Google Cloud Joins XPLA as Volunteer Validator

Google Cloud has been activated as the initial “volunteer validator” for XPLA, a blockchain network established by Com2uS, a prominent South Korean game publisher.

To support the blockchain, validators validate and affix signatures to transactions. Volunteer validators do not receive tokens as compensation for their support of the XPLA network. The tokens are instead allocated to a community reserve.

That is, at least, the intention. As of this writing, the proposal to implement the volunteer validator feature has received one hundred percent of the vote in favor of the XPLA network.

“We expect to accelerate the growth and innovation of Web3 games on the secure and high-performance Google Cloud infrastructure,” stated a Korean-translated press release by Jack Buser, general director of Google Cloud Game Industry Solutions.

Built on the same protocol that drives the Cosmos network, Tendermint and XPLA are also Ethereum Virtual Machine compatible.

Prominent XPLA-powered games consist of The Walking Dead: All-Stars, Summoner’s War: Chronicles, and Ace Fishing: Crew, all adapted from established intellectual properties for “play-to-own” blockchain games.

The network was initially founded under the name C2X and was constructed upon Terra, a platform that experienced significant setbacks following the May 2022 collapse of the UST and LUNA tokens.

The XPLA network subsequently commenced operations in August 2022. Additionally, mobile game developer Gumi and metaverse investor Animoca Brands are XPLA validators.

XPLA Team Lead Paul Kim stated in a release, “We are thrilled to announce Google Cloud is joining XPLA as a new validator and to partner to advance our common vision of shaping a transparent Web3 ecosystem and delivering innovative and engaging Web3 experiences to our players around the globe.”

Google Cloud has previously agreed to operate a validator on Solana, Tezos, Aptos, the Ethereum scaling network Polygon, and the DeFi network Celo, among others.

Additionally, the exchange has partnered with Coinbase to accept cryptocurrency payments.

Google Cloud launched the Web3 Startups Program in April in collaboration with networks including Solana, Aptos, Near, and Hedera to provide additional benefits for cryptocurrency companies.