Arief Widhiyasa, CEO of Confiction Labs – Interview Series

Indonesia-based torchbearer Confiction Labs is shaping up to launch its flagship co-op looter-shooter game, RIFTSTORM—a title that will reportedly include competitive battles, specialized weapons, and deep roots into the roguelite world. To learn more about this upcoming project, I decided to speak with Confiction Labs CEO, Arief Widhiyasa.

Thanks for taking the time out to speak with us today! Before we tap into the latest developments in the blockchain space, please could you tell us a bit about your background in the industry? How did it all start for you, and what brought you to Confiction Labs?

Arief: Hi, I’m Arief, currently the CEO of Confiction Labs, humbled to be here. I’ve been in the game industry for more than 15 years, initially I co-founded a game-dev company called Agate. We’re lucky now we’ve become the biggest game development company in Indonesia with more than 250+ people in the company. We do co-development and development services (work-for-hire) for PC, console and mobile titles.

In late-2021, I got my first exposure into web3 through the rise of play-to-earn games. Aside from the over-financialization of games, we saw an opportunity for a new technology disruption to start a new cycle in the game industry (mobile + internet that unlock mass adoption). In this cycle case, it’s definitely blockchain + AI that will unlock what we called Collaborative Entertainment. The future of entertainment that scales through the input & output of all participants. In other words, gamers are not only consumers, but also have the potential to become  creators, promoters, investors, designers, etc.

And the rest is history, I stepped down from Agate, and started Confiction Labs with others. Currently we’re developing our flagship game: RIFTSTORM.

Let’s talk about RIFTSTORM. Could you tell us more about what sort of game it is, as well as the themes that it aims to encapsulate? What’s the story here?

Arief: RIFTSTORM is a co-op looter shooter ARPG with a roguelite element, for up to 3 players. The game is planned to be a cross-play multiplatform title for PC, Consoles and Mobiles and will support multiple languages.

In RIFTSTORM, you play as a Weaver—a member of a secret organization dedicated to the containment of rifts and rift-world mythics. These Weavers have their own weapon specializations and skills, making each co-op session with your friends a blast in every run.

From what we’ve gathered, RIFTSTORM will feature mythical creatures—“mythics”—and a secretive organization known as Mythic Protocol. Please could you tell us about these two warring factions and their respective roles in the game?

Arief: In this universe, rifts appeared throughout our planet as gateways to other worlds. We don’t understand what causes their manifestation nor how to prevent them inevitably seeping into our world. Creatures, unknown technologies, and unnatural phenomena called Mythics emerge from these portals. Formed from an alliance between occult groups founded in response to rift-encounters throughout history, Mythic Protocol is a secret organization dedicated to the capture, study, development, and containment of rifts and rift-world Mythics. The agency deploys a network of weavers in search of rift encounters. In the following centuries, a new organization emerges as a response to new and more frequent rift encounters — Naga Society, Maledictum, and Interregnum. Nearly reaching the brink of war with each other and facing the threat of otherworldly destruction, the factions came to the negotiating table instead. Weeks of geopolitical deals and parlaying led to the signing of a constitution among the factions. They called it the Mythic Protocol. The Mythic Protocol laid out a mutually beneficial future between the factions, so they could turn their attention toward the ever-increasing threat that lies beyond our dimension.

Discover a whole new world of opportunity for Collaborative Entertainment with @confictionlabs Ecosystem!

Experience the excitement of @playRIFTSTORM, Portal, Repository, and more.

Huge thanks to our amazing @fictzero holders for your unwavering support for helping us gain… pic.twitter.com/q08JH3UzoD

— Confiction Labs (@confictionlabs) June 12, 2024

You’ve talked about “challenging combat” and something of an “intense” learning curve in the past. Tell us, are there any vital lessons that one should onboard before taking to the battlefield?

Arief: Compared to other similar games, RIFTSTORM is quite easy to pick-up, as we want it to be accessible to as many people as possible. However, some dungeons are designed to be more challenging, requiring players to grind for the best weapons before entering. We also offer specialized dungeons like “Challenge Towers,” where a group of 3 players can climb as high as possible, along with various campaign missions that challenge players to complete them as quickly as they can. Our target audience is mid to hardcore gamers, and we aim to create dynamic content that can be enjoyed by many.

RIFTSTORM is officially set to join the Xai Foundation. Tell us, what are you hoping to accomplish with this newly established partnership with the web3 ecosystem?

Arief: Our vision for RIFTSTORM is to be the “go-to game to play with friends”, a game that players can continuously come back to , whether they’re diving into quick, thrilling sessions or grinding resources to climb the leaderboards. With cross-platform play, deep lore, and a thriving community-driven ecosystem, Rifstorm will offer a truly immersive experience.

To deliver that vision, we need a technology that is not only scalable but also seamless to the users. We’re excited to partner with the Xai Foundation to leverage the Xai technology as the first gaming L3 blockchain that’s proven to be the fastest and most scalable EVM gaming chain.

The details of the integration will be announced at a later date. Currently we’re working closely to ensure that we’re able to implement the technology so that it remains secure yet scalable, is unobstructive to the game’s UX, and is also in-compliance with all the regulations and store policy where the game will be distributed.

Could you tell us a bit more about the rewards and other in-game perks that one might have the opportunity to unlock in RIFTSTORM?

Arief: What we can definitely promise at this point is that for those who are looking for a game to play that is fun  and has hours of content you can enjoy with your squad, RIFTSTORM will deliver that engaging experience.

One of the key hypotheses that we want to implement in RIFTSTORM is the concept of recording player legacy. Imagine you use a weapon to kill a pinnacle raid boss that appears once a year, where you manage to be the one that inflicts the last hit, your weapon will record the legacy and evolve with a new trait. This welcomes a new utility value that records the achievement and emotional value that comes with it.

In terms of in-game perks, please stay tuned in our future updates, especially our upcoming playtest. There will be lots of in-game benefits for those who are participating during the playtest.

We’d love to stay in the loop ahead of the upcoming launch. Where might we find the latest updates and live coverage on the game and the partnership with Xai? Are there any social feeds, newsletters, or events that we can share with our readers?

Arief: Please follow us on X at @confictionlabs and @playRIFTSTORM for RIFTSTORM exclusive updates. Check out our website also confiction.com, where we mainly announce our key updates and thoughts on the spaces.

Is there anything you would like to add before we go ahead and wrap things up?

Arief: Please stay tuned for our next playtest scheduled soon!

Thank you for your time, Arief!

To stay up to date with Confiction Labs’ RIFTSTORM, be sure to check in with the team over on their official social channel here. You can also wishlist the game on Steam for more live updates here.