Pixels goes open source: modders can now reshape the game’s frontend

In Brief:

• Pixels (official site) has published the source code behind its game client, giving developers the ability to download it, create mods and hook their own builds into the studio’s sandbox.
• Custom clients are barred from touching the economy or game state, and the weightier server code has yet to arrive.
• Contributions from the community are decided through asset-weighted voting linked to PIXEL holdings, land NFTs and staked PIXEL, with merges limited each month and reviewed by humans.

Pixels open-sourced its game client, according to founder Luke Barwikowski, who released the frontend code and asked outside developers to tweak it and run their own builds against the studio’s sandbox.

“We just open-sourced the Pixels client!” Barwikowski wrote in a post unveiling the release.

The frontend is what players see and interact with. “The game view, menus, buttons, UI, and controls,” Barwikowski explained. “Developers can now download it, change it, build mods, and connect their version to our sandbox.”

What’s in the repo

This release goes well beyond a stripped-down interface. Inside the repository sits a game directory holding code for character behavior, items, achievements, avatar cosmetics, tile placement, camera controls, event handling, rate limiting and minigames.

That leaves modders free to overhaul controls, interfaces, accessibility, performance, camera behavior and visual systems. Builders might rethink inventory displays, introduce alternative keyboard layouts, sharpen placement tools or trial experimental client-side features. Among the early examples mentioned are resource-farming timers and accessibility options.

The economy stays off-limits

Opening up the client stops short of handing developers authority over the world state. A modded client may adjust how an item appears or how an action is submitted. What it cannot do is grant resources, change PIXEL balances or bypass progression, since the server checks those actions.

The bigger release is still ahead. Barwikowski noted that the server code will come next, and it’s anticipated to matter far more. Such code could reach into player inventories, crafting and quests, opening the door to private instances or forks. Sensitive elements like player data and anti-cheat systems will remain shielded.

Who gets a vote

Pixels isn’t throwing the game open to a free-for-all. Final decisions on what ships stay with the studio. Developers will weigh community proposals, vetting them for security and compatibility before anything is merged into the official codebase, and Pixels indicated it will probably limit merges to main to a monthly cap.

Voting power hinges on economic stake rather than one player, one vote. Three types of participation determine it: PIXEL sitting in wallets, land NFTs, and PIXEL staked via the game’s contract. An account with 25,000 PIXEL would wield 25 units of voting power — one vote per 1,000 unstaked PIXEL.

The design skews influence toward those who own assets. Holders of tokens, land or staked positions steer the roadmap to a greater degree than those with none.

Background

Pixels is a browser-based farming MMO running on Ronin, the EVM chain from Sky Mavis. Barwikowski started the company in 2020, and it’s based in San Francisco. Land NFTs and the PIXEL token serve as stakeholder equity within the game’s economy, while Barwikowski retains majority voting power in Pixels Inc.

The client release marks the first phase. Pixels is considering whether to open-source both the client and server — a move that would let developers run the game, add features, test mechanics or spin up their own forks.