Beam is a gaming-focused subnet operating on Avalanche, developed by Merit Circle DAO. This subnet is designed specifically for Web3 gaming, allowing game developers to deploy their projects efficiently while benefiting from Avalanche's features. Beam aims to support a variety of games and offers tools for both developers and players, including an NFT marketplace and mechanisms for managing in-game assets.

History

• Launch of Merit Circle DAO (Early 2021): The Merit Circle DAO was established to revolutionize the gaming industry, focusing on creating a community-driven ecosystem for gamers and developers.
• Migration from MC to BEAM Token (October 26, 2023): The DAO transitioned from using the MC token to the BEAM token, aligning better with its activities and governance structure. This migration followed proposals MIP-28 and MIP-29.
• Beam Hub Introduction (December 2023): Beam launched its gaming platform, Beam Hub, which caters to both early-access and competitive players.
• Launch of Sphere NFT Marketplace (December 2023): Sphere was introduced as a dedicated marketplace for gaming NFTs, allowing seamless transactions for game assets between players and developers.
• Beam Companion App Release (December 2023): This app was designed to facilitate ownership of in-game assets, enabling users to manage their assets across various games integrated with the Beam network.
• Transition to Layer 1 Blockchain (Dec 16, 2024): Beam announced its transition to a Layer 1 blockchain as part of the Etna upgrade and Avalanche Community Proposal ACP-77. This change allows Beam to operate independently while leveraging Avalanche's infrastructure.
• Horizon Upgrade Implementation (early 2025): The Horizon upgrade introduced a permissionless proof-of-stake consensus mechanism, allowing community members to participate in network validation through Beam Nodes.