Seraph Comprehensive Review: The Leader of the Web3 Gaming Generational Revolution

What stereotypes do you have about "Web3 games" or "GameFi"?

Author: Shenchao TechFlow

What stereotypes do you have about "Web3 games" or "GameFi"?

Gold farming, mining, selling, not fun, RugPull, or Ponzi schemes?

With technological advancements and evolving user demands, blockchain games are undergoing a critical generational shift. At this turning point, Seraph, as an outstanding representative of the new generation of blockchain games, is redefining our understanding and expectations of Web3 games.

How to define different "generations"?

The first generation of blockchain games, represented by Axie, was undoubtedly pioneering, promoting the popularity of the "Play-to-Earn" model; however, these early projects also faced significant limitations, such as insufficient gameplay, unsustainable economic models, complex experience thresholds, and limited performance…

In the face of these challenges, a new generation of blockchain games represented by Seraph has emerged.

They not only need to address the issues of their predecessors but also drive the entire industry forward. Moreover, outside the market hotspots and spotlights that we often overlook, they maintain a fairly good operational rhythm and product delivery.

Among them, Seraph has its unique solutions:

Immersive gaming experience: Seraph offers rich, mature, and polished loot-based game content and mechanisms throughout the game, ensuring players can maintain long-term interest.
Innovative economic model: Gold farming is merely an enhancement to the core content of the game, rather than a fundamental transformation of the game mechanics; on-chain assets like NFTs naturally possess scarcity based on labor (unique to loot farming games).
User-friendly: ActPass, a companion software for login and asset management, significantly lowers the entry barrier for Web3 games, allowing ordinary players to easily experience the fun of blockchain games.
Everything is tradable: All game assets, both on-chain and off-chain, can be freely traded among players, allowing different types of players to pursue their own enjoyment, realizing and promoting "play and trade to earn".

If you are not familiar with Seraph, the following article will be helpful: Blockchain games need outliers; longevity is the future: Seraph gave me the legitimacy to continue playing Web3 games.

In the following content, we will be more direct and comprehensively review the development history of Seraph, exploring its achievements in game design, technological innovation, and community building. By analyzing Seraph's successful experiences, we can not only glimpse the future of the second generation of blockchain games but also gain insights into the development trends of the entire Web3 gaming industry.

The story of Seraph is not just a growth story of a game project but also a microcosm of the entire blockchain gaming industry's maturation.

Seraph Development Timeline

Seraph is an ARPG game based on blockchain technology, providing players with an immersive Web3 experience akin to Diablo through innovative game mechanics and economic models.

However, a high-quality Web3 game needs to go through different stages from concept to maturity, including product validation, economic optimization, community building, and commercialization, to ensure the product's sustainability and market competitiveness. Let's review Seraph's growth trajectory together:

Off-Chain Stage: Refining Game Quality and Finding Audience

The on-chain part of Web3 games often attracts attention due to wealth effects, but for games like Seraph, before injecting on-chain economics, at least two questions must be answered: - Is this game playable? - Who will play this game?

To find these two fundamental answers, Seraph conducted two rounds of testing to refine game quality and find its audience.

Validating Core Gameplay: Alpha Testing Phase (2023.4.11-4.17)

At the beginning of 2023, the blockchain gaming market began to show signs of recovery after the downturn in 2022. User demand for high-quality blockchain games gradually increased, but market requirements for projects also became stricter. Against this backdrop, Seraph chose a conservative and steady entry point—closed testing strategy.

Strategic Layout

Clearly, this phase did not introduce on-chain assets; the project initially focused on three core objectives: First, to validate the fun and playability of the core gameplay; second, to test the stability of the underlying technical architecture; and finally, to collect early user feedback on game mechanics. This gradual approach allowed the game to prepare adequately before officially launching to the market.

Data Results

During the Alpha testing period, the game attracted a total of 14,528 registered players, with a 71.9% retention rate the next day and an average online duration of 5.6 hours, far exceeding the industry average, effectively validating the core gameplay's appeal.

Refining Sustainability: Beta Testing Phase (2023.7.4-7.17)

In response to player feedback from the previous game testing phase, Seraph launched a new round of optimizations three months later.

Strategic Layout

After validating the core gameplay, the entire game system underwent further refinement, while also beginning to consider building late-game mechanics and content to retain players through sustainability.

Notably, this phase also introduced NFTs with early testing privileges, but the overall game content remained primarily off-chain, with NFTs serving more as entry tickets for additional rights, tools for fan economy management, and moderate marketing tools, while the gold farming feature was still not open.

Data Results

The Beta testing showed encouraging growth trends. The number of registered players increased to 15,378, a 5.8% increase from the Alpha phase.

On-Chain Stage: Finding Compatibility with Web3 Gold Farming

Since Seraph's core gameplay is "loot grinding," converting off-chain treasures into on-chain assets is an inevitable path.

Thus, the question shifts to how to make gold farming more reasonable?

Seraph remained very cautious, using three different testing rounds to build this system.

Beginning of Gold Farming: Chaos Legacy Testing (2023.11.22-12.22)

This phase marks the beginning of introducing on-chain assets into the game and finding compatibility.

Strategic Layout

In November, the project sold Genesis Unique NFTs, which corresponded to various equipment items in the game capable of gold farming.

At the same time, allowing these equipment items to function under certain rules is a long-term issue for gold farming games. Seraph also built a set of on-chain economic systems and markets around the consumption, output, use, and trading of NFTs, actively testing during this phase.

From this test onward, players could participate in gold farming, and the game's revenue sources began to shift to various fees from NFT transactions.

Data Results

The data performance during the Chaos Legacy testing was exhilarating. After opening gold farming, the appeal significantly increased, with a next-day retention rate reaching a historic high of 89.5%. Most notably, it achieved a revenue of 150 ETH for the first time.

Commercial Exploration: Preseason Phase (2024.4.19-6.7)

In early 2024, the crypto market experienced a comprehensive recovery, with new users flooding in. Seraph seized the opportunity to embark on a journey of full commercialization. This phase marks a critical turning point for the project from product-oriented to market-oriented.

Strategic Layout

The core strategy of the Preseason phase is to achieve commercial breakthroughs. The game has begun selling items in the store, becoming an important channel for increasing fiat revenue.

At the same time, the game has started to build a complete revenue system, including NFT sales, token economics, and value-added services.

Data Results

This phase achieved significant commercial success. The number of participating players exploded to 61,209; total revenue reached $3 million and 360 ETH, validating the feasibility of the business model.

Full Commercialization, Moving Towards Global: Season 0 (2024.8.22-9.25)

After validating the gameplay and gold farming model, Seraph officially launched Season 0, successfully seizing market opportunities with its unique gaming experience and complete economic system.

Strategic Layout

The core strategy of Season 0 is to achieve scalable growth and sustainable development. It focuses on three aspects: First, maintaining the freshness and competitiveness of the game through continuous product iteration and content updates; second, optimizing the token economic model to ensure long-term sustainability; and finally, strengthening global layout to expand into international markets. Notably, it introduced a "Play-and-Earn" mechanism different from previous unsustainable blockchain games, balancing gaming enjoyment and economic benefits.

Data Results

Daily active users (DAU) surpassed 15,000, with the highest concurrent players exceeding 7,500. At the same time, it achieved $1.8 million in fiat revenue and 120 ETH in crypto asset revenue.

As the crypto market continues to heat up and the demand for differentiated games reaches its peak, Seraph successfully seized market opportunities with its unique gaming experience and complete economic system.

Strategic Layout

Season 0 Data Performance

The data performance of Season 0 is encouraging. Daily active users (DAU) have surpassed 100,000. Retention rates continue to remain high, with a 30-day retention rate reaching 17%. Economically, the game achieved $1.8 million in fiat revenue, with the crypto portion contributing 120 ETH, and the number of paying players exceeded 6,700. These figures not only prove the success of the business model but also showcase the project's long-term potential.

Global Market: Player Data Based on Season 0

From the above data, it is evident that Seraph has performed well in product refinement and project operations. So, which segment of players will these initiatives ultimately attract? Will it continue the inertia of previous Web3 games, favoring Southeast Asian users who are more inclined towards gold farming guilds, or will it capture players from more regions?

Based on the latest user data from Season 0, we may find the answer.

In terms of user composition, users from Greater China and Europe account for the most, each nearly making up 20%; the player shares then decrease in the following order: other Asian regions, South America, North America, Turkey, Russia, and others.

Clearly, players from Asia dominate.

Greater China (20.25%) and other Asian regions (16.71%) together account for 36.96%, forming the largest user group for Seraph. This indicates that Seraph has a strong appeal in the Asian market, likely due to the good alignment of game content or marketing strategies with Asian player preferences.
The European market is strong.
1. Europe ranks first among single regions with a share of 21.85%, demonstrating Seraph's successful penetration into Western developed markets. This may reflect the effectiveness of the game's international design and localization strategies.
Emerging market potential in the Americas:
1. South America (14.62%) and North America (11.12%) together constitute another important market segment.
2. The market share in South America is higher than that in North America, which is an interesting phenomenon that may reflect strong growth in emerging markets.
Emerging market performance:
1. Turkey (4.43%) and Russia (3.42%) are listed separately, indicating that these markets hold special strategic significance for Seraph.
2. These two markets together account for 7.85%, approaching the scale of the North American market, highlighting the importance of emerging markets.

What insights can we learn from the gradually globalizing player base of Seraph?

Localization Strategy: Considering the diversity of the user base, Seraph should continue to strengthen localization efforts in various regions, including language support, cultural adaptation, and localized marketing.
Regional Content: It may be worthwhile to develop specific game content or events for major markets (such as Greater China, Europe, and South America) to further enhance user engagement.
Emerging Market Development: Recognizing the growth potential in emerging markets like Turkey and Russia may require targeted market expansion strategies.

Looking ahead, a globalized Web3 game should monitor user growth trends in various regions and adjust resource allocation and market strategies in a timely manner. Seraph needs to focus more on regional characteristics while maintaining global consistency to maximize the potential of each market.

What's Next?

With the overall recovery of the crypto market, the bullish market expectations, and the gradual increase in new users, the gaming sector will still capture a significant portion of both new and existing traffic, which presents opportunities for new products.

From the aforementioned initiatives of Seraph, the game has already built a basic gameplay structure, core functionalities, NFTs, and on-chain infrastructure through several rounds of testing; and it has gained recognition from a portion of users.

What further initiatives should we pay attention to for Seraph in the future?

a) Rush Event & Season 0: Initiated Customer Acquisition Exploration

In the recently concluded Q3 phase, the game launched a contribution points system to reward players for their time and performance in the game; simultaneously, the game's Enyu Airdrop Program has also been initiated, allowing players to complete tasks to earn "Starry Enyu" and mint them as NFTs. These NFTs can be traded or exchanged for token airdrop rewards in the future.

The team will also release important announcements to establish a more comprehensive on-chain data statistics system.

b) Genesis Season: Officially Public in Q4, Larger Scale, More Gameplay

Q4 of this year marks the moment when Seraph officially opens up to more players. After multiple rounds of testing, the game will officially launch the "Genesis Season," attracting players with more PvP gameplay to further engage in game builds, while also introducing GvG (Guild vs. Guild) gameplay to stimulate player enthusiasm on a larger scale.

In addition to gameplay, Seraph is also keenly aware of the importance of IP. During this phase, it will also expand more IP derivatives based on its own dark fantasy style IP, including but not limited to cultural products, animation, or NFTs.

c) Platform Strategy: More than Just a Game, It's Co-Building an Ecosystem

Seraph plans to create a robust platform ecosystem. The core strategy includes co-developing game content with the community, with the Co-Building system set to launch in 2025, opening three types of permissions: map design, quest creation, and equipment appearance design. Community creators can earn revenue from their works and establish a comprehensive community fund. The team's goal is to achieve a milestone of 2 million independent active wallets within this year.

d) Future: Continuous Update Momentum

Although the crypto market changes rapidly, making it difficult to have a long-term plan like traditional businesses with 3-5 years of foresight, for projects like games with relatively clear categories, Seraph still has a path to follow.

Plans include seasonal updates, adding dungeon gameplay, introducing mini-game systems, establishing social systems, and vigorously developing user-generated content. The ultimate goal of the team is to reach an astonishing 5 million independent active wallets.

e) Market Layout: Focus on Southeast Asia, Expanding Influence through Exhibitions

At the recently concluded Binance Blockchain Week, Seraph attracted a large number of attendees to experience the game and enjoy immersive interactive experiences, with performances by cosplayers resonating more with younger players.

Building on this success, Seraph will further expand its influence at a series of exhibitions in Southeast Asia, including the recently held Thailand Blockchain Week, the ongoing Philippines YGG Play Summit, and the upcoming Taiwan Blockchain Week next month.

Clearly, these regions are also active areas for Web3 gaming guilds. The combination of games, exhibitions, guilds, and players may become Seraph's regular path for customer acquisition and growth.

Conclusion

As the Chinese proverb says: A good beginning is half the success.

Over more than three years, Seraph has demonstrated the growth trajectory that a Web3 game project should have through four testing phases and one official season.

From the initial validation of core gameplay to the refinement of the economic model, and then to the deepening of the social system, each step has been solid and steady. Particularly in terms of global layout, the project's diverse user composition further confirms its success in product design and operational strategies.

In the Web3 gaming field, too many projects have stumbled on the road from "0 to 1." The real challenge often lies in how to achieve the leap from "1 to 100." Seraph has chosen a gradual path, maintaining innovation while never neglecting the essence of the product and user experience. This may be why it has been able to establish a foothold in a competitive market and continuously gain recognition from players worldwide.

In the still-evolving field of Web3 gaming, those projects that truly withstand the test of time are always the ones that value both short-term growth and long-term development.

Everything is yet to be seen; are you ready to embark on this adventure together?

Official Website: https://seraph.game/

X: https://x.com/Seraph_global

Telegram: https://t.me/seraph_crypto

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/seraphgam

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