Outerverse writer Freedom Video games is warning of an NFT rip-off that is advertising a brand new cryptocurrency to videogame and NFT communities. The Outerverse Metaverse and Decentralized Platform is providing a token that it says will probably be earnable and usable in Outerverse—however Freedom Video games and developer Tbjbu2 say the declare is “patently false.”
“There’s completely no NFT integration in the true Outerverse or with every other titles from Freedom Video games,” director of promoting Bryan Herren mentioned in a press release. “Outerverse Metaverse & Decentralized Platform Gaming illegally makes use of the true recreation’s belongings and the trademarked identify. The con artists are promoting an $OUTERVERSE token, claiming that it will likely be usable within the recreation itself.”
There is not any query that the NFT website is deliberately piggybacking on Outerverse: The logos are similar (aside from the addition of “Metaverse & Decentralized Platform”) and the background of the Outerverseswap web site is similar to the header picture on the Steam retailer web page, however reversed. The $OUTERVERSE token identify is form of a giveaway, too.
And, like so many e-mail scams that arrive daily, this one is additional identifiable as a con by way of its less-than-pristine grammar. “$OUTERVERSE is developed Sport Metaverse & DexSwap platform that connects players and allows commerce token,” the web site says. “This offers $OUTERVERSE an actual sensible utility throughout the OUTERVERSE ecosystem. Embrace a platform the place players and blockchain converge!”
The identical message was shared on the Outerverseswap Twitter account, which additionally bears the Outerverse identify:
$OUTERVERSE is developed Metaverse Sport & DexSwap platform that connects players and allows them to purchase and gaming NFTs.This offers $OUTERVERSE an actual sensible utility throughout the OUTERVERSE ecosystem. Embrace a platform the place players and blockchain converge!January 16, 2022
On the similar time, the $OUTERVERSE token does seem like a “actual” cryptocurrency, to the extent that it is listed on a minimum of one crypto exchange, and you’ll apparently buy it if you’d like. However in an e-mail to PC Gamer, Herren repeated that it has nothing to do with Tbjbu2’s recreation, which doesn’t make use of blockchain expertise in any manner.
“This seems to only be an opportunistic appropriation of the sport’s identify and belongings, presumably to revenue off the uninformed,” Herren mentioned.
As for why Outerverse was focused on this manner, he speculated that the sport title would possibly conjure associations with “metaverse,” a stylish subject among the many tech set that scammers would possibly hope will set off the urge to purchase with out due diligence—or perhaps a fast Google search.
“The sport has additionally had a profitable launch based mostly on our projections and has maintained ‘principally constructive’ critiques because it debuted,” Herren mentioned. “The crafting recreation style can be a preferred one with a youthful viewers base, so scammers might have focused us attributable to these related titles.”
Apart from warning folks in regards to the rip-off, Freedom Video games mentioned that it has contacted the corporate internet hosting the rip-off web page to “encourage” its removing. Up to now there’s been no motion on that entrance—actually, the writer says it is seen different complaints about fraudulent websites hosted by the identical firm with no motion taken, “so we aren’t certain if it will likely be a precedence for them.”
“Freedom Video games will proceed to do all the pieces inside its energy to guard the builders we assist,” Herren mentioned. “Likewise, Freedom Video games will all the time vigorously defend its copyright and logos, to safeguard our group to the perfect of our capacity.”
