What is Benzene (BZN)?
Quick Facts
- Token name: Benzene (BZN)
- Blockchain: Ethereum (ERC-20)
- Game: War Riders — a post-apocalyptic blockchain MMO
- Developer: Cartified
- Primary use: In-game currency for purchases, upgrades, and trading
- Burn mechanism: 30% of every marketplace transaction is burned
- Vehicles: NFT-based (ERC-721), owned truly by players
Introduction
Benzene (BZN) is the native in-game token powering War Riders, a post-apocalyptic massively multiplayer online (MMO) game built on the Ethereum blockchain. In the world of War Riders, BZN is the sole currency of the Wasteland — the only form of payment that exists in this fictional ruined world.
Players earn, spend, and battle over BZN, making it the economic backbone of the entire game ecosystem.
History & Background
War Riders was developed by Cartified and launched in 2019, positioning itself as one of the first blockchain-based MMO games to combine NFT vehicle ownership with an earn-as-you-play model. Before the game went live, thousands of NFT vehicles were pre-sold to early adopters, demonstrating strong initial community interest.
The game gained early attention in the crypto gaming space for pioneering decentralized vehicle ownership and an in-game economy powered by a real Ethereum token.
How Benzene Works
BZN is mined in-game rather than purchased at launch. Players earn Benzene by driving through waypoints (BZN pumps scattered across the Wasteland) and can also raid other players to steal their coins.
Vehicles are represented as ERC-721 NFTs, meaning each car is a unique, player-owned asset stored on the Ethereum blockchain. The more vehicles a player owns, the greater their mining capacity. Garage ownership tokens also provide passive BZN income.
All in-game assets and transactions are backed by Ethereum smart contracts, ensuring true ownership and open tradability on NFT marketplaces like OpenSea.
Tokenomics
War Riders was designed to be fully transparent about its token economics. No BZN tokens are offered for direct sale — the majority are released through in-game mining, aligning token distribution with active participation.
A key feature is the burn mechanism: every time a player spends BZN in the marketplace, 30% of those tokens are permanently burned, and the remainder returns to the mining pool. This deflationary design incentivizes early miners and reduces the circulating token pool over time as the game economy matures.
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Circulating Supply
| 1.14 million BZN |
|---|---|
| |
|
Total supply
| 99.58 million BZN |
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Max supply
| -- BZN |
Ecosystem & Use Cases
BZN serves multiple roles within War Riders:
- Purchasing weapons, ammunition, armor, and nitro boosts
- Building and upgrading garages
- Trading on the in-game marketplace and external exchanges
- Raiding to steal BZN from other players
The game also integrates a peer-to-peer marketplace where players can list and trade in-game items freely using BZN.
Team, Governance & Community
War Riders is developed by Cartified, which manages the game's ongoing development. The project maintains active community channels across Telegram, Discord, Twitter, Reddit, and Facebook. Community members can stay informed about events and updates through these channels.
Governance is currently centralized under the development team, with the roadmap and game updates driven by Cartified.
Advantages
- True NFT ownership — vehicles are player-owned assets on Ethereum
- Play-to-earn model — BZN is earned through gameplay, not just purchased
- Deflationary tokenomics — the burn mechanism supports long-term scarcity
- Open marketplace — assets are tradable on platforms like OpenSea
- Transparent economics — no token pre-sale; distribution is gameplay-driven
Risks & Challenges
- Low liquidity — BZN trading volume has been minimal in recent periods
- Game adoption — blockchain gaming faces challenges attracting mainstream players
- Smart contract risk — reliance on Ethereum contracts introduces technical risk
- Centralized development — the project depends heavily on Cartified's continued activity
- Market volatility — in-game token value can fluctuate significantly
Long-Term Vision
War Riders envisions a fully decentralized in-game economy where players truly own their assets and can earn real value through gameplay. The burn mechanism and mining-first distribution model were designed to build a sustainable, player-driven economy over the long term.
As blockchain gaming matures, projects like War Riders serve as early blueprints for how NFT ownership and play-to-earn mechanics can coexist in a competitive, open-world environment.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Benzene (BZN)?
Benzene (BZN) is the native ERC-20 in-game token of War Riders, a post-apocalyptic blockchain MMO built on Ethereum. It serves as the sole currency in the game's Wasteland economy.
- How do I earn BZN in War Riders?
Players earn BZN by driving through waypoints (pumps) scattered across the Wasteland or by raiding other players to steal their coins. Holding garage ownership tokens also provides passive BZN income.
- What can I do with BZN tokens?
BZN can be used to buy weapons, ammunition, armor, nitro boosts, and additional garages in the War Riders marketplace. It can also be traded on external exchanges for other cryptocurrencies.
- How does the BZN burn mechanism work?
Every time a player spends BZN in the marketplace, 30% of the tokens used in the transaction are permanently burned and removed from circulation. The remaining 70% returns to the in-game mining pool.
- Are War Riders vehicles real NFTs?
Yes, War Riders vehicles are ERC-721 NFTs stored on the Ethereum blockchain, meaning players have true ownership of their cars. These vehicles can be bought, sold, and traded on platforms like OpenSea.
- Was BZN sold in a public token sale?
No — War Riders committed to not offering BZN for direct sale. The majority of tokens are distributed through in-game mining, meaning players must participate in the game to earn BZN.
- Who developed War Riders and Benzene?
War Riders was developed by Cartified, the company behind the game's design, smart contracts, and ongoing updates. The project has been active since its 2019 launch.
- On which blockchain does BZN operate?
BZN is an ERC-20 token deployed on the Ethereum blockchain, with the contract address verifiable on Etherscan.