Keeping Crypto's Promise: CryptoKitties Is Smartly Embracing Open Source

Among a slew of updates, CryptoKitties is open-sourcing its API and smart contracts for gameplay in the KittyVerse - a virtual world of experiences including catfights, racing and accessories - through a developer toolkit.

CryptoKitties isn't just improving for end-users, but also for developers.

To the contrary, CryptoKitties co-founder Bryce Bladon said that diverse experiences with the items increase the whole ecosystem's value, plus, people looking to build alternative versions of CryptoKitties now don't ever need to worry about being sued.

Bladon said he hopes the Nifty License can set an example for other non-fungible tokens, a broader class of crypto assets of which CryptoKitties is the most well-known, establishing a norm where the asset belongs to the user and not the platform.

The CryptoKitties team sees the Nifty License as a work in progress.

"We are trying to build sustainable revenue options for people outside of the core CryptoKitties team," Bladon said.

These days, the startup's main source of revenue is charging 3.7 percent on all transactions done through CryptoKitties.

"I'm certain there is immense potential and a strong possibility for new and interesting ways for CryptoKitties to be made."

For Johnson, CryptoKitties was her first introduction to blockchain technology and she enjoyed the opportunity to learn more about it with a group of players who call themselves the KittyBattles team.

In the future, if CryptoKitties relinquishes control of the platform, the game would still need a vibrant developer community to continue iterating on the game to make it fun for users.