDAO, the issuers of DAI, have performed flawlessly in their navigation of the complicated stablecoin landscape. DAI has never had a significant depeg from the USD, and the MakerDAO ecosystem generally appears to be healthy.

However, when one peers deeper, problems do become more apparent. An inability for the DAO to remove the GUSD vault (a stablecoin issued by the recently bankrupt Genesis), as well as growing exposure to real-world-assets (RWA) fraught with counterparty risk, and a general overexposure to (and vulnerability of) the USDC stablecoin, all contribute to a growing narrative that DAI as a stablecoin may not survive. Begun, the stablecoin wars have.

After two plus years of maturation, it can be argued that AavegotchiDAO is entirely capable of standing on its own with the GHST bonding curve having served its purpose well. Indeed, the argument that Aavegotchi’s success should not be reliant on any protocol outside of the Polygon Network itself, holds more water with each passing success.

Therefore, Pixelcraft Studios believes that the timing is right to initiate a vote to determine if AavegotchiDAO has an appetite to shut down the curve, effectively decoupling GHST from DAI, fixing its supply, and making it a free-floating token.

This is a dramatic tokenomics shift for our ecosystem, so we must emphasize to the DAO not to make this decision lightly – at the same time, the potential risk of DAI grows day by day, so if we are to act, it should be sooner rather than later.

Speaking of GHST, this leads perfectly into the next major milestone on our roadmap for 2023… Gotchichain!

Gotchichain – A blockchain for all things Aavegotchi

Powered by Polygon Supernets

The Polygon PoS blockchain is one of the most used blockchains in the world, second only to Ethereum.

This is amazing for Aavegotchi, as it means potential exposure to millions of players already onboarded to the chain.

At the same time, since Polygon is a public, permissionless blockchain, it often experiences traffic jams during periods of high market volatility, where gas can skyrocket into the 1000s or even 10,000s, bringing all but the most profitable onchain activity to a grinding halt.

For a DeFi application, this may be acceptable, but for an NFT Gaming protocol, it is not.

That is why in 2023, we are partnering with Polygon to be one of the first projects to embrace their Supernet technology. A Supernet is a permissioned offshoot of the Polygon PoS network where any user can transact, but only certain developers can deploy contracts.

This makes it the perfect launching ground for Aavegotchi-themed games and dapps, where transaction fees will be miniscule, and confirmation times will be fast. Many dapps will likely choose to integrate “gasless transactions” (like those currently used on Lens), instead of forcing users to hold gas tokens, but either way, the gas token of Gotchichain will be GHST, meaning that any onchain activity (whether paid by dapps or users) will require GHST!

Importantly, all of the Aavegotchi assets such as Aavegotchis, Wearables, REALM Parcels, FAKE Gotchis, etc. will continue to be minted on Polygon PoS. But they can then be bridged to Gotchichain and played in our new gaming-frenly environment.

And, speaking of gaming…let’s see what’s in store for Gotchi gamers in 2023!

Gaming

NFT Gaming is one of the hottest sectors in the blockchain space, and we believe Aavegotchi is positioned perfectly for massive growth in 2023. The strong IP of Aavegotchi, combined with unique onchain attributes, a Web3-native development team, and an extremely active community, all form the perfect recipe for a hit game.

·  The Gotchiverse

In 2022, we launched the alpha version of our social-farming metaverse The Gotchiverse, the home planet of Aavegotchis where players can farm Alchemica tokens, socialize, and display their favorite Aavegotchi NFTs.

In 2023, we will continue developing and expanding key roadmap features in the Gotchiverse, such as the Great Portal area, questing, the Aarena, Gotchi Lodge, the Gotchiverse SDK, Estates, and the Great Battles.

·  Gotchi in 3D

One of our most frequently asked questions is, “Wen 3D?”, and we are excited to announce that we have been working on a secret project the last few months – an Aavegotchi-themed cross-platform mobile survival game, made in Unity3D!

Known as Gotchi Guardians (working title), this standalone casual survival game pits Aavegotchis against their mortal foes the Lickquidators in a high-stakes defense of the Great Portal, where the winners take all.

This fast-paced survival game will be the first flagship title planned for release on Gotchichain, the home for Aavegotchi-themed games and dapps.

More details are coming soon, so make sure to follow @GotchiGuardians on Twitter!

·  Gaming Partners

2022 saw the integration of Aavegotchis into multiple metaverses and games, such as WorldWide Webb, Genso Kishi, and Gotchi Heroes, and we expect this trend to continue in 2023.

We are actively seeking out potential game studio partnerships and integrations. If you are interested in working with us, get in touch!

Conclusion

2023 is going to be a massive year for Aavegotchi! Key hires filling in gaps in the Pixelcraft Studios leadership team will ensure that our message gets out loud and clear, and an upcoming brand refresh will give Aavegotchi a fresh coat of aavesomeness. FAKE Gotchis continues to grow and expand and will become an important part of the Art NFT conversation in 2023, and onboarding will get significantly simpler with new wallets, integrations, and solutions our team is working on.

The year is just heating up, and Pixelcraft Studios has never been more excited and focused on our goal of making Aavegotchi a shining star of decentralization and community in the larger crypto space.

2023 truly will be the Year of the Gotchi, frens 💗

There’s so much more to share, but this piece is long enough already! Remember to join our Discord if you haven’t already, to hear the latest news before it hits the wires.

Stay spooky frens,
Pixelcraft Studios

About Aavegotchi

Aavegotchi is an open-source, community owned NFT gaming protocol, enabling true asset ownership for gamers. Aavegotchi NFTs are on-chain collectible ghosts staked with Aave’s interest-generating aTokens.

Compete for player rewards by earning XP, leveling up, and increasing the rarity of your Aavegotchi fren. Aavegotchi is governed by the AavegotchiDAO and the native eco-governance token GHST. Visit Aavegotchi.com today and join the future of DeFi-staked NFT avatars!

Aavegotchi Resources:
Website: https://aavegotchi.com/
Blog: https://blog.aavegotchi.com/
Official Wiki: https://wiki.aavegotchi.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/aavegotchi
Discord: https://discord.gg/aavegotchi
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Aavegotchi
Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/Aavegotchi/
Telegram: https://t.me/aavegotchi

Gotchiverse Resources:
Website: https://verse.aavegotchi.com/
Gotchiverse Docs: https://docs.gotchiverse.io/

Fake Gotchi Resources:
Website: https://www.fakegotchis.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FAKEgotchis
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fakegotchis/