"Web3 Game Launches Kickstarter, NFTs for Physical Cards"

What Is This Sorcery, a trading card game being built across various platforms, has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the production of physical cards. The campaign, which began on Tuesday afternoon, aims to raise at least $20,000, with stretch goals ranging up to $80,000 to add more promotional and rare cards to the set. As of this writing, more than $6,700 has already been raised.

What Is This Sorcery co-founder and CEO Nick Grossi told Decrypt that Kickstarter is "supporting" the campaign with advertising and advice, along with a month-long email campaign to relevant users. Grossi claims that What Is This Sorcery is the first Web3 game to have such a relationship with Kickstarter. He believes that reducing crypto-native fundraising rounds is the path towards a more sustainable model for crypto gaming.

Grossi believes that showing the product and allowing the community to find itself is the key to success. What Is This Sorcery completed the sale of 1,500 Genesis Stone NFTs for 0.04ETH ($130) each on Abstract last week, which provide in-game items and a leaderboard boost. This comes ahead of the game’s first seasonal airdrop campaign, called Season 0, on Skale in mid-February.

The NFT release and Kickstarter campaign aren’t a case of over-monetizing, Grossi said. The funds raised through the NFT sale will help support in-game rewards, develop staking functionality that integrates with the game, and support the early game economy. Meanwhile, the Kickstarter campaign will fund the production, shipping, and retail costs of the game’s next product: physical cards.

These cards will have near field communication (NFC) chips installed in them, which will allow for contactless communication with smartphones and other devices. The plan is that these cards will seamlessly integrate with in-game battles, adding unique benefits like in-game bonuses, rewards, and perks. There will also be an NFT version of each card, which can be claimed by tapping it on a mobile device. Those supporting the Kickstarter will receive exclusive cards and items, plus early access to the game.

Grossi explained that this approach should be a staple for Web3 projects that aim for true longevity and mass adoption. Instead