At four in the morning, in an apartment in Manila, former fishing boat navigator Carlos was not checking the tide charts as usual, but staring at the complex star map on the screen. He was planning a route from the 'Eagle Constellation Sector' to the 'Vega Trade Station', with the screen displaying not ocean current data, but real-time fluctuating fuel prices, pirate activity hotspots, and the price differences of goods at various space stations.
Carlos is not an astronaut, nor an astrophysicist. He is a route planner for the 'Deep Space Exploration Sub-DAO' under Yield Guild Games (YGG). And he is operating one of the three cruisers owned by YGG in Star Atlas—each worth the equivalent of a mid-sized yacht in reality.
This is the most ambitious attempt in blockchain gaming: a promise to achieve AAA-level visual effects in a space metaverse, a complex economic system driven by dual tokens, and a group of pioneers like YGG, building new forms of social organization in this digital universe.
When game trailers look like (Star Trek) movies
Anyone who sees the Star Atlas trailer for the first time will be stunned: is this really a blockchain game? The nebula reflections under real-time ray tracing are clear on the spaceship’s hull, and the terrain details on the planet's surface are vividly visible; the particle effects of space combat rival Hollywood special effects.
But when YGG co-founder Gabi first saw the demo in 2021, he didn't ask 'how good the graphics are,' but rather another question: 'Is the ownership of these beautiful spaceships really written on the blockchain?'
The answer is right. All core assets of Star Atlas - spaceships, space stations, planetary plots - are NFTs on the Solana blockchain. This means two things: first, they truly belong to the players; second, their transactions are completely transparent, and anyone can trace who owns what and at what price.
“We saw that early excitement of Axie,” Gabi recalled, “but scaled up 100 times. This is not about raising pets; it's about building space civilizations.”
Dual token: ATLAS is fuel, POLIS is the steering wheel
To understand YGG's strategy in Star Atlas, one must first understand the game's dual economic system:
ATLAS token - the 'fuel' of the universe
· For almost all transactions: buy fuel, repair ships, purchase goods, pay salaries
· Generate large outputs through game activities: mining, transportation, combat
· Value is determined by supply and demand, and inflationary pressures are expected
· YGG's strategy: not to hoard in large amounts, but to establish a 'just-in-time production - just-in-time consumption' fluid cycle
POLIS token - the 'steering wheel' of the universe
· For governance voting: decide on new star zone rules, tax rate adjustments, conflict resolution solutions
· Limited total supply, slow production
· Holders share game revenue
· YGG's core bet: early accumulation in large quantities to strive for governance discourse power
“This is like the dollar and voting rights in the real world,” explained Erin, YGG's interstellar economic analyst, “you need dollars to live, but what truly decides the future is voting rights. We tell members: earning ATLAS is important, but accumulating POLIS is the long game.”
The auction that changed the fate of the guild
In early 2022, Star Atlas held its first flagship spaceship auction. One of the 'enterprise-class cruisers' had a starting price of $50,000 - an astronomical figure for game assets.
Most guilds hesitated. But YGG did something that seemed crazy: they not only participated in the bidding but also united with three other Asian guilds to form the 'Interstellar Alliance,' jointly investing $120,000 to successfully bid for that cruiser.
Smarter is their ownership design:
· Starships as single NFTs held by multi-signature wallets
· Usage rights schedule: YGG members on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; alliance partners on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays; Sundays for public missions
· Revenue distribution: 50% according to investment ratio, 30% according to usage contribution, 20% reserved for maintenance fund
· Governance rights: major decisions require the agreement of three out of four parties
“This is not just about buying spaceships,” said Lucas, the YGG asset manager responsible for negotiations, “this is about establishing standard protocols for inter-guild cooperation. The framework we designed was later adopted by six other alliances.”
What about that cruiser now? According to on-chain data, it has completed 47 trade voyages, participated in 12 pirate suppression missions, and discovered 3 rare mining points. Conservatively, it has brought in revenue for the alliance that exceeds its purchase cost, and its NFT itself has appreciated to around $250,000.
YGG's 'Space Talent Development Program'
But hardware (spaceships) is only half of the story. The operations of Star Atlas are complex to an astounding degree: flying requires an understanding of orbital mechanics, trade requires analysis of interstellar economic data, and combat requires team coordination comparable to esports.
“We quickly realized,” said Maria, YGG's training director, “that the scarcest resource is not the spaceships, but the people who can operate them.”
Thus, the “Space Academy” project was launched. Selected scholars undergo three phases:
Phase one: simulator training (4 weeks)
· Learn basic spaceship operation
· Understand the economic model of Star Atlas
· Through 10 simulated mission assessments
Phase two: co-pilot (8 weeks)
· Hold secondary responsibilities on real ships
· Learn specific roles: navigator, engineer, gunner, trader
· Accumulate 'on-chain flight records'
Phase three: commander candidate (ongoing)
· Lead small missions
· Participate in route planning
· The best are promoted to spaceship commanders
“We have a former Uber driver who is now a candidate for commander,” Maria shared, “he said flying a spaceship is easier than driving a car - because there are no pedestrians suddenly popping out in space.”
When ray tracing meets blockchain verification
The most revolutionary commitment of Star Atlas is to combine AAA graphics with blockchain verification. What does this mean for YGG?
Imagine this scene: a YGG fleet discovers a rare mining point on the edge of the 'Orion Nebula.' The game graphics are stunning, but more importantly - this discovery is immediately recorded on the Solana blockchain.
This means:
1. Ownership is indisputable: the coordinates, reserves, and discovery time of mining points are all recorded on the chain
2. Transactions are completely transparent: every transaction of YGG selling mined ore can be traced
3. Historical permanence: ten years later, people can still find out who first discovered this mining point
“This changed the nature of the game,” analyzed Kenneth, YGG's technical advisor, “in traditional games, what you ‘discover’ is just temporary data on the server. Here, you are ‘engraving’ discoveries on the blockchain. This is the Columbus moment of the digital age - and it has an immutable diary.”
Governance war: the first major test of the POLIS token
In March this year, the Star Atlas community faced its first major governance vote: should an additional tax be levied on 'piracy' to fund 'interstellar police'?
On the surface, it is a game mechanics issue, but in reality, it is a core debate of the economic model:
· Supporters (mainly merchant players): need safer trade routes
· Opposition (pirate gameplay and libertarians): believe this will stifle the fun of the game
The POLIS tokens held by YGG played a key role here. But they did not vote directly; instead, they launched a 'governance listening session':
1. Survey the preferences of all Star Atlas members
2. Invite economists to analyze the economic impact of different proposals
3. Organize debates, allowing supporting and opposing members to state their viewpoints
In the end, YGG chose to support the tax proposal - but added an amendment: half of the tax revenue would be used for bounty rewards, encouraging players to participate in law enforcement rather than handing everything over to NPC police.
“Our voting is not based on ‘what we want,’” governance coordinator Sarah explained, “but on ‘what is most beneficial for the long-term health of the overall economy.’ Data shows that complete deregulation leads to a massive loss of new players, while complete NPC control reduces player interaction opportunities. Our compromise solution has received 67% support.”
Risks: when the universe meets reality
The ambition of Star Atlas also brings enormous risks. An internal assessment by YGG listed three major concerns:
Technical risks: Can the game deliver the promised graphics quality? Can Solana handle millions of players' transactions?
Economic risks: Will the dual-token model collapse? Will ATLAS become worthless due to excessive inflation?
Time risk: projects of this scale require years of development; can players wait that long?
YGG's hedging strategy is pragmatic:
1. Diversified assets: invest not only in spaceships but also in space stations, planetary plots, and even 'route data'
2. Phased participation: do not invest on a large scale, but gradually increase as the game matures
3. Skill transfer: even if Star Atlas fails, the trained pilots, traders, and tacticians can transfer to other games
“We see Star Atlas as a long-term experiment,” Gabi confessed, “like investing in ocean voyages in the 16th century: eight out of ten times you might incur losses, but as long as two succeed, everything can change.”
Cosmic sociology experiment
Perhaps the most interesting attempt by YGG in Star Atlas is not economic or technical, but social.
They are testing a 'cross-stellar DAO' structure:
· Core committee: composed of representatives from various sub-DAOs, formulating grand strategies
· Professional fleets: trade fleets, exploration fleets, combat fleets
· Support departments: logistics, training, diplomacy, R&D
· Autonomy: each fleet makes decisions independently within a certain budget and mission scope
“Does this sound like a gaming guild?” Lucas retorted, “Rather, it resembles a micro-nation or multinational corporation. We are learning how to manage virtual assets worth millions of dollars, scattered across dozens of time zones and hundreds of members - these experiences may be more valuable than the game itself.”
Carlos's new navigation chart
Back to Carlos's apartment. He has just completed the planning of a new route: avoiding areas with frequent pirate activity, using the gravitational slingshot effect of two star systems to save 15% fuel, and expecting a profit margin 22% higher than standard routes.
The data from this route itself will become another NFT in YGG's asset library. Other guilds can pay to use it, and Carlos will receive a share.
Three years ago, Carlos was navigating fishing boats in the real world, earning $200 a month. Now, he is planning starship routes in the virtual universe, earning over $1,500 a month - and his 'work results' as digital assets may continue to generate passive income.
“Sometimes I feel,” Carlos said in the late-night voice channel, “that I am not just playing a game; I am helping to chart the first maps of humanity's digital frontier. And YGG has given me the tools and reasons to draw maps.”
Outside, the sky in Manila began to lighten. But in the universe of Star Atlas, there are always galaxies waiting to be discovered in the darkness, trade routes waiting to be opened, and new social forms waiting to be invented.
YGG's spaceships are sailing in that universe. They carry not only players and cargo, but also a grander experiment: when games become so real, so complex, and so economically significant, guilds are no longer just guilds - they may become prototypes of new types of organizations in the digital age.
And all of this began with a simple question: If we could really own the stars and the seas on the blockchain, how should we navigate? YGG is looking for answers, one light year at a time.@Yield Guild Games #YGGPlay $YGG
