Epic Games’ Shrapnel looks like a crypto Call of Duty rip-off

The Call of Duty community regularly complains about the direction of the series and the wacky skins that keep being pushed out by Sledgehammer in MW3, but competitors continue to buy the franchise every single year.

While there are alternatives like Battlefield, Escape From Tarkov, Rainbow Six, and BRs like Apex Legends - it's very difficult to pull a CoD fan away and get them to transfer to a new title.

Well, CoD-inspired Shrapnel is looking to do exactly that in 2024, with the game launching in early access on the Epic Games store.

While it could be labelled a rip-off or lookalike of other FPS titles, there's one feature that makes it stand out from the crowd - it's a crypto game. Whether that's positive or negative depends on who you speak to.

Call of Duty-inspired Shrapnel goes into early access in 2024

There's no denying that Shrapnel has taken heavy inspiration from other popular franchises like Call of Duty, but the game does have a distinct style and gameplay elements. As it's set in 2038, competitors will have access to futuristic weaponry and abilities that look completely different to those in MW3.

Not only that, the game is an extraction shooter which can offer high-stakes gameplay that leads to intense skirmishes, if the map and the gunplay are top-tier.

It's clear Shrapnel is putting a heavy emphasis on cosmetics which is always popular with FPS fans, but the crypto side of it has the potential to put some players off completely.

Either way, the game is launching into early access on the Epic Games store in Q1 of 2024, so we'll have to see how it performs.

Can Shrapnel break into the mainstream as a Crpyto game?

Click to enlarge

The problem with most crypto games is that they focus so much on the blockchain side of the title, even when the actual gameplay is sub-par. If any crypto title is going to break into the mainstream and become a success, it needs to nail the overall player experience first.

Not only that, crypto as a whole in the games industry has not got the best reputation, so for some players, hearing it has any blockchain elements means they'll give it an instant pass.

At the moment, Shrapnel may look above average when it comes to a crypto game, but the bar is extremely low. Whether it can make a splash among FPS fans is a mystery for now, but it doesn't feel like the crypto side of it will help its cause popularity-wise.