Blockchain Gaming World

Pixels goes open source, MapleStory Universe talks Action Modules, and The Sandbox get 12,000 sign-ups for its AI tools. [00:36] The Sandbox is quickly adding AI game creation tools. [02:45] The Sandbox reaches 12,000 sign-ups for its Studio tool. [05:05] YGG launches its first $5,000 Vibecode.game jam with Animoca's Mind AI tools. [07:30] MapleStory Universe changes its builder strategy, adding Action Modules. [11:18] Pixels' open source vision. [12:42] It's initially open-sourcing its frontend. [14:07] Pixels plans to open source its server too.[15:00] There will also be an asset-weighted community voting system for governance.

In episode 212, Jon talks to YGG co-founder Gabby Dizon. [00:48] Casual degen web3 gaming platform YGG Play is shutting down.[02:17] LOL Land launched well but overall revenue peaked in October 2025 at $3 million.[03:40][ Why was the crypto liquidation event on 10th October 2025 significant?[05:00] Why releasing more titles typically doesn't add revenue for crypto games. [06:19] Why this was a decision based on the market, not on the product. [07:35] Gabby's lesson is you can't control where liquidity flows to. [09:59] LOL Land, Waifu Sweeper and the YGG Play platform will run until 31st July.[11:26] As part of this restructuring, YGG has confirmed around 35 redundancies. [13:08] YGG will now focus on providing gaming data to AI companies i.e. world model training data. [14:15] In some way, this is a return of play-to-earn, just not earning in crypto tokens. [16:04] This data is useful, particularly for robotics and in-game agents. [18:33] YGG has already been working on this AI P2E with its AI Alerts system. [19:26] YGG was set up to allow people anywhere in the world can earn from technology. [21:20] YGG isn't shutting down. The founding team remains and it has 4 years of runway. [22:53] This doesn't mean web3 gaming is dead. This is just YGG's particular decision.

MapleStory Universe's Vibe Camp hackathon has closed with over 430 entries. [00:22] MapleStory Universe's Vibe Camp and the rise of web3 game jams in the AI era. [02:10] Why Verse8's AI platform made this hackathon easier to enter - over 430 entries. [02:48] Playing the Vibe Camp games -- many seems high quality. [03:12] MapleStory's curation dilemma -- openness vs controlling the IP. [04:47] Axie Infinity has run the third playtest for Atia's Legacy this week.[05:50] Combat was 8x8 bouts, 5 weapons. There was also a paid AXS tournament.[06:49] Axie Terrariums got an update with more ways of boosting your yield. [09:17] Terrariums generated $95,753 during its first week. [12:46] Wemade's founder has sold his 39% stake for around $600 million.[14:25] Why are Chinese-linked investors buying into Wemade?[17:38] What does the sale mean for Wemade's blockchain strategy?[18:51] Avalon says it will be using Sony's Soneium blockchain (an Ethereum L2).[22:00] The blockchain will be used for ownership and payments but no wallets or gas.[24:40] EVE Online and EVE Frontier's Carbon game framework is now fully open source.[26:50] This is a key part of Fenris' vision for EVE Frontier as an open ecosystem. [27:20] MapleStory Universe vs EVE Frontier: two different blockchain philosophies.

Jon Jordan talks to Nexpace COO Keith Kim about MapleStory N's first year, and how AI will power the MapleStory Universe ecosystem in 2026. [01:00] MapleStory N's first year - $31M revenue, 3.8M accounts, 650K engaged wallets.[02:10] How the profile was different for MapleStory N to traditional MapleStory gamers. [02:57] What we have done well is being agile and altering our strategy, adjusting quickly.[03:25] The pace of updates for MapleStory N is 3-5x faster than for a web2 game. [04:20] The Winter update - new maps, new bosses - has driven really good numbers.[05:06] From Feb 2026, MapleStory N started recouping more token value than it emitted.[05:40] June could be MapleStory N's highest revenue and biggest NXPC token deflation.[09:45] In web2, players play for fun. In web3, some players spend as much as $100k a day. [11:12] Players really try to make money during the first 3 months of any blockchain game. [13:36] Our goal is to work out how we can add blockchain to make MapleStory more fun. [14:40] It took 6 months to gain confidence in our direction from the reaction of real fans. [16:05] When Keith realized the eye-opening power of AI for games. [17:13] Nexpace has been encouraging the team to build their own games with AI.[18:55] We're trying to consider the scenarios of how AI changes the game industry.[19:17] Initially, we were worried that game IP becomes less important in the AI era.[21:18] You have to let your fans use AI to extend your IP.[21:58] We hope our MapleStory Universe builders make more money than we do.[26:05] Some IP holders want to tightly control their brand. We just want to limit AI slop. [28:20] We need to change our view of what is high-quality content. It's up to the users.[30:04] This is a very exciting time to be a builder, especially with MapleStory. [33:38] Professional developers can also build proper businesses on MapleStory IP.

Axie: Terrariums goes live, Fishing Frenzy and Pudgy Party close down.[00:42] Sky Mavis is rebooting its vision for Axie land NFTs with Terrariums. [01:25] It builds on the complex learnings of the original Axie land game Homeland.[02:14] Homeland was an attempt to combine land-based gameplay and NFT staking. [04:31] It was a surprisingly deep resource-management game but a bad staking system.[07:10] Sky Mavis removed staking in early 2024, and everyone stopped playing Homeland. [08:39] Terrariums is the v1 attempt to rebuild a land NFT staking system using the bAXS token. [10:33] Terrariums will also be the base layer for land gameplay, which will be added over time. [12:48] Ronin idle mobile/browser game Craft World has announced 60,000 MAUs. [16:00] Craft World is a full onchain game but very accessible. [19:53] You can market it to a web2 audience and there's no talk of wallets or gas or tokens. [23:37] In Craft World, you can't buy your way to top status. Time is a key resource too. [25:28] Fishing Frenzy is shutting down. In contrast to Craft World, it was a crypto-first cozy game. [28:05] You can sustain crypto-first games for as long as players think they will get free rewards. [30:22] Pudgy Party is shutting down as Pudgy Penguins focuses on Pudgy World web portal. [33:00] Pudgy Party was good but lacked the marketing support required for a social game. [34:35] Pudgy World is cheaper and easier to operate and market as a platform.

The Sandbox announces its AI creation and distribution platform The Sandbox Studio.[02:05] The Sandbox announces The Sandbox Studio, its AI-powered creator tools. [03:00] Roblox as the obvious benchmark for AI-powered UGC in games[04:20] Did The Sandbox waste time in H2 2025 on Corners, its memecoin experiment?[06:40] What The Sandbox Studio actually is, and why it is still only in alpha[07:25] Why Sandbox's old creator tools were already good, but never solved distribution[08:35] Roblox vs Sandbox: the importance of instant publishing and social concurrency[10:10] AI harnesses vs AI models[11:47] Will such specialist frameworks matter once foundation models get much better?[13:10] The big strategic question: do creators need The Sandbox Studio if AI can make games directly?[14:00] Sandbox's plan to help creators publish to web, Telegram, Steam and app stores[15:30] Roblox's massive advantage: creators publish inside an existing audience[16:40] Why The Sandbox's lack of player concurrency remains its core problem[18:10] The missed opportunity of The Sandbox land as a connected world/map[20:15] Jon's launched his own AI game - Soccerverse Showdown[21:10] How the World Cup leaderboard idea evolved from a Soccerverse internal concept[22:35] Comparing Soccerverse Showdown with a more traditional fantasy-football game[24:48] How player influence in Soccerverse generates World Cup points[25:59] Why ROI may be more interesting than total points on the leaderboard[27:15] Claude Fable “did two weeks of work in three hours”[28:45] The feeling of publishing a first game after 25 years covering games[30:00] Nexpace as a strong example of blockchain and AI execution[30:45] MapleStory Universe revenue, Avalanche chain and ecosystem strategy[31:20] Verse8, Vibe Camp and AI-generated MapleStory experiences[32:05] First AI-built MapleStory-based games are now live on Verse8

Nexpace announced a $60,000 Vibe Camp for MapleStory UGC using Verse8 AI tools. [00:32] MapleStory Universe, Verse8 and the $60,000 AI UGC VibeCamp[04:00] Why MapleStory Universe is one of web3 gaming's serious IP plays[05:03] How Verse8 lets users vibe-code games[06:10] Why AI-generated games work better with existing emotional IP[07:40] Nexpace's ambition for third-party creators to out-earn the core team[08:40] EVE Frontier did a similar hackathon in March[09:45] It's like there's a new UA funnel: attracting builders, not just players[11:45] Soccerverse and World Cup experiments[12:38] The Grand Tournament: community-built fantasy football on Soccerverse[14:59] Buying player influence to boost your fantasy team[16:15] Jon's Soccerverse Summer Showdown concept[17:24] How World Cup scoring maps to Soccerverse player influence[19:35] Using ROI scoring to stop whales simply buying victory[22:48] Why AI coding changes what game communities can build[24:46] FIFA Rivals hits 2.5 million downloads[31:22] Saga exits blockchain and pivots fully into AI agents[32:05] Why Saga came too late to blockchain gaming[36:43] Pixels cuts headcount and refocuses[41:37] Why Luke Barwikowski's stubbornness still matters

Can Aavegotchi DAO takeover the project, the State of Pixels, and the rise of open source in the agentic era. [00:35] Aavegotchi dev Pixelcraft is one of the OG web3 gaming studios.[05:16] It's looking to hand over control of Aavegotchi to the DAO.[06:28] DAOs haven't been successful for reasons like coordination and authority.[07:25] It's a nice vision, but the reality is Pixelcraft ran out of money. [08:01] By 1st September, the DAO has to have decided what's happening going forward. [09:16] Why “gamey games” are harder to hand over to communities or DAOs.[09:55] State of Pixels. It's sustainable but not growing.11:30 Pixels is now considering adding open-source elements. [12:05] AI significantly changes what community developers can build in blockchain games.[13:50] The emerging pattern is surviving web3 games are moving to APIs, MCPs and agent access.[15:15] Why blockchain and AI fit together culturally and technically.[19:05] Define “game games” versus “non-game games”.[20:49] Why blockchain games should focus less on moment-to-moment fun and more on meta. [23:30] EVE Frontier, MapleStory and Soccerverse as examples of meta-focused web3 games. [25:25] These games have emergent experiences. They don't require constant content updates. [28:30] Don't put things onchain to create value. Put existing value onchain so it can be realized.[32:40] Community-built Soccerverse fantasy football as a sign of where this goes next.[35:05] The first 10 years of blockchain gaming were about discovering what didn't work.[35:40] AI plus blockchain will enable things the traditional games industry won't build.[37:06] Why agents will become native players for blockchain games. [38:20] The future split: Mario-like gameplay games versus agent-filled systemic web3 worlds.

The big beasts arise as we talk EVE Frontier, MapleStory Universe and how Wemade's approach bests Ubisoft. [00:34] Jon attended EVE Fanfest 2026 in Iceland. What are his takeaways?[02:40] Why EVE Fanfest works beyond being just an event for players.[05:05] EVE Frontier is EVE Online if made from scratch now.[06:46] In Cycle 6 (out 25th June), EVE Frontier finally becomes more of an actual survival game.[09:28] Modular shipbuilding replaces fixed ships.[10:40] EVE Frontier is a game that rewards players who improve their manual gameplay skills. [11:55] “This is a game that makes EVE Online feel cuddly.”[13:58] Does EVE Frontier need non-EVE players?[15:30] The fundamental approach is blockchain as a unified API.[16:38] Why some CCP/Fenris developers want to work on EVE Frontier, not EVE Online. [17:38] How EVE Frontier is using AI for coding and prototyping.[19:10] Nexon is talking about MapleStory Universe, MSU 2.0 and VIBE IP.[22:11] MapleStory Universe did $31 million in revenue in year 1. [23:22] The real KPI for MSU 2.0 is the revenue third-party devs make. [25:55] Average EVE Fanfest attendee had played 7,900 hours of EVE Online. [30:50] Legend of Ymir has released the ability to mint and trade character NFTs.[32:00] Legend of Ymir NFT character trading was $77,000 on day 1. [34:40] Ubisoft is shutting down Champions Tactics' web3 features on 27th May. [36:00] Ubisoft's blockchain problems are a minor part of much wider issues for the company. [39:00] Champions Tactics was beautifully made, but too narrow in its addressable audience. [42:29] Wemade is iteratively learning. Ubisoft is scattergun, lacking learning loops. [44:30] The post-crash shape of blockchain gaming is now becoming apparent.

Jon Jordan talks to Verse8 CEO Kevin Lee about the challenges and opportunities for the AI game-making platform. [01:09] Kevin Lee's background at Planetarium doing web3 investing and private equity.[02:56] Verse8 started as a WebGL engine project inside Planetarium.[03:31] We first realized the potential of AI technology for game-making in 2024. [04:44] By 2025, it was clear that LLMs could generate very high-quality and complex. [06:15] Verse8 can do hypercasual games, add crypto and other monetization. [08:15] Verse8 has 200,000 DAUs and 3.5 million MAUs.[10:40] We didn't design this as a web3 project but there's potential for degen experiments.[12:52] Verse8 could be “YouTube for games” because everyone can now make games. [14:20] Verse8's $5 million seed round and why Korean strategic investors backed it. [15:28] Investors also have agreements for use of their legacy IPs within Verse8. [17:44] In particular, there will be an integration with MapleStory Universe. [18:54] There are some technical limitations. You can't make open-world MMORPGs.[20:44] Verse8's moat is its high performance WebGL game engine. [22:50] Everyone ger $10 of free tokens but then users have to pay for additional usage. [26:10] We're competing with Roblox, Steam, Epic and even YouTube for screen time.[31:19] Over the next six months we need to prove creators can generate real revenue.

The big news this week is CCP Games' MBO, rebranded as Fenris Creations and backed by Google DeepMind. [00:32] Fenris Creations (ex-CCP Games) has gained independence from Pearl Abyss for $120 million.[02:26] Pearl Abyss originally bought the company for $225 million in 2018. [03:26] Why CCP and Pearl Abyss were an awkward fit, culturally and corporately. [04:35] Pearl Abyss now has very successful games such as Crimson Desert so doesn't need CCP. [05:28] Fenris still owes Pearl Abyss $50 million for a loan. [06:52] CCP/Fenris has been loss-making for many years. [07:07] $60 million of EVE Frontier tokens have now been sold to investors. [07:47] The original unanswered questions around the deal - debt, operational capital etc. [10:28] Google DeepMind now has a minority stake in Fenris Creations. [11:30] Why DeepMind is interested in EVE Online as a learning environment for AI models and agents.[12:50] Long-term memory for agents is of particular interest. [13:50] Why DeepMind is a major credibility boost for the newly independent company. [14:48] DeepMind potentially reframes EVE Frontier's significance as a blockchain game. [17:00] FIFA Rivals has launched its World Cup Legacy mode.[20:10] The Legacy mode allows people to play through the past 4 world cups and collect players. [23:30] Legacy players allows Mythical to better control the supply of rare NFTs. [24:35] Animoca Minds has launched a $10 million developer program.[30:49] Animoca has extended the exclusivity period for its reverse Nasdaq listing process.

Reaper Actual raises capital, tracking FIFA Rivals NFT sales, and whatever happened to Wildcard's Thousands?[00:25] FIFA Rivals NFTs have finally migrated to the Pulse market. [02:55] Pulse uses USDC stablecoin for all NFT trading, even for in-app trading. [8:11] FIFA Rivals is fairly simple; 90 second mini-games and build your team.[10:12] Even powerful players are not too expensive: Guimaraes for $74, Haaland for $40. [13:40] Playful is shutting down its Thousands platform.[14:21] Unclear what might remain of Wildcard as a game, but the IP is continuing it seems. [16:18] Wildcard's very weak Steam Early Access performance - less than 150 concurrent peak. [18:38] How the timing of the WC token launched on Arbitrum played into this decision. [19:37] Was web3 forced onto Wildcard by its crypto investors?[21:46] Reaper Actual raises more funding ahead of its Steam Early Access in mid-May. [24:26] Explaining the separate web2 and web3 versions of Reaper Actual.[26:49] Steam is a big problem for blockchain-adjacent games.[27:59] Reaper Actual's blockchain-light messaging.[30:28] Choosing the “hill to die on” when it comes to web3 game design.

FIFA Rivals moving to Pulse market, Verse8 x YGG hackathon results and Hytopia's worrying pause. [00:16] Mythical Games is migrating FIFA Rivals to the new Pulse marketplace. [02:46] But there's been some sort of delay. FIFA Rivals is the last of Mythical's games to migrate. [04:19] The significant change with Pulse is it uses the USDC stablecoin.[05:51] Why in-game item markets should use stablecoins, not volatile tokens. [07:20] With Pulse, you can sign in with email and/or external wallets like MetaMask. [09:54] Mythical Games has learned some hard lessons to get to this point. [15:44] Verse8 and YGG Play announce its Buidl Hack winners.[16:40] What Verse8's AI game-making platform actually does.[20:00] Bank or Plank — the winning pirate board game is pretty good. [22:22] Roblox-on-blockchain platform Hytopia has paused operations while awaiting a tax refund.[28:00] Server costs, lost momentum and the blockchain game funding problem.[32:36] Why sustainable blockchain games need to start out with leaner teams.[35:16] Parallel Studios launches its trading card game on mobile app stores.

EVE Frontier's hackathon deconstructed, Limit Break's first game, Xociety pauses, SANDchain completes testnet phase 1.[00:15] Deconstructing EVE Frontier x Sui $80,000 hackathon [03:19] There were 123 submissions. Largest categories were bounty boards, insurance, gate tolls. [07:20] Data was another key theme - escrow-style systems for buying and selling information.[10:05] 25% of submissions were sketchy, either weak, irrelevant, or unserious.[17:49] Limit Break has announced DigiDaigaku-themed mobile match game Puzzle Panic. [28:06] It's seems like a Trojan horse for Limit Break's deeper web3 NFT and token stack.[30:21] PC web3 shooter Xociety has halted development.[35:15] The team is attempting to restructure with a more web2 focus using the Xociety IP. [38:03] Sandbox's ZK-based SANDchain L2 has completed its first testnet phase.

Pixels' Stacked P2E rewards platform is live, Verse8 raised $5M, Wildcard's WC token is live. Jon has a new hat.[0:17] Jon wants everyone to know that he has a new GamesTX hat.[1:23] Pixels has launched Stacked, which is a P2E rewards platform (or engine!) for web2/3 games.[3:42] Effectively, Stacked is a productized version of the P2E layer in Pixels.[8:36] Stacked currently supports Pixels and Pixel Dungeons and will support Ronin and Sleepagotchi.[9:05] Rewards include PIXEL and will include gift cards and PayPal. [12:10] Pixels currently has a Return on Reward Spend of 3 -- $3 of spend per $1 of rewards.[13:34] AI game-creation platform Verse8 has raised $5 million in seed funding.[14:40] There's consumer version and also a pro version for game studios. Delabs is using it. [15:50] Verse8 has been used to make 25,000 games from 5,000 creators and 3.5 million MAUs.[18:33] The Sandbox's has launched the first playtest for its NEXT mobile battle royale game. [19:57] Wildcard has launched its WC token; currently priced a FDV of $600,000.[23:08] What are the key metrics for a sustainable blockchain game in 2026?

Jon Jordan talks to Pixels' CEO Luke Barwikowski about Stacked, the company's new P2E rewards platform.[0:56] Introducing Stacked, the new rewards app from Pixels.[2:02] Pixels still believes in play-to-earn for web3 gaming, notably using data-driven rewarded play.[3:44] Stacked is the productification of Pixels' reward system that any game can plug into.[5:09] It allows you to distribute your onchain assets in a smart way. [5:19] The player-facing element is the Stacked app. There's also a b2b element, including an SDK. [7:41] This is like an ad network that categorizes player types using segmentation and reward testing.[9:29] You can also run an AI agent to help create new rewards to drive retention and engagement.[12:35] P2E is sustainable in Pixels right now in terms of Return on Reward Spend metric of 3. [16:10] F2P/P2E games require all different user types, from free to midcore spenders to whales.[18:54] Launching Stacked allows Pixel's game designers to not have to worry about rewards.[21:50] The PIXEL token will become a stake-only token, with other assets used for rewards.[24:20] Other companies, including web2 games, will be able to use Stacked as a white-label solution.[28:27] As well as P2E, crypto is also really useful for asset trading in games. [32:04] The web version of Stacked is out, and the app is in review via app stores.

The Sandbox reveals mobile shooter NEXT, Wildcard's WC token goes live on 26 March, AlphaTON buys GAMEE.[2:29] The Sandbox has announced standalone mobile battle royale game NEXT. [2:47] The Sandbox's vision for mobile has never been strong. This is a new start.[4:55] More important than the game itself, NEXT is a symbol of agency and urgency.[6:50] You have to log into NEXT with your The Sandbox account. Some NFTs are interoperable.[11:50] Wildcard's 100% community WC token goes live on Arbitrum on 26th March.[15:33] The question is whether Wildcard can attract enough players to start the WC flywheel.[17:23] AlphaTON has acquired 60% of Animoca's GAMEE Telegram gaming platform.[24:07] Animoca has partnered with Ava Labs to push Avalanche in Asia and Middle East.[28:40] Jon's been messing around with Stripe's AI agent-centric Tempo blockchain. [32:50] He's also got Claude Code to automatically set his tactics in Soccerverse.[37:38] What happens to games when AI agents can play them better than humans?

EVE Frontier's Cycle 5, Night Crows' NFT Crusade, Shrapnel's early access and 1,000th Substacks![0:43] EVE Frontier has launched Cycle 5, which will run for the next 3 months.[6:50] Changes include defensive turrets, collaborative options, tweaked ship controls, new ships.[8:10] You can also build and optimize Shells, the game's clone characters, for the first time. [9:14] Feral AIs are more aggressive in behaviors.[10:09] The game is also now using the Sui testnet, and for its $80,000 Hackathon.[13:44] Will EVE Frontier be the first successful blockchain game?[16:20] Night Crows is launching its NFT Crusade metagame for high-level players. [18:50] Wemade is committed, integrating blockchain into many of its MMORPGs.[20:27] It's using blockchain to improve its game's long-term engagement and monetization[22:06] NFT Crusade rewards players who have collected multiple character NFTs with exclusive gear.[28:52] Shrapnel has dropped its early access on Steam. It's a 4v4 team mode. [36:22] Jon published his 1,000th Substack about blockchain games. What has he learned?

Thousands' THOU token, Limit Break's testnet, Cambria presells $1M tokens, FIFA/NFL Rivals NFTs moving to stablecoin Pulse Market. [2:29] The Thousands streaming platform has announced THOU token, but not many details. [2:55] This is in addition to Wildcard's WC token. Wildcard is the first game on Thousands.[4:28] How do Wildcard (game) and Thousands (platform) overcome the Cold Start [8:58] Wildcard's early access hasn't really taken off yet. It's shifted from 2v2 back to 1v1.[13:39] Limit Break is announcing a testnet. Very mysterious![14:58] MapleStory Universe added 96,000 new and 34,000 returning players via its Winter Update.[17:48] But the NXPC token price continues to fall; down 93% since May 2025 launch.[21:34] Risk-to-earn game Cambria raised $1 million from its token pre-sale.[24:43] Mythical Games is moving NFL Rivals and FIFA Rivals NFTs to its new Pulse Market.[28:26] Pulse uses USDC on the Mythos blockchain. [33:51] Jon spoke with Animoca's Yat Siu about the rise of AI agents on this week's podcast.[40:15] As agents do more online things for us, they will need onchain wallets.

Jon talks to Yat Siu about how agentic AI gives everyone intelligent assistants, unbundles information, forces onchain reputation and saves governance. [1:23] Why Yat has 9 Animoca Minds agents working for him on different tasks.[2:15] Yat's AI assistant now handles flight tracking, delays, alerts and pick-ups.[5:30] Most people will not run OpenClaw but have their AI assistants in email and messaging apps.[10:30] The magic is persistent memory in a group and combining Animoca Minds together.[12:04] Why digital identity is so important in a world of humans and AI agents. [15:20] AI agents will allow web3 to go mass market by changing distribution models.[22:28] AI agents as an interoperability layer for blockchain.[30:32] Agents will have to be accredited in some way for other agents to trust them.[23:38] How AI agents also help with onchain governance.[32:57] The difference between agents and chatbots - making decisions, not asking questions. [34:55] The early feedback to Animoca Minds; people are prepared to pay for this technology. [38:55] Why Yat is still bullish on blockchain games.

Featuring Apptokens, bAXS, Fableborne, POWER, in-game ads in Off The Grid and Wildcard Premier League[0:43] Bitkraft has invested $3 million into POWER Protocol, the token used by Fableborne.[3:20] Fableborne is a mobile action RPG that has managed to stay alive through the P2E era.[6:21] POWER is now also being used by online gambling outfit High Roller.[10:08] Over the past month, POWER's price jumped 786% due to speculative activity.[17:45] What are Apptokens?[19:05] How Apptokens fix blockchain games by restricting speculators from dumping tokens.[20:56] Sky Mavis has launched bAXS, the Apptoken version of AXS, which is locked into the game.[23:05] You have to pay an exchange tax ranging from 17.5% to 85% to swap bAXS into AXS.[26:23] Limit Break is also launching its LBAMM code to support cross-chain Apptoken swaps.[30:40] Who are Limit Break and why is it building such foundational technology?[36:04] You can now run in-game ads in Off The Grid.[42:33] Explaining how the first web3 elements of Wildcard Premier League work.

The Sandbox Season 7 is going live, Gigaverse announces GIGABIT and Portal is rebooting. [0:38] The Sandbox Season 7 is going live on 25th February 2026.[2:22] For the first time, this isn't an Alpha Season. It's just called "Season 7".[5:26] There's a focus on community UGC, not the big brands, which will continue through 2026.[6:45] It looks like these UGC experiences will be more varied and interesting.[8:30] Some experiences will be available via web browser without logging into an account.[8:52] These changes show The Sandbox is trying to become more accessible and viral.[12:35] Animoca and Alibaba have announced genAI game-making platform AliBAE.[22:25] Portal is relaunching on 26th February, including the ability to trade web2 game accounts.[29:10] Gigaverse has announced its cleverly-designed fixed-value GIGABIT currency.[38:30] What's interesting how boring GIGABIT is as the risk element is baked into the [38:48] GIGABIT feels like it's been influenced by the Apptoken standard.

EVE Frontier's $80,000 hackathon, Alek Larsen leaves Sky Mavis, and AI agent fun with Shaw Walters and Animoca Minds. [0:23] EVE Frontier and Sui are launching an $80,000 hackathon starting on 11th March.[4:50] It will be interesting to see how AI expands the number of people who get involved. [6:19] While web2 games struggle with AI, web3 games are well ahead of the curve. [10:20] The situation will become people complaining that games have banned their AI agent. [10:57] Jon's been experimenting with Animoca Minds. Talk to his agent - The Lantern.[12:15] Animoca's Yat Siu is already running his life via a number of these agents. [15:10] Jon has also been talking to Eliza Labs' Shaw about AI agents building blockchain games.[22:33] What happens when games are unbundled wrt development and business model?[25:53] Sky Mavis co-founder Aleksander Larsen has left to spend time not travelling, and with his young family.

Jon talks to Eliza Labs Shaw Walters about his work on AI agent frameworks, and why blockchain games are a focus. [1:00] An introduction to Shaw Walters, the creator of AI agent framework ElizaOS.[3:10] "I see myself as a comedian and performance artist. I love the joke that becomes true."[4:48] "What I'm focused on is agents that get you your time back and agents that can play games."[6:06] "Attention is an important part of capitalism. If you're not spicy, pmarca doesn't read your tweet."[7:25] "We're one generation away from ... I don't need better. I need cheaper."[9:25] "I still have skill arbitrage on the average person. But in a year, it won't matter."[11:56] "We're making AI RuneScape. It's going to cost us $80,000 and take 4 months."[13:08] "Now we have dream tech - you can build the uncompromising, exactly what you want."[16:26] Can copyright be enforced in this new world of online, onchain abundance?[18:43] Is P(doom) a scalar or a dynamic multi-dimensional vector?[21:18] "I'm here to build the world I want to see."[22:10] "I've always felt the most important things to do came from the silliest things."[23:35] Explaining AI agent social prediction trading platform Babylon.[26:23] Does Shaw enjoy being a high-profile commentator?[28:40] "I made a Chrome extension that blocks haters. But it also blocked a lot of my friends."[33:35] AI means software companies will have to build their most generous, growth-oriented version.[34:07] Help Shaw build "AI Runescape", an open source project called Hyperscape AI.

Animoca Minds, MapleStory integrates Verse8 AI game-making tools, GOAT Gaming shuts down and Forkast esports prediction market.[1:11] This week has seen an explosion in interest about AI agents, notably Clawbot and Moltbook.[3:10] With ClawBot, you can create an AI assistant with access to your entire computer. [5:14] It was also a massive security issue.[6:20] Other people criticized it for just being Stochastic Parrots, not real intelligence. [9:50] Animoca Brands has announced Animoca Minds, based on CryptoSlam's Ethoswarm tech.[11:53] A key issue for this technology is its cost, particularly who will pay for the tokens. [13:00] Animoca Minds is focused on onchain activity, such as token trading.[15:36] What are the synergies between AI agents and blockchain?[18:00] Likely Animoca Minds will be fairly limited in functionality at launch.[20:54] AI agents will need crypto to operate online and pay for their activity.[23:13] Also, humans will need to prove they are humans, which is easy to do onchain.[25:40] Will we see more cozy games and human-centric activities like jigsaws and coloring?[27:40] Nexpace is integrating genAI game-making tech Verse8 into MapleStory Universe.[33:52] GOAT Gaming is shutting down as Wearemighty shifts to making games using AI tools.[38:18] BCGW 206 was about esports and emerging markets-centric prediction market Forkast.[44:36] Ubisoft's Might & Magic Fates is live on mobile/PC on Immutable.

Jon Jordan talks to Forkast CEO Chris Gonsalves and Arbitrum Gaming Ventures Ethan Sy.[1:12] Ethan's history. He was previously at Play Ventures, investing in web2/3 gaming.[3:05] Chris started at Bitcoin Center. Moved to Consensys, then co-founded Community Gaming.[4:26] Esports prediction markets launched within Community Gaming, which became Forkast.[4:56] Chris believes prediction markets will take market share from all trading apps.[9:15] The worst time to invest in blockchain gaming was when everyone was investing.[12:07] Arbitrum is the solo LP in AGV, but the fund is returns-focused, not just ecosystem-focused.[15:06] How does Forkast compete with Polymarket and Kalshi etc?[16:19] Forkast is a prediction market for gamers and esports fans, focused on emerging markets.[17:55] "We think esports predictions are a huge, untapped global market."[23:25] Forkast includes rewarded quests and gamified features to encourage engagement.[24:50] Trading on the metrics of individual companies such as Apple and Tesla will be huge. [27:17] Allowing users to create their own prediction markets is tricky due to how they are resolved.[28:45] Is the 'financialization of everything' a good thing for society?[35:27] What do esports teams think about prediction markets like Forkast?

In this episode, we look at the rise of Animoca, and the rise and fall of its metaverse project The Sandbox.[0:24] This week's show focuses on the details arising from Animoca's 2022 financials.[1:11] 2022 was a long time ago, but the report also discloses more recent financial details. [4:00] Animoca's business is particularly complex, even without worrying about crypto. [6:58] The most interesting details are about The Sandbox.[8:45] Around 50% of Animoca's balance sheet is illiquid tokens such as SAND, MOCA, and EDU. [9:40] Animoca bought The Sandbox dev Pixowl for $5 million in 2018.[11:10] At one point in 2021, The Sandbox was Animoca's main financial asset.[13:35] In 2022, Animoca spent over $100 million buying game devs, which it's since written off. [20:28] Animoca bought 30% of The Sandbox's holding company from its co-founders for $125 million.[25:20] The Sandbox first launched its alpha season in 2021. It's still in alpha.[28:25] Could genAI and AI agents help resurrect The Sandbox?[31:20] Now the valuation of The Sandbox is marginal for Animoca as a whole; less than 10%.[32:29] Animoca listing on Nasdaq will be good for the whole crypto sector.

Jon Jordan talks to Skale Labs CEO Jack O'Holleran about how the Ethereum-centric L1 blockchain network is expanding to Base, helping launch mobile game PGA Tour Rise, and preparing for the explosion of onchain AI agents.[1:30] The background to mobile game PGA Tour Rise, which is launching on Skale and Base.[2:55] The game mixes golf course building tycoon strategy with golfing mini-gameplay. [5:20] Blockchain gaming is gaming with much better economic rails. [7:13] Skale is expanding to Base via its SKALE Expand v1 program[10:35] This expansion is seamless for users; they just get faster, cheaper transactions.[12:08] If this works well, Skale will expand to other EVM chains, and perhaps even Solana. [13:58] This allows users being able to deploy their liquidity across multiple chains without bridging. [17:08] "Games will be a major place for agentic commerce." The two are complementary.[20:22] a16z reckons AI agents will be a $30 trillion market. That's the potential. [22:16] Skale is also rolling out a new privacy L1 called FAIR, which will be important for agents.[26:14] "The AI movement will drive a lot of attention back into blockchain gaming."

Read the full article at https://www.blockchaingamer.biz/features/41347/top-50-blockchain-game-companies-2026/[6:55] One of the trends is the rise of games with degen mechanics, notably YGG at #3.[8:35] YGG's positioning of LOL Land as a "Casual Degen" game - a casual game with degen rewards.[10:30] These games have been a (relative) success. Mass-market web3 games haven't been.[12:55] Also in the Top 50, Cambria, Gigaverse and Fishing Frenzy use this degen mechanic.[15:37] Even Mythical Games is moving towards this with its Pulse Arena platform. [19:35] Sky Mavis' Ronin blockchain has a lot of these degen games running on it.[27:02] Dacoco's Alien Worlds is an underappreciated web3 game for its DAO focus. [35:00] CCP's EVE Frontier is the prime example of a bottom-up, fully onchain MMORPG.[41:18] Roblox-with-blockchain Hytopia launched in 2025 with 2.5 million mobile downloads.[44:27] The #1 company is MapleStory Universe dev Nexpace (Nexon).[52:04] Also ... Bitcoin game payment company ZBD announced a $40 million Series C funding round.

Polygon buys Sequence, Animoca buys SOMO, Cartridge buys Playmint. Consolidation?[0:28] Today's theme is consolidation.[1:15] Is this the trend for blockchain games companies in 2026 or something more nuanced?[2:00] Why didn't we see more consolidation in 2025?[3:46] Playmint has been bought by Cartridge. This is likely more of an R&D rollup or acquihire deal.[5:53] Playmint worked on fully decentralized games and Cartridge has an onchain game engine.[7:05] Both companies also have a shared investor Bitkraft to enable the deal. [8:40] Sequence has been acquired by Polygon Labs. It's more of a classic consolidation deal. [10:50] Polygon is repositioning itself as a payments and stablecoin infrastructure. [12:13] Sequence's focus has always been cross-chain dev tools for blockchain games.[14:59] Investors like tools. Sequence raised around $50 million.[18:50] Polygon is buying Sequence because it's a proper business with real tech and users.[22:20] Will Sequence focus less on games in future? [23:06] Animoca Brands has acquired web3 gameco SOMO. It's unclear why.[29:31] Delabs Games is shutting down idle RPG Ragnarok Libre. [35:15] Delabs Games is now an AI-first game developer so it's looking to the future.

Mythical's new Pulse platform, Boomland shuts and no more SLP rewards.[0:29] BoomLand has announced it's shutting down. [2:35] It never raised much money but it was always very good at building product.[6:50] It's another example of how hard it is to operate in the blockchain game sector. [7:48] But its game Hunters On Chain will remain live during 2026. [11:18] Due to botting, SLP is no longer a token players can earn in Axie Infinity: Origins.[14:58] This reminds us that extractive value always has been balanced by similar input costs.[20:37] Mythical Games is one of the most credible mass market blockchain game companies.[21:34] It's launching a new stablecoin-based market called Pulse Market. [22:36] Paid tournament Pulse Arena platform is also live for the Pudgy Party game.[24:02] One tournament example is paying $3 entry for the chance to win $90, all in PENGU token.[25:58] The only thing that's onchain is the fee payment system and the reward payouts.[30:53] It's difficult to balance blockchain benefits and easy UX, which is what Mythical is trying to do.

Key trends for blockchain games in 2026? Stablecoins, AI agents, FIFA Rivals, AppTokens. [1:17] You need to know what doesn't work before you can find out what does work.[3:18] We thought the value of a blockchain game would be reflected in its token price. It's not.[7:25] In 2025, we saw projects become more focused on who their specific audience is.[9:20] One of the small successes in 2025 was risk-to-earn games for degen gamers.[11:43] But mass market blockchain games are increasingly hiding their crypto elements.[14:58] Blockchain gaming as revolution has failed. Blockchain games as evolution may not.[15:28] Mythical Games is moving to a new stablecoin-based marketplace.[18:15] The success of its FIFA Rivals game in a World Cup year will be interesting to see.[20:00] Stablecoins will continue to become more significant in gaming and fintech in 2026.[24:00] Crypto tokens will kill your game fastest than they can make your game work.[26:20] Cross-chain infrastructure is now much better, which enables better UX.[28:01] AppTokens remain interesting but are difficult for developers to [31:58] AI agents were predicted to be a big trend in 2025 but they weren't.[35:54] AI agents are symbiotic with blockchain. Games could be the first test case.[39:17] AI agents have the potential to fix many of blockchain gaming's problems in 2026.[42:30] Gaming's biggest challenge at present is cost of marketing for web2 and web3.[46:50] Blockchain games are the best positioned part of gaming to take advantage of AI.

[1:58] 2025 was the end of play-to-earn cycle which started in 2021 with Axie Infinity.[3:10] However, crypto had a great year in terms of Tradfi adoption; ETFs, stablecoins, DATs etc.[7:50] Why have crypto incentives not worked for blockchain games?[11:00] Adding real-world value has overwhelmed the other reasons why people play games.[14:30] The killer feature of blockchain games shouldn't be making money but assets having value. [17:40] Tokens are dead; at least tokens that are available for trading on centralized [24:58] Do stablecoins eat all other forms of payment including in games?[26:01] Mythical Games is launching a new USDC-based NFT marketplace in 2026.[33:03] Funding for games in general and blockchain games in particular has been [36:53] In 2025, blockchain game funding was $350 million, $1 billion in 2024, $1.7 billion in 2023.[41:03] Pixels and its forthcoing Stacked rewards app is going for a mass audience.[44:44] YGG gave up on mass market guilds and is making Casual Degen games for crypto people. [49:11] (An aside - the rise of prediction markets.) [55:06] Another trend is large games like MapleStory and EVE Frontier building an ecosystem.[1:03:00] The Sandbox is launching its new community memecoin Corners platforms.[1:04:45] An example of the sector's change in 2025 is Mighty Bear Games rebranding to Wearemighty. [1:09:25] Immutable also had a significant change of focus from games to marketing in 2025.[1:13:15] The products that die in 2026 will be the ones with exactly the same strategy as 2025.

The Sandbox's new Corners platform, MocaProof, Soccerverse's FIFPRO license and BGA 2025 report.[0:37] The Sandbox launched its Corners UGC content-memecoin platform into invite-only beta.[3:00] It's an attempt to inject some dynamism into the SAND token aside from The Sandbox. [4:28] Corners lets user collate and curate weblinks on specific content topics.[6:33] Users can then buy each Corner's memecoin, spending it to upvote links.[7:24] Users are rewarded for their activity with SAND.[9:00] It's easy to criticise such projects but it's about trying new things around simple UGC.[13:00] The wider question is what does The Sandbox brand brings to this cultural launchpad?[21:25] Moca Network launched its ID and reputation system MocaProof.[22:10] It uses zero-knowledge proofs to preserve users privacy while proving your credentials. [23:44] This is gamified with a Mocat pet that you level up by verifying your actions.[27:25] Blockchain Game Alliance released its report for 2025.[30:00] Representation in MENA region (mainly the Gulf) had grown from 1% in 2021 to 20% in 2025. [32:00] 66% of people were extremely or somewhat optimistic for 2026.[35:17] 46% thought AI would be game-changing for blockchain gaming.[38:08] Spider Tanks launched on PC and mobile with Immutable. [41:14] EVE Frontier Cycle 4 is live with new manual ship controls.[43:48] Soccerverse signed a license with Fifpro to get access to 65,000 football players.

Sony's stablecoin plans, Fableborne Season 4, EVE Frontier's free week, and Footium's $600,000 funding. [0:32] Sony looks like it's going to be launching a stablecoin in the US.[1:09] It's an extension of the trend that's seen PayPal, Stripe and Klarna also announcing stablecoins.[2:00] Sony has set up a US bank, which is applying for a federal license, required for stablecoins. [4:44] One key reason is companies pay up to 2% of transactions as fees to Visa and Mastercard. [6:30] Sony could save up to $20 million for each $1 billion of spending it moves to its stablecoin.[8:55] Do other gaming platforms such as Steam start adopting stablecoins too?[10:43] Mobile RPG Fableborne has launched its Season 4, including guilds for the first time.[13:07] It's one of the last of a long line of play-to-earn games. Interesting to see how it goes.[14:43] Fableborne is on Ronin, which now has a bunch of live and liveish games.[15:35] Also on Ronin, Craft World has a new collab with Fishing [20:26] Immutable has launched an new AI-based marketing platform. [21:16] New mobile/PC action-RPG Myths will launch in 2026, using the Mythical Market for NFTs. [28:00] EVE Frontier is free for everyone until Tuesday 9th December; the end of Cycle 3.[34:44] UK studio Footium has raised $600,000 for its own-IP soccer management game.[36:25] Trying to create your own brands for clubs and players in a sports game is a hard sell.

Xociety and Arise release their first public playables, MapleStory burns $1.7 million tokens and we talk generative AI. [0:30] Ndus has raised $1.6 million for its pop extractor shooter Xociety, which hits also early access. [10:00] Cross The Ages has launched its PC RPG Arise into open alpha. [18:54] "It's like juggling an elephant and a crocodile. If it works, absolutely amazing."[21:36] Nexpace will burn $1.7 million NXPC in the first of its planned quarterly token burns.[27:32] Hytopia has had 1 million downloads on Google Play store.[29:47] JC Kim was on the podcast talking about genAI game-making platform Verse8.[37:10] Should games be hand-built like luxury shoes or watches? Rant over.

Jon Jordan talk to Verse8 creator JC Kim about the genAI game-making platform, which is now live for professionals and noobs. [3:15] How JC Kim first met Delabs' co-CEO James Joonmo Kwon as a mentor.[6:05] Why JC Kim started work on a generative AI game-making tool, which became Verse8.[7:20] Verse8 includes coding, 2D image generation, background music and 3D model generation.[8:10] The game sector's biggest issue is production costs. GenAI reduces this by 90%.[10:06] This means developers can try more ideas and be more [10:20] This is particularly important for web3 developers who want to rewards players with tokens. [11:56] Using AI, anyone can make mini-games and apps around an IP, which enables real community.[15:53] One element of Verse8 is the ability for users to recast or "spin" existing games.[19:15] Verse8 can generate a complete multiplayer game for around $10-$20. [21:50] Verse8 can suppport both professional game devs and inexperienced users (kids!).[28:35] Creators can also choose to launch tokens, effectively memecoins.[31:45] Delabs Games is already using Verse8 to develop new titles.

MapleStory Universe get $50M ecosystem fund, Legend of Ymir custom servers expanded, Stan extends Series A and we talk Hyptopia and Moku's Grand Arena.[0:40] Nexpace has announced a $50 million ecosystem fund for MapleStory Universe.[3:48] As a reminder Nexon funded Nexpace two years ago with $100 million of funding. [4:17] Technically the fund is "up to $50 million" - likely mainly NXPC tokens and work-in-kind etc.[6:56] MapleStory N is the core, but the fund is to encourage third party games and app around it.[8:55] This is a trend for many fully onchain games such as Soccerverse and EVE Frontier.[12:10] There's also a deeper trend with stablecoins becoming payment rails for Tradfi.[14:03] Our Mavens discussed the balance of financials and fun for blockchain games.[17:22] Wemade has expanded the custom server business for its Legend of Ymir MMORPG.[18:00] It originally auctioned 10 servers for +$20,000 each. You can earn 15% of in-game [21:37] Indian social gaming app Stan extended its Series A funding to $10.5 million.[23:08] One likely reason is India banned real money games so apps like Stan are now an alternative.[26:29] Jon had Maxwell from Hytopia on the podcast this week. [29:12] The platform is now live with its HYBUX token also live on Base.[30:16] Maxwell says "Crypto is cool but fun is #1".[33:13] Moku has launched the 4 week preseason for its Grand Arena game.

Maxwell Holmes from Roblox-on-blockchain UGC platform Hytopia thinks "Crypto is cool but fun is number 1"[2:30] "I like it when the house is on fire and tomorrow is unknown. I need the craziness."[05:08] "People see we have been consistent through the changes. We don't play the hype game."[09:36] "We're trying to use crypto to empower gamers." That continues to be the [12:46] Comparing Hytopia to Minecraft and/or Roblox in terms of its base functionality.[15:43] Gaming used to be about fidelity and polish. Now it's about social, virality and memes. [16:54] "The user is the most knowledgable about the product they want." That's the power of UGC.[18:07] "Attracting creators is Hytopia's top priority now."[19:30] Hytopia uses Typescript/Javascript, which is the easiest way to make games. [20:56] Our app (mobile/desktop) is basically the website wrapped into the app.[22:57] Anytime you target web3 gamers, you're going to fail. There aren't enough of [23:40] Crypto is cool but fun is number 1. If the games aren't fun, you will [25:44] Why does Hytopia have blockchain? It has to enhance the user [27:40] In future, investors will be able to fund new games in Hytopia and get a [29:15] Hytopia is currently doing 19,000 DAUs and 100,000 WAUs, and growing from organic users.[31:42] At launch, the marketplace will give 85% to creators with 15% used for token buybacks.[33:55] The marketplace uses both fiat and HYBUX but using HYBUX incentivized.

Axie Infinity tweaked its rewards and lost 45% DAUWs, MapleStory N has banned 640,000 bots, and Forkast moved to Arbitrum. [0:35] Axie Infinity's DAUWs have dropped 45% following to a change in its AXS reward system.[3:10] In April 2024, it launched its first Bounty Board, which more than doubled its audience. [4:45] There were further giveaways, which further boosted DAUWs to more than 100,000.[6:29] Now, the rewards system has been streamlined, with a paid battle pass added.[8:34] Over time, these reward systems become increasing complex to understand.[10:06] Not directly related but the AXS token is down from $7 to $1 since April 2024.[15:00] The good news is web3 games are now more focused on profit and sustainability.[17:54] Nexpace has banned 640,000 accounts from MapleStory N for botting and macros. [21:20] It's also forced 28,000 KYCed accounts to be reregistered. Only 155 succeeded. [25:10] The Forkast prediction market has moved from Ronin to Arbritrum. [32:55] Jon is enjoying playing EVE Frontier but likely won't be part of its Winter PVP tournament.

Animoca's Nasdaq listing plan, Spider Tanks reborn, Moonfrost goes web2 and IMX is fully liquid. [0:24] Animoca Brands has announced a reverse merger to get a Nasdaq listing. [4:25] It's started the process to merge with tiny Nasdaq listed company Currenc.[6:03] Currenc shareholders will get 5% of the new company. Animoca's 95%.[7:58] There's no official valuation for Animoca, but it's likely somewhere between $3-4 billion.[11:30] But the entire process will take 9-12 months, so Animoca won't be listed until late 2026.[14:16] Moonfrost has gone pure web2 but is also launching web3 degen platform Frost Arcade.[22:30] Immutable's IMX is the first major gaming token to become 100% circulating.[25:18] The Sandbox has committed to be majority UGC-focused in 2026.[30:45] Spider Tanks is being rebooted on Immutable, with early access from 8th December.

Jon talks to Pixels CEO Luke Barwikowski about how he still believes play-to-earn rewards are a viable marketing mechanic. [2:09] 'This is probably the worst market sentiment I've seen in the space.'[5:40] 'Without speculation, you have to build something that's fundamentally sound. That's hard.'[7:50] 'In early 2024, Pixels was loved. People were making money. But we weren't making money.'[8:39] '1% of our players were taking 50% of the rewards.'[9:51] After recent changes, Pixels has generated a Return On Reward Spend greater than 1.[12:25] 'I think over time, Play-to-Earn becomes more of a loyalty or a cash-back system.'[14:00] 'We've noticed crypto is very off-putting for normal users. Robux or V-Bucks are more [20:45] The spend-only vPIXEL token has been surprisingly effective when used correctly.[23:45] Pixels Chapter 3 introduces Unions, which are factions for competitive gameplay.[27:13] 'The issue with web3 gaming isn't fidelity, it's figuring out the economics.'[27:53] 'We did $20 million in revenue in 2024. 2025 will be less but it's more sustainable.'[29:41] Why Pixels has launched new social tamagotchi app Chubkins. (Currently only US.)[30:05] 'We're not going to emphasis crypto, but we will emphasis rewards, including crypto cash-out.'[33:50] Pixels also plans to launch a standalone rewards app in 2026.

Wemade launched Legend of Ymir, Mythical integrated World Chain, Pixels launched Chapter 3 and Yuga's Otherside goes live on 12th November. [0:30] Wemade has launched its latest web3-enabled MMORPG Legend of Ymir on PC and mobile.[2:10] Wemade previously tried to add blockchain to casual mobile games. It didn't work.[3:24] Legend of Ymir is the result of Wemade's experience over its previous web3 games.[4:50] Ten game servers have been auctioned to be run by guilds etc.[5:50] It's more combat-focused than Night Crows, but still with a lot of idle gameplay.[8:09] Wemade as become more nuaunced in how it's combining web2 and web3 elements.[10:07] Cambria has raised $2 million from Bitkraft, Sky Mavis and various angels.[16:03] The Mythos blockchain is integrating World via the launch of an L3 on World Chain.[19:38] One advantage is this gives the Polkadot parachain EVM compatibility for the first time.[23:34] Yuga Labs' Otherside will finally go live on 12th November with the Koda Nexus hub.[31:13] Pixels has launched Chapter 3 including an new lightweight social competition layer.

Jon's been asking What's Working For Web3 Gaming? at Zebu Live conference. [0:27] It's been London Blockchain Week and Jon has been at Zebu Live 2025.[2:06] He moderated a panel about What's Working In Web3 Gaming?[4:08] Panellists including Koko from Mighty Bear Games and Russell from Metacade.[5:58] We've moved from blockchain games to crypto games, with the emphasis on "crypto gainz".[7:00] ICP-based MMORPG Dragginz has gone into "hiberation".[12:30] YGG Play's LOL Land has now done $5.5 million in revenue. [12:59] The key issue for most blockchain game companies is doing what you need to make money. [14:10] The comparison is EVE Frontier, MapleStory Universe etc - big onchain gaming ecosystems.[16:51] Wildcard has launched into early access on Steam: it's a web2 game with a web3 ecosystem.[22:56] Jon's been enjoying playing RavenIdle.

Discussing Mythical Games integrating Worldcoin, MapleStory going multichain, Legend of Ymir's launch plus Sorare and EVE Frontier changing chains. [0:18] Mythical Games is about to close a new funding round, including from Worldcoin.[1:37] The reason we know this is happening is from a press release from DAT outfit Eightco.[4:44] Eightco has raised $270 million to buy Worldcoin tokens, also investing in Mythical Games.[7:40] MapleStory Universe is going multichain thanks to Chainlink integration.[10:50] Projects focused on UGC want to be as open and accessible as [11:26] Wemix's PC/mobile MMORPG Legend of Ymir goes live on 28th October.[14:38] One interesting web3 aspect of the game is the ability to own and run your own servers.[17:30] Wemix has successfully switched from a quantity to quality-led focus on blockchain games.[18:59] Moku saw $5 million allocated in a no-loss raffle pre-sale for its Grand Arena AI game. [23:02] Sorare has moved from StarkEx to Solana. [26:04] EVE Frontier is moving to the Sui blockchain.[27:10] It was using an EVM testnet but decided Sui's object-oriented structure was a better fit.[31:37] Does it matter which blockchain a game choses to build on?

Talking SANDchain, Pudgy Party hits 1 million installs, KGeN raises $13.5M and Proof of Play. [0:25] The big announcement is SANDchain; a Patreon-type rewards platform for creators.[1:25] It's more to do with providing extra utility for SAND token than for The Sandbox platform itself.[5:10] Verified creators can use SANDchain to take a loan to invest in their business.[7:01] Some creators will also be able to launch their own memecoins.[8:05] It feels like a smorgasbord of current blockchain trends. But will anyone actually use it?[9:44] Pudgy Party has hit 1 million mobile downloads and Mythos chain has also hit an ATH.[13:03] But the MYTH token is at a (near) ATL.[14:58] Web3 rewards platform KGeN has raised $13.5 million taking total funding to $43.5 million.[15:56] It started out as an Indian guild but is now a global platform with 66 million MAUs.[17:32] It verifies all its users across 5 categories, giving them an overall reputation score.[22:07] One thing to be aware of is KGeN's current users are being incentivized by a future airdrop.[24:29] South Korean web2/3 game item marketplace Overtake has launched its beta on Sui.[28:01] The continuing fall out from Pirate Nation's shutdown and the $50 burn price for its NFTs.33:10 Proof of Play is now working on a new mobile game.[34:53] It's also generated $500,000 in two months from its Proof of Play Arcade on Abstract.

Jon Jordan and Jenny Jordan talk through the week's news including:[1:00] Axie Infinity: Atia's Legacy has launched its first 7-day playtest.[2:10] It's an MMOG that in part builds on the Axie Infinity: Homeland farming/trading game.[3:33] Jon thought the initial plans laid out for the game were a little sketchy.[8:16] Comparing the iterative approach of Pixels to whether Atia's Legacy needs a stronger direction.[10:12] Atia's Legacy probably won't be properly released until 2027. It's a big project.[11:10] Jon thinks it's likely that blockchain games need to be more onchain and collaborative.[15:42] Resource idle game Craft World announced its Era 3.1 roadmap.[18:15] Its challenge is building longterm interest from a simple idle mechanic.[19:30] Additions include new land requiring new assets and blueprints, and new base assets.[21:55] RavenQuest's idle game RavenIdle launches on 11th October.[28:05] Gunzilla has started the mainnet migration for EU-based PC players of Off The Grid.[32:06] Jon guestimates Off The Grid's active playerbase.[34:03] Gunzilla's official numbers are 300,000 accounts migrated to mainnet.[36:03] Immutable's (part) pivot from a gaming blockchain into a general games marketing channel.[37:34] All this week's drama around Pirate Nation and its $50 NFT burn offer.[39:05] Blockchain games' fundamental issue - divorcing real value assets from speculation.[42:18] Despite all the complains, Pirate Nation NFTs were free and holders got +$1,000 of tokens.[48:08] Jon's confession - he burnt his Pirate Nation NFT by mistake and so had to buy another one.techn

Jon Jordan and Jenny Jordan talk through the week's news including:[0:44] This week, we asked our Mavens group about the rise of sustainable degen games.[2:00] Originally, this type of game was more about crypto than blockchain.[3:25] YGG is now calling this genre "casual degen" games.[4:40] These experiences start with a thin layer of gaming and a lot of high risk-high reward features.[7:30] You can often get 1,000 players into these games but how do you keep them [10:05] A lot of these games are launching on the Abstract blockchain.[13:00] Degen isn't a negative terms, at least not all the time.[13:25] Gigaverse has been going for 200 days, generating $5.5 million in revenue.[16:30] It's also building out its ecosystem with third party devs in the Gigaverse Hub.[19:39] YGG Play is publishing Gigachadbat on Abstract. [24:00] The Sandbox has announced Alpha 6 Season with Cirque du Soleil on 24th September.[27:45] The problem is The Sandbox hasn't got product-market-fit, esp. compared to Roblox.[29:55] It now needs to focus on creators, probably including the ability to launch tokens.[31:32] Off The Grid is starting to migrating EU-based PC players to the Gunz' mainnet.

Jon Jordan and Jenny Jordan talk through the week's news including:[0:22] Blockchain gaming is quiet. It's having a 'back to school' moment.[1:05] There's a wider focus on general crypto with ETFs, treasury companies etc. Not gaming.[3:51] Web2 game Wildcard and its Thousand web3 ecosystem is gearing up for its October launch.[5:10] Wildcard has just surpassed 75,000 wishlists on Steam. [9:04] Details about ownership of in-game character cards has been released, including rev share. [11:05] The WC token has been released but it's airlocked into wallets so it's hard to get a price for it.[12:40] People will also be able to buy game arenas, but they would be very expensive.[16:10] Jon's theory of blockchain games operating in a battle royale-style shrinking area.[18:10] Pudgy Party has done 500,000 downloads within 2 weeks.[19:57] The Pudgy Party Power Pudgy NFT skin now has a floor price of $3,300.[21:27] Adam Weitsman has acquired the HV-MTL NFT collection from Faraway Games.

Jon Jordan and Jenny Jordan talk through the week's news including:[1:18] Looking at the most popular blockchain games, we can start to see some trends for 2025. [1:42] Axie Infinity and Aliens Worlds have been very stable throughout 2025.[4:17] Games such as Pixels and Nine Chronicles have decline sharply as they rethink their vision.[6:00] MapleStory Universe is the big growth story of the year so far - c. 70,000 DAUWs.[8:41] Craft World has launched its first mainnet collab with Ronkeverse.[15:16] Gigaverse has raised $2.3 million to build out open world gameplay.[16:55] We're seeing a rise of degen-focused onchain games. Niche but generating revenue.[20:42] LOL Land is a good example. It's basically an onchain lottery but generated $1.5 million.[22:15] Similar are RWA platforms for Pokemon cards like Courtyard. $125 million of trading in August.[27:10] Animoca has announced MocaPortfolio, which will be rewarding $20 million to stakers.[28:43] This is part of a wider narrative for Animoca to boost the MOCA token around a possible IPO.[32:33] Stakers will burn their staked points to get various free tokens. The first is Magic Eden's ME. [34:01] How is Mythical Games doing with its three mobile games now live?[35:06] This is in contrast to the trend towards more niche, onchain degen-focused games.

Jon Jordan and Jenny Jordan talk through the week's news including:[0:38] What's going on at The Sandbox? Co-founders shifted? Job cuts? Memecoins?[0:52] Animoca's Robby Yung will be the new CEO as Animoca exerts more control over the project.[1:30] To a degree, the news is only "big" because its The Sandbox, which everyone knows.[3:25] Animoca is annoyed because it wanted to announce the restructure and new vision in the [4:10] Things have been going very slowly at The Sandbox. Change was needed.[7:19] Despite these changes, The Sandbox will still have nine offices globally.[10:40] From the outside, it looks like The Sandbox has suffered from a lack of strategy.[12:13] The Sandbox will be announcing a "big new project" a couple of months.[13:34] This project seems to be about expanding the scope of the SAND token.[17:51] Jon's wild rumor. A SAND treasury company? Fronted by Barron Trump? Stranger things...[19:12] Mobile game Pudgy Party is out today with a Steal a Brainrot collab.[22:10] It's a cute battle royale game with lots of customization and light combat options.[23:01] The concept is Mythical does the game, Pudgy Penguins brings the marketing. [28:42] The Axie Infinity Constitution has been revealed. You can vote from 1 September.