'Wilder World' Launches First-Person Shooter Game With $100K Tournament

In brief

Wilder World launched a 10-player shooter game mode in “super early access” at Gamescom, featuring deathmatch gameplay in a recreated Miami setting called Wiami.
The Ethereum-based project is hosting a $100,000 tournament from August 25 to September 24, with five finalists receiving all-expenses-paid trips to compete in person.
This shooter represents the second release in Wilder World’s broader metaverse vision targeting early 2026, which will include racing, combat, mining, concerts, and other experiences.

Wilder World launched a high-intensity shooter game mode into “super early access” at the annual Gamescom conference on Wednesday.

The Ethereum-based project aims to create a broad metaverse of gaming experiences, which kick-started last year with the launch of the racing game Wilder Wheels in partnership with Lamborghini.

The PC-based shooter is a 10-player free-for-all deathmatch that blends first and third-person perspectives. Available on Epic Games Store, each match will last for 10 minutes, with players earning points as they battle in a fragment of Wiami—which is a 1:1 recreation of Miami, and the future foundation of its open-world metaverse. Gamescom attendees will also be able to claim Samsung-branded playable NFTs.

To celebrate the launch of the game, Wilder Worlds is hosting a $100,000 tournament with qualifiers running from August 25 to September 9, before a round of playoffs and finally an in-person final at an undisclosed location on September 24. The five players who qualify will be flown out to the final, all expenses paid.

Wilder World’s shooter game mode comes as the second release in its broader metaverse vision, which is targeting an early 2026 rollout.

Pseudonymous co-founder and Executive Producer n3o told Decrypt that the full game will include “racing, combat, resource mining, exploration, concerts, art galleries, and branded cultural experiences” that “coexist within a living, player-driven economy.”

“Launching individual modes first allows us to refine gameplay mechanics at a world-class level before bringing everything together into the open world,” they added.

The project launched an Ethereum token in 2021 and approximately six months later set its all-time high of $7.44, according to CoinGecko. Wilder World said that the launch of WILD was “foundational” to building the game, as it raised over $30 million to fund development. Over the past month, WILD has climbed 37% to about $0.40, but still remains down nearly 95% from its peak price.

“Think of [Wilder World] as the world’s first truly living digital city—where you can race, fight, build, trade, attend a concert, showcase your art, or launch your own brand.” n3o told Decrypt. “We are targeting early 2026 for the full open-world release, with Super Early Access modes like racing and FPS serving as the foundation that evolves into this broader vision.”