A new video game project pulled in over $55 million in less than 1 week entirely through NFT sales of virtual land

• An upcoming game from an acclaimed game maker just made over $55 million in sales of NFTs.
• The NFTs are tied to virtual land in a game that's described as a "blockchain business sim."

Despite having no players, and not being available to play, a new video game has already pulled in over $55 million in sales.

Rather than excited customers putting down money to pre-order the upcoming game, that money is actually coming from sales of virtual land within the game's virtual world.

Homes start at just shy $3,300, and one plot of land went for $972,102. In total, sales of virtual land have thus far pulled in over $55 million.

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That is, of course, based on today's value of the cryptocurrency Ethereum, which is how the virtual land was purchased. Moreover, each piece of virtual land was tied to its own NFT — a kind of digital receipt that allows its owner to resell the item later on.

That's because the new game, "Legacy," is foundationally built on so-called "Web3" concepts like Blockchain technology, NFTs, and cryptocurrency. It's a new spin on an old video game genre known as the "god game," and it's being creatively led by the game developer most directly associated with popularizing that genre, Peter Molyneux (of "Populous" and "Black and White" fame).

Since announcing the in-game "land sale" last Saturday, "Legacy" developers 22cans and Gala Games have nearly sold out of virtual homes in virtual London.

The game is expected to launch for PC and Mac in 2022, and Gala Games described it as "the first ever Blockchain Business Sim." Based on a trailer, the gameplay is primarily a town-building game with a focus on commerce and expansion. Players can create new virtual objects which can be sold within the game, with the end goal of total commercial dominance.

Through the virtual land purchases, players will be able to participate in what sounds like a recipe for a video game version of unregulated capitalism with a dash of pyramid scheme.

"Owning a Land NFT allows you to start your own in-game blockchain business association in 'Legacy.'" Gala's blog post said. "Crucially, as a business association owner, you will have access to Legacy Keys. These items can be lent to other people who want to start an in-game business in 'Legacy,' making them your in-game Business Partners. As part of your association, they will share a portion of their earned LegacyCoin with you."

Notably, "Legacy" has its own cryptocurrency ("LegacyCoin") that enables in-game purchases.

Though it lives on the Ethereum blockchain, LegacyCoin can be earned through participating in some in-game events and used to pay for in-game items.

A request for comment from game director Peter Molyneux went unanswered as of publishing.

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