PlaySide Studios will develop the upcoming Shiba Inu game, the studio confirmed, although it may not feature SHIB NFTs.
In a press release, the Australian company said it signed a "strategic work-for-hire contract" with Shiba Inu Games.
This comes after Shiba Inu's project lead Shytoshi first announced Activision veteran William Volk would also work on the Shiba Inu game.
Shiba Inu Game To Launch In 2023
Under the agreement, PlaySide will be responsible for the production, design, and development of the Shiba Inu game.
PlaySide expects development to take eight months, with the game launching in Q1 2023.
While Shiba Inu payments are becoming common through the likes of NOWPayments and Travala, PlaySide will not be paid in SHIB.
"This is a fixed-price development agreement and does not include a revenue share," the company said. "PlaySide will be paid in USD currency and will not trade or participate in cryptocurrency as part of this agreement."
This statement, alongside a description of the game that states it will only "draw from the art of the Shiba token's NFTs", suggests that the Shiba Inu game may not use NFTs.
Instead, it will be a multiplayer Card Collecting Game that allows players to collect and battle with cards.
While some SHIB holders were sceptical of yet another cryptocurrency-inspired card game, Shytoshi said it is "not just a card game...but you'll see."
Volk also tweeted his support for PlaySide. "PlaySide has created some of the best mobile, PC, and VR games. It's great to be working with them," he said.
On the partnership, PlaySide CEO Garry Sekkas said: "To add a new game client that has emerged from the popular NFT token and decentralised cryptocurrency industry is very exciting for us."
PlaySide Studios worked on titles such as Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners and Battle Simulator Warfare in the past. It also signed another work-for-hire agreement with publisher 2K in November.
Read More: ShibaNet Will Be Shiba Inu's Decentralised Marketplace: Here's What To Expect
[Image: Unsplash/Fotis Fotopoulos]