Players Trade Rare Items Illegally While Awaiting On-Chain Marketplace
Despite blockchain gaming’s promise of open and legal item trading, the battle royale shooter Off the Grid is experiencing a booming black market ahead of its GUNZ Layer-1 mainnet launch on Avalanche.
Eager players are buying and selling rare skins and GUN tokens for real money via Discord groups and private deals, sidestepping the game’s current trading restrictions.
🚨 Black market deals include:
- Rare NFT skins
- GUN tokens traded for USD or crypto
- Full player accounts sold for thousands
This type of over-the-counter (OTC) trading is prohibited in Off the Grid’s terms of service, but that hasn’t stopped collectors from securing rare items before official on-chain trading begins.
Why Players Are Taking the Risk
Two of the game’s biggest skin collectors, Money Magician and torToro, refuse to participate in OTC trading.
Money Magician revealed he received a $60,000 offer for his account but turned it down, believing prices will rise post-mainnet launch.
Other players, like H and Henryk Ptasznik, have spent thousands acquiring rare sets, expecting values to skyrocket once trading goes live.
“I believe in the future of Off the Grid. It could be the next Apex [Legends] or Fortnite,” said player Cpt. Jaxie, who claims 40% of his crypto portfolio is in Off the Grid NFTs.
The Rarest Items on the Market
🔹 Pioneer content pack – Given to closed test players who paid for an OTG Pro subscription ($10/month).
🔹 Convict gear & Zippermouth Mask – Considered among the rarest, with only 300 minted.
🔹 Legacy & Retro skins – Special guns with discontinued modifications.
Gunzilla Games’ Web3 Director, Theodore Agranat, confirmed that the Convict gear will be officially re-released, potentially altering its rarity.
Additionally, the studio is working on:
- A better NFT numbering system for transparency.
- A way to display which items are exclusive and which are not.
How the Black Market Works
💰 Players trade via Discord clans like Flaw Gaming, setting prices for items and tokens.
⚠️ Deals rely on trust, with payments in crypto or USD before transferring items in-game.
⚡ Risks include scams and bot sniping, where ultra-rare items can be stolen from listings.
Some traders see it as an addiction—buying multiples of rare items for future profit or to pass down to their kids.
Mainnet Launch to Bring Official Trading
Gunzilla Games has confirmed its goal to launch the GUNZ mainnet by Q1 2025, fully enabling in-game and third-party trading.
Until then, the black market is thriving, showing just how eager players are to trade skins and tokens. If Gunzilla Games can’t offer this yet, players will continue to find ways—just like in Web2 games.
