In order to broaden its fanbase, Major League Baseball (MLB) is to start using blockchain technology.
It was announced that MLB has joined with the L.A.-based blockchain gaming startup, Lucid Sight, to introduce a decentralized App (dApp). MLB Crypto Baseball is expected to see light later this summer and allow its players to buy digital avatars that are connected to certain moments in the games.
The game will have a similar mechanism, to the popular CryptoKitties, a blockchain game which gives players an opportunity to trade digital kittens using ether. To play MLB Crypto Baseball, the players will have to obtain ether and move it to MetaMask, an extension for accessing dApps and browser wallet. After that, the trading of avatars can begin with a chance of gaining rewards and stickers.
MLB hopes that this new game will expand its fan base and get the younger generation more interested in baseball since this season they saw a drop in attendance to games.
The executive vice president of MLB, Kenny Gersh claimed that the league has been interested in going crypto for some time now, and the success of CryptoKitties made them settle on Lucid Sight. In Addition to this, Gersh claims that the decision is a strategic one in order to attract people to baseball, but also it gives the fans an opportunity to collect digital memorabilia related to their team and the moments during the game “that you want to remember and cherish, and have a sense that you were there, even if only digitally.”
MLB Crypto Baseball isn’t exactly intuitive with all the steps that need to be undergone before the playing can commence, but Gersh hopes that the interest in the collectibles will overweigh the initial hardships.