‘China’s Google’ jumps on the blockchain-based game bandwagon with digital pooches
The value of the blockchain-based digital pets goes up and down depending on the market – but they are not virtual currencies themselves
Baidu, known as “China’s Google”, has become the latest Chinese tech company to jump on the blockchain-enabled digital pet bandwagon.
The Beijing-based operator of China’s largest online search engine unveiled a service where users can adopt, raise and trade digital pet dogs. The service, set to be unveiled ahead of the Year of Dog in China, is Baidu’s latest move in exploring the application of blockchain technology. In January, the company launched a blockchain platform to perform and trace transactions in applications such as insurance management and financial auditing.
Dubbed “Laici Gou” in Chinese, which has a similar pronunciation to “Let’s Go”, the website for the new blockchain-enabled game lists different kinds of digital puppies with different “designs” and price-levels, each one ranked by their scarcity.
Baidu said in a statement that its digital dog product is currently under internal test. The company also reportedly has plans for a CryptoKitties-style game for China.
Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum have jumped in value, boosting the popularity of products built by blockchain, the digital ledger technology underpinning all virtual currencies.
Canadian start-up Axiom Zen claimed to have launched the world’s first blockchain-based game, CryptoKitties, last November, where users could breed and trade digital kittens using Ethereum-based smart contracts.