For Web3 games, the biggest obstacle is to hide blockchain technology from users, which is necessary for mainstream adoption.
Written by: Kyle Reidhead
Translated by: DeepTech TechFlow
Every new crypto cycle promises to bring Web3 games to the mainstream, but it has never happened.
However, since 2018, 80% of Web3 game projects have failed. This time is different, I think… and hope so.
I am optimistic because we finally have the infrastructure - cheap, fast, and scalable blockchains that are necessary to provide a frictionless experience for players.
Combined with the upcoming bull market frenzy, we are likely to see many games reach insane valuations, just like Axie Infinity did in 2020 ($25 billion market cap).
It's all quietly starting, let's take a look at some of the growth that has happened in the past 30 days.
So today I want to share the 8 best Web3 games that I am personally interested in and that I think you should also pay attention to.
Disclaimer: Some of the following projects have tokens. This article is not investment advice, and I don't even own these tokens.
Illuvium (Immutable)
Illuvium is a sci-fi NFT game ecosystem, including multiple games with a certain degree of interoperability. It features high-quality graphics and offers on-chain advantages such as asset ownership and governance.
Recently, a game from the Illuvium ecosystem, Illuvium Arena, was launched on the Epic Games Store, which has over 56 million monthly active users, most of whom are not in Web3.
This marks an important integration of blockchain games into mainstream platforms.
Next, Illuvium plans to launch Illuvium Overworld, an open-world role-playing game (RPG).
With the development of Illuvium over the past few years and during the bear market, they are well prepared for an exciting future.
Shrapnel (Avalanche)
Shrapnel is an FPS (first-person shooter) AAA game developed by the Neon Machine game studio, which raised $37.5 million for development.
Its official release date on the Epic Games Store is set for December, open only to early users. Shrapnel is planned for a full release at some point in 2024.
Due to its listing effect, the $SHRAP token has risen by 182% in the past month.
P.S.: Shrapnel's CEO attempted to use company funds to pay personal debts, causing some FUD…
Echelon Prime (Ethereum and Base)
Echelon Prime is a web3 game ecosystem that recently launched its first game on the Base blockchain: Parallel TCG.
I am excited about the Echelon Prime ecosystem because of how successfully they launched Parallel, a simple card game that does not require a wallet and is free to play.
Parallel is similar to popular card games such as Hearthstone, Magic the Gathering (MTG), or Marvel Snap, providing a familiar experience for card game players.
This game is also available on the Epic Games Store.
I personally believe that Echelon Prime, supported by the $PRIME token, is one of the leaders in the Web3 gaming space.
Star Atlas (Solana)
Star Atlas is a highly anticipated grand strategy game of space exploration, territorial conquest, and political domination.
This game is built on Solana and has two tokens:
$ATLAS: The in-game token serving as currency.
$POLIS: The governance token of the Star Atlas DAO, which can influence decision-making processes.
I am particularly excited about Star Atlas because it is the first game on Solana and has the support of the entire $SOL community. I expect the Solana ecosystem to continue to evolve, and Star Atlas is definitely one of the forefront participants in this ecosystem.
However, this game has been in development for several years (since the last cycle), so progress has been slower compared to other games. Nevertheless, the trading volume in the in-game item market of Star Atlas has recently increased significantly, reaching up to $400,000.
Skyweaver by Horizon (Polygon)
Skyweaver is another digital card game developed by Horizon Blockchain Games, similar to Parallel.
It is a free game that allows players to collect, trade, and use various unique cards for battles.
I am not so bullish on Skyweaver, but rather on the game developer Horizon, which has the support of two major game giants, Ubisoft and Take-Two.
These are key participants in Horizon's funding rounds. They participated in a $40 million Series A funding. With strong supporters and a game already launched, I am very excited to see what Horizon can offer in 2024 and beyond.
The above 5 games and game ecosystems are the ones I am most interested in. But there are also other game ecosystems that are rapidly developing, and here are 3 more that I am looking forward to and worth paying attention to.
Ronin Network
Ronin is a blockchain built by Axie Infinity. Although its initial purpose was to support Axie Infinity, it is now expanding.
In the past 30 days, the monthly active users have exceeded 500,000, growing fivefold.
They welcome new game studio partners like Zillion Whales to develop on Ronin.
They also announced the Ronin Name Service, a domain service similar to ENS that Ronin users can purchase with $RON to own their on-chain identity.
SIDUS
SIDUS is a game/metaverse project aiming to combine blockchain with AI.
While details are limited, Sidus recently burned a large portion of their circulating tokens, which has attracted a lot of attention. I will closely monitor the development of this project.
Treasure DAO (Arbitrum)
Treasure DAO is an ecosystem aimed at bringing games and players together through its $MAGIC token on Arbitrum.
Summary
In this article, I shared 8 games/game ecosystems that I will be following in the coming years. But what excites me the most is the abstraction of blockchain.
For Web3 games, the biggest obstacle is to hide blockchain technology from users, which is necessary for mainstream adoption. No one wants to set up a wallet, deposit tokens, and sign transactions to play games. The games that can successfully hide Web3 technology will come out on top, and Immutable has gone the furthest in this regard.
On Immutable, users do not have to pay gas fees or sign transactions. Games built on Immutable can also provide off-chain NFT minting, and transactions do not require Immutable's $IMX token.
This is significant for game developers, and it is also why Ubisoft chose to partner with Immutable. This is also why there will be over 200 Web3 games released on Immutable in 2024.
Immutable has been building the infrastructure and tools that developers need to build games throughout the entire bear market. They are now ready to launch, and I believe they are perfectly positioned to capture the majority of the Web3 game market share in the near future. While I am bullish on several independent Web3 games and ecosystems, I am most interested in Immutable so far, and I think you should be too.
Disclosure: I own $IMX.
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