The Rebel Bots team has faced significant delays in delivering their latest addition to the NFT Battle Set – Fighting Bot Army – to Xoil Wars players. Despite the lengthy and multiple delays, there was some hype surrounding their successful beta release just a few months ago, the team is now promising to finally give players the chance to claim their own Fighting Bot Army starting January 31st, 2023.
However, it’s important to note that this opportunity will only last for two months, closing on March 31st, 2023. Many have expressed concern that the play-to-earn model the game employs is now outdated. This raises questions about the sustainability and longevity of the game, as well as the Rebel Bots team’s ability to effectively manage their projects and meet deadlines. Players expect timely releases and seamless gameplay experiences in today’s fast-paced gaming industry. The repeated delays from Rebel Bots are unacceptable and have left many players and guild owners both frustrated and disillusioned.
The Rebel Bots development and release timeline has been a bumpy road with beta testing initially being delayed back in May last year. Feedback was overwhelmingly negative on an early demo and caused the team to go back to the drawing board regarding many aspects of the game. The company also blamed delays on the ongoing military action in Ukraine. Relocating the developers and their families to safety took time away from game development. The team also has an anti-crunch culture in the workplace which has caused further delays. The initial plan was for a June 2022 launch, Now 8 months later it looks like we are finally here.
The game itself, Rebel Bots – Xoil Wars, is a cross-platform card battle game with a sci-fi twist. Players compete in 3 vs 3 strategy card battles, controlling their Fighting Bot Army and implementing tactics to win rewards. However, for some, it’s concerning that the statistics, appearance, rarity, and skills of the Fighting Bots are randomly generated through the claiming process, leaving players with no control over the strength and capabilities of their army. This creates an unequal playing field, where some players may have a distinct advantage due to the randomly generated abilities of their Fighting Bots.
Additionally, the five components – head, left arm, right arm, torso, and legs – that make up a Fighting Bot are represented by individual cards. This means that players must not only claim their Fighting Bot Army, but also collect and manage the various cards that make up their army.
This system is interesting but somewhat similar to Axie Infinity. Time will tell if they can make it different enough to retain interest.
Due to these delays and a prolonged downturn in the crypto market, many early investors are significantly down on their initial investments.
While the concept of Rebel Bots – Xoil Wars is exciting, it’s also hard to entirely ignore the significant delays the project has faced. The long wait, limited accessibility, and unequal playing field may have left some players frustrated and resulted in them exploring other options in the gaming industry. The Rebel Bots team must take responsibility for their repeated delays and provide a clearer vision for the future of the game if they hope to regain the trust and support of all of their investors. However, with around $8 million USD in seed round funding from major players including gaming behemoth Ubisoft, the game certainly has the potential to be something special. Maybe Rebel Bots can surprise us after all.
The delays that have hounded Rebel Bots have definitely been disappointing. However, these problems are now priced in and it represents an interesting investment opportunity once again.#RebelBots
— Garry Walker NFT Artist / Investor (@GarryWalker) February 3, 2023