The Road Ahead for Play-To-Earn Games – Thought Leaders

The Road Ahead for Play-To-Earn Games – Thought Leaders

The success of the pay-to-earn gaming sector, led by Axie Infinity, has taken a bit of a knock recently with the recent $600 million hack of their Ronin bridge. Up until this news play-to-earn games threatened to take a slice out of the multi-billion dollar video gaming market by allowing users to earn money for completing game objectives. Investments in such projects have surged drastically this year. Earlier this year we reported that Solana Ventures, FTX, and Lightspeed recently announced the formation of a $100 million joint GameFi fund, which FTX followed up with a $2bn fund of its own. Web3 venture capitalists BITKRAFT and Galaxy Interactive each announced over $400 million in investment funds aimed at the space. While tech giant Microsoft’s $69 billion takeover of Activision Blizzard, the publisher of Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, was the largest acquisition in gaming history. And according to one expert, over six out of every ten gamers want the chance to exchange their virtual assets for a currency that could be used across various platforms.

Source: ‘7 business models for web3 games,’ Sophia Weng, Medium

Does Axie Infinity’s market leading success (gross income of $781.6 million for the third quarter of 2021, and its token price all-time high of $155 by the end of 2021), now look under threat following the hack? In fact, its user engagement (measured as daily active users: DAUs) was already in decline 40% from its peak last November.  Taken together, does this mean the hype around this emerging sector is overblown? Consider some of the key adoption barriers acknowledged by BITKRAFT. These include the slow speed afforded by Ethereum, used by most crypto gaming platforms, the associated high costs of buying NFTs thanks to high gas costs on Ethereum, not to mention its environmental impact. But perhaps more tellingly from a growth perspective is the fact that few large game developers have ventured in the space. A key obstacle is the key play-to-earn nature of the innovative gaming model itself: “It is a difficult sell to switch from a model where 100% of in-game economy sales go to developers to one where a much larger percentage of transaction volume is earned by the player community.” In other words, this means developers have less control of in-game economies in a decentralized ecosystem, where community ownership is baked in.

Rasa Petuch, Head of Growth at Block Games, which is based at West Palm beach in Florida, in an interview with BigONE said she believed the basic obstacle right now in play-to-earn gaming, was remembering it was first and foremost about gaming. And that in order for the play-to-earn games industry to grow, there needed to be an influx of regular gamers, whereas at the moment users were engaging primarily to earn rather than to play, and with developers concentrating on small games focusing on the tokenomics rather than the game itself. “Traditional gamers are not here yet”, because for one thing, the games are not here “and many traditional gamers are skeptical and not really crypto native”, Petuch said.

She added that she thought that play-to-earn gaming would really change when there were really quality games in the sector that are fun to play with. “That was one point I was thinking about, the other is about console games. They are not ready for blockchain yet and they are a big part of the gaming industry overall. So that kind of limits that you know, potential audience as well as many players you know, love playing console games, too. And these, like big console companies, they seem pretty skeptical,” Petsch pointed out. Indeed, during an Electronic Arts’ recent earnings call, CEO Andrew Wilson suggested that while the market for NFTs and play-to-earn was still early, it did point to the future development of gaming. “The play-to-earn or the NFT conversation is still really, early..there’s at some level, a lot of hype about it. I do think it will be an important part of the future of our industry on a go-forward basis,” Wilson added.

Talking about Shatterpoint, Petuch said their new play-to-earn game, she said the issue wasn’t so much about getting the word out, but that the general level of trust and skepticism was proving difficult to overcome: “I think people are excited and they want to see new products coming out. What’s difficult, in my opinion, is if you’re trying to build a big quality game, it takes time, right? So, then the challenge is to keep people engaged for a long time, while you still have no game to show them. But I think it’s all doable.

“It’s all about community anyway. And yeah, allowing, you know, people who decide to be a part of your community to like really to be that part. And like, you know, share like in-game art and share decisions and like, talk to them and have some of the NFT sales in between and kind of keep it moving. I think you have to be open and honest with where things are. Because, yeah, there’s like a lot of scams out there,” Petuch added.

In an interview with BigONE Federico Gallucci, CEO & Founder at gaming studio Deep Monolith based in Turin, which specializes in play to earn games said gamers are still reluctant to understand the value of NFTs, as in game assets, because they see them as game producers trying monetize even more. As a gaming developer himself Gallucci said part of the problem was that blockchain gaming is “not sophisticated enough” for an experienced gamer who is used to high quality games. “But I think that it’s only a matter of time before gamers start to realize that it’s good for gaming and that this technology can bring awesome improvements,” he added.

A key area for growth in play to earn is around esports, suggested Gallucci: “This is a huge opportunity because you know, there are thousands of people who are gamers and fans that follow esports, but currently this is only restricted to the biggest development studios where they have a ton of cash and can afford to spend a bigger reward.” But the adoption of crypto technology could be a “disrupting point” allowing multiple developers to offer big prizes. “I think that’s the way it’s gonna break through, It’s through esports,” he concluded.

Chairman of BigONE Exchange, Anndy Lian, said despite the problems for users caused by the Axie Infinity hack the level of demand showed the play to earn sector was still growing, even as the general market for NFTs was slowing down compared to 2021, with Axie topping $4 billion in all-time NFT sales in February. “I believe that there is plenty of potential for the growth of play-to-earn games that has yet to be tapped into. For example, the election of a new President in South Korea may pave the way for legislation allowing in-game tokens to be converted into cash.” Lian said he agreed with the assessment of esports as a new avenue which would allow smaller studios to win a slice of the action. “It’s time the dominance of the large gaming studios and console makers had a shake-up. Play-to-earn isn’t just good for gamers but also for up-and-coming developers who want a new way to compete on a more level playing field.”

 

Original Source: https://www.securities.io/the-road-ahead-for-play-to-earn-games-thought-leaders/

Anndy Lian is an early blockchain adopter and experienced serial entrepreneur who is known for his work in the government sector. He is a best selling book author- “NFT: From Zero to Hero” and “Blockchain Revolution 2030”.

Currently, he is appointed as the Chief Digital Advisor at Mongolia Productivity Organization, championing national digitization. Prior to his current appointments, he was the Chairman of BigONE Exchange, a global top 30 ranked crypto spot exchange and was also the Advisory Board Member for Hyundai DAC, the blockchain arm of South Korea’s largest car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group. Lian played a pivotal role as the Blockchain Advisor for Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), an intergovernmental organization committed to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region.

An avid supporter of incubating start-ups, Anndy has also been a private investor for the past eight years. With a growth investment mindset, Anndy strategically demonstrates this in the companies he chooses to be involved with. He believes that what he is doing through blockchain technology currently will revolutionise and redefine traditional businesses. He also believes that the blockchain industry has to be “redecentralised”.

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Play-To-Earn Games: The Current State of the GameFi Industry

Play-To-Earn Games: The Current State of the GameFi Industry

As cryptocurrency and DeFi continue to impact the world, several industries are working hard on ways to innovate with decentralized technology. The gaming industry is one of the latest to integrate blockchain, crypto, and NFTs, especially with the growth of the metaverse. The technology has transformed the way gamers trade in-game assets, characters, rewards, and so much more by integrating DeFi, NFT technology, and fundamental blockchain concepts.

 

The new play-to-earn (also known as ‘GameFi’) concept allows users to convert their in-game assets and rewards to real money that can be spent in the real world. The GameFi world has grown significantly, and it is predicted to have a huge impact on the worldwide gaming market, which is expected to reach $314.40 billion by 2026. Reputable investment firms are interested in investing in GameFi initiatives because they perceive it as a viable entry point for new consumers into the worlds of blockchain and Web 3.0. During Electronic Arts’ recent earnings call, CEO Andrew Wilson suggested that while the market for NFTs and play-to-earn was still early, it did point to the future development of gaming. “The play-to-earn or the NFT conversation is still really, really early…there’s at some level, a lot of hype about it. I do think it will be an important part of the future of our industry on a go-forward basis,” Wilson added.

 

Solana Ventures, FTX, and Lightspeed recently announced the formation of a $100 million joint GameFi fund. This fund will be intended to invest in GameFi initiatives that utilize the Solana blockchain. BigONE would like to discuss the current condition of the GameFi industry with our users in this article and how the play-to-earn model can help onboard the next 1 billion people to blockchain and the metaverse.

 

The Rise of ‘Play-to-Earn’ Games

Play-to-earn games have disrupted the traditional gaming market by allowing users to earn money for completing pre-determined objectives while playing games. According to a study, more than 75% of online gamers wished to exchange their virtual assets for a currency that could be utilized across multiple platforms. The ‘play-to-earn’ model has altered the structure of the gaming industry. Players can trade and exchange their virtual assets on various exchange platforms.

 

Prior to the advent of the Play-to-Earn model, in-game tokens and assets had no real-world value. Because the reality is that the commercial first movers in gaming had their own proprietary currencies. What makes GameFi so attractive to the new wave of gaming developers is that it can be automated without any centralized intervention. This means that the play-to-earn model has long-term attractions, allowing game developers and players to invest time and money, knowing the underlying blockchain platform won’t change without community consensus. “Today, only a tiny fraction of online users and gamers even have a crypto wallet, and almost no brands and games issue NFTs. But irrespective of multi-month dips in the blockchain/crypto/NFT economy, we see more of these groups embrace blockchain-based experiences each month. This produces a virtual cycle that drives more users to register a wallet, mint an NFT, or integrate crypto assets”, concluded metaverse expert Michael Ball. In other words, the incorporation of cryptocurrency allows users to add value to their in-game assets. Traditional games were only for entertainment and thrills; the play-to-earn model introduced the benefit of earning money while still having fun.

 

Axie Infinity’s Leading Role

The ‘play-to-earn’ games have become a popular entry point for users new to the cryptocurrency space, thereby promoting the adoption of blockchain technology. The third quarter of 2021 saw a rapid increase in GameFi revenue thanks to Axie Infinity’s gross income of $781.6 million. The Axie Infinity token also reached an all-time high of $155 after starting the year with a value of $0.54.

 

The metaverse-powered gaming project enables players to breed, raise, and trade cute digital pets called Axies. The idea of the game is to get small love potions (SLP) to create new Axies. In turn, SLP is itself a crypto token that can be sold on an exchange, with top players earning up to 1,500 SLPs a day. As a further revenue stream, the game also allows you Axie can also be sold as an NFT, plus other in-game items. The monthly trading volume of all Axie Infinity NFTs is around $170 million. Finally, there is another cryptocurrency from the game called the Axie Infinity shard (AXS). Holders of AXS can vote on governance, allowing Axie Infinity players to vote on proposed upgrades, and players can also use it to stake in the community treasury.

 

What’s more, the business’s core revenue and the performance of AXS are closely correlated. “The interplay between own Axie’s revenues and AXS price is noticeable,” wrote Jeremy Ong and Jayden Andrew, analysts at crypto-focused research firm Delphi Digital. “This makes sense given the majority of revenues come from Axie breeding fees paid in AXS to the treasury, which significantly decreases the circulating supply of AXS – causing a supply-side squeeze.” Data intelligence firm IntoTheBlock noted that the number of Axie Infinity token holders has grown by 400% since November 2020 – up from zero to over 16,000 addresses.

 

The rapid growth of the GameFi sector has piqued the interest of various investors, who want to profit by contributing funding to develop ‘play-to-earn’ games, most notably the Solana-based GameFi fund. While Facebook’s name change to Meta and its vision for a metaverse future is also driving the gaming market. It appears that AngelONE, the crypto venture investment arm of BigONE Exchange, has gone a little ‘meta’ itself by listing Enjinstarter (EJS), a GameFi launchpad dedicated to growing “a thriving ecosystem for blockchain gaming.” The aim of Enjinstarter, built on Enjin’s jumpnet blockchain, is firmly grounded in the play-to-earn global community, designed to introduce new ways for players to earn crypto in a fun, engaging way. The Enjinstarter listing successfully raised 100% of its target on November 8. AngelONE partner Susu Gu, said that supporting GameFi projects such as Enjinstarter was nothing new, as it fell into their mission to find quality investments for crypto investors. However, the success of games such as Axie Infinity, coupled with the long-term vision of a gaming-led interoperable metaverse, had prompted investor interest. “While this will, in turn, bring in more funds into this field, as the $100 million joint GameFi fund shows, it’s not a return to the days of ICOs in 2017 and 2018 where a white paper and a website was enough to attract funding.”

 

Chairman of BigONE Exchange, Anndy Lian, said that with so much money invested in GameFi projects, it would soon evolve from a sector to an industry in its own right. “Not surprisingly, there are companies attempting to jump on the GameFi bandwagon to cash on it. At BigONE we believe that GameFi is not a passing fad but integral to the way the gaming-led metaverse will evolve by providing a better gaming experience for players due to its increased level of security and the opportunity to make money.” Lian added that despite the recent Naavik study detailing the slowdown in the average earnings of players, the game was likely to lock in long-term user retention so long as it could continue to deliver GameFi earnings to players.

 

The GameFi space is ever changing. New challenges and new projects pop up daily for example DeFi Kingdoms, a game built on the blockchain, designed with useable NFTs has been a strong contender to Axie’s supremacy. Or game platform enabler like PlanckX who is able to help traditional games get into the play-to-earn space.

 

I am hopeful to see more growth in 2022. Let’s review this in December to see if it comes true.

 

 

Original Source: https://hackernoon.com/play-to-earn-games-the-current-state-of-the-gamefi-industry

Anndy Lian is an early blockchain adopter and experienced serial entrepreneur who is known for his work in the government sector. He is a best selling book author- “NFT: From Zero to Hero” and “Blockchain Revolution 2030”.

Currently, he is appointed as the Chief Digital Advisor at Mongolia Productivity Organization, championing national digitization. Prior to his current appointments, he was the Chairman of BigONE Exchange, a global top 30 ranked crypto spot exchange and was also the Advisory Board Member for Hyundai DAC, the blockchain arm of South Korea’s largest car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group. Lian played a pivotal role as the Blockchain Advisor for Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), an intergovernmental organization committed to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region.

An avid supporter of incubating start-ups, Anndy has also been a private investor for the past eight years. With a growth investment mindset, Anndy strategically demonstrates this in the companies he chooses to be involved with. He believes that what he is doing through blockchain technology currently will revolutionise and redefine traditional businesses. He also believes that the blockchain industry has to be “redecentralised”.

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Anndy Lian, Inter-Governmental Blockchain Advisor: “Bringing blockchain technologies & games adoption together”

Anndy Lian, Inter-Governmental Blockchain Advisor: “Bringing blockchain technologies & games adoption together”

Korea eSports Industry Association Signs MOU with Blockchain Gaming Platform Gaimin.io: Promoting eSports & Inspiring Gamers to go Professional

Anndy Lian is an early blockchain adopter and experienced serial entrepreneur who is known for his work in the government sector. He is a best selling book author- “NFT: From Zero to Hero” and “Blockchain Revolution 2030”.

Currently, he is appointed as the Chief Digital Advisor at Mongolia Productivity Organization, championing national digitization. Prior to his current appointments, he was the Chairman of BigONE Exchange, a global top 30 ranked crypto spot exchange and was also the Advisory Board Member for Hyundai DAC, the blockchain arm of South Korea’s largest car manufacturer Hyundai Motor Group. Lian played a pivotal role as the Blockchain Advisor for Asian Productivity Organisation (APO), an intergovernmental organization committed to improving productivity in the Asia-Pacific region.

An avid supporter of incubating start-ups, Anndy has also been a private investor for the past eight years. With a growth investment mindset, Anndy strategically demonstrates this in the companies he chooses to be involved with. He believes that what he is doing through blockchain technology currently will revolutionise and redefine traditional businesses. He also believes that the blockchain industry has to be “redecentralised”.

j j j