Building a Fediverse-Based Ultima Online Alternative with Crypto and Arweave

The idea of creating an open-source alternative to Ultima Online is already ambitious, but tying it to the broader Fediverse ecosystem and adding cryptocurrency features introduces a unique and potentially groundbreaking dimension. This concept would not just be about building another massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Instead, it would aim to create a truly decentralized digital society where gameplay, economy, governance, and history are all interconnected across multiple open platforms.

In this article, I will outline how such a system might work. The pieces include Fediverse integration for identity and social networking, Monero and Bitcoin Cash wallets for transactions, mining tied to gameplay, and world-state persistence using Arweave. By combining these elements into a single vision, the game could function not only as entertainment but also as a durable, player-owned digital civilization.

Fediverse as the foundation of identity

The Fediverse is a decentralized collection of social platforms like Mastodon, Pleroma, and PeerTube, all of which use the ActivityPub protocol for federation. If this game were built around the Fediverse, every player would log in with their existing account. Their profile in Mastodon, for example, would double as their in-game identity. This means that a guild’s social feed could live both inside the game and out on the Fediverse, visible to anyone who follows them.

This approach solves one of the biggest problems of modern online games: centralized control over accounts. If accounts live on the Fediverse, no single company has the power to banish a player entirely. Servers could still choose who to allow, but identity would remain portable. This portability would naturally align with the open-source ethos of the project and encourage vibrant cross-community interaction.

Built-in wallets and peer-to-peer economy

Every account would come with lightweight cryptocurrency wallets attached, supporting Monero and Bitcoin Cash. These currencies were chosen because they offer low fees and fast settlement while maintaining different strengths: Bitcoin Cash for broad usability and Monero for strong privacy. Keys would remain user-side, and the game would never hold custody of funds.

The in-game marketplace could accept both currencies for player-to-player trades. Items, land deeds, or crafting services could be priced in-game, but settlement would occur on-chain. This would allow players to retain ownership of their wealth independently of the server’s fate. For example, a player could sell a rare crafted sword to another player, receive Monero in return, and record the transaction ID alongside the game’s item registry.

Mining integrated with gameplay

One of the more experimental ideas is integrating Monero mining into the gameplay loop. Rather than running as hidden background mining, the system would trigger mining events tied to specific in-game actions. For example, opening a magical portal or powering a guild structure might require computational work. The client would then perform a short burst of RandomX hashing, submitting shares to P2Pool under the player’s Monero wallet.

This system would need careful balancing. Mining must always be opt-in and bounded so as not to overwhelm CPUs or laptops. However, when done responsibly, it could create a unique feedback loop: players contribute real computational resources to the broader Monero network while simultaneously generating in-game rewards for their efforts. Mining could become an optional but meaningful part of the economy, distinct from traditional grinding or farming.

Arweave for permanent world-state persistence

Arweave provides a “permaweb” where data, once uploaded, is guaranteed to be available indefinitely. By saving world-state snapshots to Arweave, the game could achieve a new level of permanence. Every few minutes or hours, the server would serialize a snapshot of the world—items, deeds, land ownership, guild charters—and upload it to Arweave.

This would serve several purposes. First, it creates an immutable history of the game world, allowing disputes to be resolved transparently. Second, it makes the game fork-friendly: anyone could spin up a new server by pulling the latest snapshot from Arweave and continuing the simulation. Finally, it preserves player creations for posterity. Guild halls, epic battles, or even entire towns would not simply vanish if a server shuts down—they would live permanently on the permaweb.

Data flow and integration

At a high level, the system could operate as follows:

1. Players log in with their Fediverse account, linking their identity across game and social networks.
2. Wallets are either generated or connected, with public keys tied to the account.
3. Gameplay occurs in real time, with servers managing hot state and saving cold state to local databases.
4. Snapshots of world diffs are periodically uploaded to Arweave, with manifests marking the canonical latest state.
5. Trades between players are recorded as signed orders, with on-chain settlement and receipts stored on Arweave for transparency.
6. Mining events occur in response to in-game actions, producing both real cryptocurrency rewards and in-game bonuses.

This pipeline would make the game not just another MMO but a hybrid of distributed computing, blockchain persistence, and federated social networking.

Governance and community control

One of the natural extensions of Fediverse integration is decentralized governance. Shards (individual servers) could run their own Fediverse accounts, posting patch notes, proposing changes, or holding votes. Players could sign ballots with their Fediverse accounts, and results could be anchored to Arweave for transparency.

This system would allow communities to fork or federate as they wish. If one shard became toxic or poorly managed, others could simply mute or defederate it, much like Fediverse platforms already do. Instead of relying on a central developer to make balance changes, players could shape the evolution of their shard democratically.

Security and fairness considerations

Such a system introduces challenges as well. Mining integration must be tightly controlled to avoid exploitation or harming players’ hardware. Anti-cheat systems would need to enforce server authority on movement and combat while verifying asset integrity. Wallets must remain strictly non-custodial to preserve privacy and security.

At the same time, transparency via Arweave creates opportunities to prevent cheating. Duplication exploits or fraudulent trades could be checked against immutable records. By anchoring important events to a public, verifiable ledger, the game would have a stronger defense against dishonest behavior than most traditional MMOs.

Modding and long-term creativity

Since the entire project would be open-source, modding would naturally play a central role. Developers could create new content, rulesets, or graphical overhauls, storing their work on Arweave for long-term preservation. Players could choose to join shards that run vanilla rules, heavily modded variants, or entirely experimental forks.

This openness is key to long-term success. The history of Ultima Online shows that much of its enduring appeal comes from player creativity, custom shards, and unique rule variations. By making forking and modding easy and verifiable, this project could tap into the same spirit while extending it with permanent records and portable identities.

Path to implementation

A possible rollout plan might follow these steps:

1. MVP: A single shard with Fediverse login, Bitcoin Cash testnet payments, and simple Arweave snapshots.
2. Alpha: In-game marketplace, Monero wallet integration, and optional mining events tied to gameplay.
3. Beta: Multi-shard federation, governance features, and comprehensive modding tools.
4. Release: A stable ecosystem with strong Fediverse presence, permanent history on Arweave, and sustainable mining integration.

Each phase would build upon the last, ensuring that the core game remains fun and engaging even before the more experimental features reach maturity.

Why this matters

The idea of an Ultima Online alternative tied to the Fediverse, with built-in crypto wallets and Arweave persistence, represents more than just a new game. It is an experiment in digital society-building. By combining decentralized identity, peer-to-peer economies, player-driven governance, and permanent history, the project could create something that feels less like a product and more like a living civilization.

This approach would also align with the values of open-source software, digital sovereignty, and user ownership. In a time when most online games are locked down and monetized to the extreme, a project like this could show what is possible when players truly own their accounts, their creations, and even the history of their world.

In the end, this is still just an idea. But it is an idea that combines multiple technologies already proven in other domains—Fediverse federation, cryptocurrency, distributed mining, and permanent storage—and asks what would happen if they were woven together in one persistent, player-driven world. The result could be a game that is not only fun to play but also enduring, auditable, and genuinely free.