Published on: 17/01/2023

Undeads Metaverse appoints Ash Hodgetts new CMO

Ash Hodgetts, who has worked in the video game industry for over two decades, has been hired as the chief marketing officer for the AAA Web3 game Undeads Metaverse.

Before joining the team, Hodgetts worked on numerous successful initiatives, such as Phantom Galaxies and The Oregon Trail. As the director of marketing and publishing for Blowfish Studios, a subsidiary of Animoca Brands, he managed the development and implementation of unique marketing tactics that led to the company’s rapid expansion. During his tenure as Gameloft’s marketing director, he handled the rollout of the studio’s first two critically acclaimed Apple Arcade titles.

Undeads CEO Leo Kahn praised his new team member, saying, “We are thrilled to have Ash join our team as Chief Marketing Officer.” Kahn explained that Hodgetts has a lot of game industry experience, especially in growth strategies, branding and getting new users. These skills make him a valuable member of their team.

The newly recruited CMO, who has an MBA and a bachelor’s degree in business, said he is excited to shape the future of Web3 gaming with the Undeads metaverse. “It is time for Web 3.0 games to take their place on the games world stage,” Hodgetts said.

According to Hodgetts, strong products are needed for the Web3 gaming market to grow. He maintained that modern games had moved too far from their roots and that players looked for immersive experiences with high-quality music, visuals and gameplay.

Undeads Metaverse

Next-gen survival MMORPG Undeads combines an isometric perspective with action gameplay. Executives from all over the world, including individuals who attended Stanford and MIT and worked at PayPal, Gameloft and Animoca Brands, are in charge of making this game.

The game is set in a dystopian version of Web3, where mankind and zombies compete for supplies. Players are tasked with exploring undiscovered lands, settling and protecting their communities and mining for materials.

Players also can craft and improve their weapons and armor, engage in trade, learn the ropes of the marketplace and level up their non-fungible tokens (NFT) characters.

The company said the game’s ultimate goal is to establish a Web3 gaming community and player-driven economy full of exciting features, providing them with an unparalleled gaming experience.

“After the game is live, we’ll keep monitoring the flows and adjusting some settings to improve economy balance if and when necessary,” Hodgetts said.

Per Hodgetts, all rewards are given out through contracts with “lock-up periods of up to 48 months” after the event that creates tokens. Players can earn cryptocurrencies through normal gameplay and social interaction. Over ten distinct NFT asset kinds can be used in Undeads, each with unique play-to-earn features.

Hodgetts said that people who don’t have an NFT can still play the game and make characters for a small fee, which is still cheaper than buying an NFT. However, the non-NFT character won’t be able to do much or make real money.

Partnerships

Undeads prioritizes audio over images, contrary to other internet games. The team worked with Warner Bros and Wabi Sabi Sound to produce a sound design that will keep players intrigued and engaged.

The Undeads developer team evaluates even the smallest details of the gameplay. Kahn explained that the aforementioned two companies are critical allies in enabling the true next-gen Web3 gaming era.

BrightNode and Machinations.io, two established businesses in the blockchain market, have joined Undeads’ in-house economy design team to keep the economy in the game balanced and effective. Since there are more than a thousand different items and assets in the Undeads metaverse, the game’s economic system requires everyone to work together.

The company uses Chainlink as the oracle to connect smart contracts to off-chain data and services securely.