Is Real Gold Actually Up for Grabs In This New Free-To-Play Steam Action Game? Join The Tournament Starting Today

Spaceminers, an action and adventure game developed by The Spaceminers team, has recently made its debut on Valve's Steam. This game is available for free and provides players with the opportunity to win real gold.

According to The Spaceminers CEO James Bennett, the team's inspiration behind this move is to encourage a new generation of precious metal collectors.

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"The idea that gold is only for the seasoned and experienced investor is an outdated one. The past couple of years have seen a major spike in demand from Gen Z, who recognize its value-retaining potential. The barriers to entry have never been lower and the potential never greater," Bennett said in an exclusive interview with Benzinga.

The game was launched on Aug. 31, 2023, and is the first of three game modes in its early access phase, with the others set to be released during the rest of 2023 and 2024.

In Spaceminers, players enroll in the Spaceminers Academy as cadets and embark on a timed obstacle course. The objective is to compete against oneself and the global leaderboard to achieve the best time at the finish line during this initial game mode.

But, does the game really offer the opportunity to win real gold? "In-game tournaments are taking place in our first early access game Spaceminers: Gold Runner. While the tournaments are happening, the top fastest times win real gold and will get a digital proof of ownership of the gold they have won, which is physically held in a Swiss vault," Bennett explained. 

The current tournament, running from Sept. 12 to 19, offers substantial prizes in digital gold (DGLD). Players can trade or exchange DGLD for USDC on platforms such as Bitstamp Exchange or using the on-chain GoldSwap Brokerage, the CEO of The Spaceminers assured.

Meanwhile, the top five fastest speed runs on the tournament leaderboard during the event will win varying amounts of DGLD, with the first-place winner receiving 0.10 DGLD ($200) and the fifth-place winner earning 0.02 DGLD ($40).

Regarding future plans, Bennett mentioned: "Right now our focus is on completing the other two games in our early access phase, Gold Warrior (a co-op PVE arena) and Gold Miner (a gold-digging training experience). Once we have moved out of early access, we’ll be looking at additional platforms."

Bennett emphasized the importance of player feedback, saying the team values input from the player community and actively seeks feedback during the early access phase to enhance and refine the gaming experience.

"Whether it's the immersive storyline, the mechanics of gameplay, the art and visuals, or any other aspect that sparks enthusiasm, we want to know," he added.

He concluded with a note on in-game purchases: "The early access phase, which covers Gold Runner, Gold Warrior, and Gold Miner, will remain entirely free to play. Once this phase is over and we’ve reviewed all the player feedback, we’ll evaluate how in-game purchases will work for the main game."

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Editor's note: This article was updated with information and quotes from James Bennett.

Photo: Spaceminers via Steam.