The company of Outerverse was subject of a scam. How’s that possible?

An NFT scam is claiming to sell tokens for Freedom Games’ Outerverse – despite the game having no form of blockchain integration. The game’s actual developers warn that the scammers are using stolen assets to offer the non-existent features.

Crafting game ‘Outerverse’ hit by NFT scam

Freedom Games’ director of marketing Bryan Herren told NME, “An NFT scam pretending to be publisher Freedom Games and developer Tbjbu2’s crafting survival game “Outerverse”, but with blockchain technology and token integration, has been fraudulently marketing itself to the game and NFT communities. This is patently false. There is absolutely no NFT integration in the real Outerverse or with any other titles from Freedom Games.”

The scammers are selling an “$Outerverse” token which they claim will be usable within the game, but this is not true. Freedom Games has its legal team looking into solutions to remedy the problem and has reached out to the web hosting company presenting the scam.

“Unfortunately, we have seen other complaints about this firm hosting different fraudulent websites and not taking action, so we are not sure if it will be a priority for them,” said Herren.

The publisher says it is doing everything it can to protect its community and developers, and to prevent people from being caught out by the scam. It has also asked that people spread a warning that the scammer’s site is fraudulent, and that no official NFT support will be coming to Outerverse.

“The real Outerverse is only available on Steam and Epic Game Store and has no ties to the blockchain whatsoever,” Herren added.

In other news, Apex Legends next playable character will be Mad Maggie. First introduced in Season 8 as a nemesis to Fuse, the new Legend was revealed as the next playable character in an animated short and will join the games when Season 12 begins.

Outerverse Swap Allegedly Violating Developers IP

Outerverse publisher Freedom Games is warning of a scam blockchain game and crypto token called Outerverse Metaverse & Decentralized Platform — and Freedom Games says it is violating the copyright and trademarks of developer Tbjbu2.

Freedom Games is a fairly new publisher on the block that has launched nearly a dozen new games over the last year and a half. Its most recent release is Outerverse, a game that’s all about crafting machines to fight massive bosses in a voxel-based universe.

Unfortunately, it looks like not everything is going great for Freedom Games — it has raised the alarm about a new blockchain game and crypto token that Freedom Games says is using Outerverse’s copyrighted content without the developer’s permission.

What’s Going on with Outerverse and the Blockchain?

Outerverse has a gameplay loop familiar to most gamers: build something to fight a boss, advance your tech, and progress to the next boss. It’s simple, but it works. Unfortunately, it looks like this new game has attracted the attention of a blockchain game that Freedom Games says is violating the developer’s copyright.

“An NFT scam pretending to be publisher Freedom Games and developer Tbjbu2’s crafting survival game ‘Outerverse’, but with blockchain technology and token integration, has been fraudulently marketing itself to the game and NFT communities,” read an e-mail from Freedom Games. “This is patently false. There is absolutely no NFT integration in the real Outerverse or with any other titles from Freedom Games.”

The offending game in question is Outerverse Metaverse & Decentralized Platform, which describes itself as follows:

$OUTERVERSE is developed Game Metaverse & DexSwap platform that connects gamers and enables trade token. This gives $OUTERVERSE a real practical utility within the OUTERVERSE ecosystem. Embrace a platform where gamers and blockchain converge!

That sounds like par for the course for a new blockchain game or crypto token. The difference here, however, is that Freedom Games says that this blockchain game is using Outerverse’s name, art assets, and other copyrighted content without permission.

Crypto tokens, the blockchain, and NFTs have all been growing in gaming in recent years, so much so that the Expeditions: Rome developer recently closed down to focus on making NFT games. While we’ve seen some interesting concepts and disappointing tie-ins (like Konami’s Castlevania NFTs), there have also been a fair few scams over the years — one of which managed to impact a Twitch co-founder to the tune of $150,000.

Freedom Games says that it has already contacted the webhost for the unauthorized blockchain game, but it doesn’t expect much — in its assessment, this particular web host appears unresponsive to complaints about copyright violations and the like. Freedom Games is also exploring legal action against the website and any related projects. For now, you can buy the genuine Outerverse for PC in Early Access at the price of $14.99 or your regional equivalent.

An NFT Imposter Is Posing as a Game That’s Never Once Used NFT

One of the most common complaints about the emergence of NFTs is that it’s an unregulated landscape where fraud and theft are easily committed. There are countless stories of artwork being stolen, or new scam tokens. This time, an entire video game has fallen victim.

This version uses real assets from the original Outerverse and adds a layer of NFT and blockchain integration, something the real Outerverse has never done. “This is patently false,” said Bryan Herren, director of marketing at Freedom Games. “There is absolutely no NFT integration in the real Outerverse or with any other titles from Freedom Games.”

The imposter game which markets itself at Outerverseswap.com advertises that players can trade tokens and “play and earn” an “$OUTERVERSE” token.

A “buy now” link on the site takes users to a crypto exchange platform called PancakeSwap. Ironically, a button labeled “play Outerverse” redirects back to the same landing page.

“It’s unfortunate that people are taking advantage of my passion project to try and make a quick profit, and it’s generally sad to see lots of scams rise up from what I had hoped would be a positive innovation like Bitcoin,” Tbjbu2 said in an email to IGN. “I spent a huge amount of time making this game as good as possible and it’s not acceptable that people think they can use my work for their benefit.”

Freedom Games says it has attempted to contact the web hosting company hosting the imposter Outerverse but holds little hope that action will be taken considering other complaints against the firm hosting the game have gone unanswered. Freedom Games says its legal team is currently looking into other options.

“Freedom Games will continue to do everything within its power to protect the developers we support,” Herren said. “Likewise, Freedom Games will always vigorously protect its copyright and trademarks, to safeguard our community to the best of our ability.”

IGN has reached out to individuals behind the imposter Outerverse for comment but did not receive a reply as of publishing time. As of this writing, the imposter Outerverse’s roadmap claims that they’ll release their game in “phase four,” but appears to be in only “phase two,” which consists of launching their crypto exchange pages.

The real Outerverse game was released in Early Access this month exclusively on Steam and Epic Games Store. Outerverse is a voxel art-based game focused on crafting, not unlike Minecraft, but with an emphasis on designing automated machines and later using them to defeat giant boss creatures. A series of quests guide players into space, where they can fly ships and witness “cosmic events.”

The acquisition, which is set to close in 2023, has major implications for the games industry encompassing one of gaming’s biggest console makers and some of gaming’s biggest franchises including Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Overwatch.

What NFT means?

What even is an NFT? NFT stands for non-fungible token, which basically means that it’s a one-of-a-kind digital asset that belongs to you and you only. The most popular NFTs right now include artwork and music, but can also include videos and even tweets

What is NTF trading?

NFT stands for Non-Fungible Token. Something that is “fungible” can be exchanged with an equivalent item — for example, a $5 bill with another $5 bill. … NFTs are digital items that can be bought and sold using this blockchain technology. But they are not fungible, making them a different type of asset

What is an example of NFT?

Each NFT represents a real-world object like music, a video, an in-game item, or a virtual baseball trading card. These digital assets are bought and sold online, typically with cryptocurrency. … Non-fungible tokens are unique, and each one has a digital signature that can’t be exchanged

Are NFT giveaways legit?

First of all, there are no legitimate NFTs on scam sites, so if you purchase one, you are just throwing your money away. What’s worse, scammers can record all the credentials you submit on the sites.