The following is a guest post by Leo Li, CVO and Chief Growth Officer at CARV.
Off The Grid could be the mainstream moment we've all been waiting for in Web3 gaming. Not because it flaunts blockchain capabilities, but because it doesn't. A major console release will integrate NFTs and blockchain in the background, making gameplay the center stage. While gaming is the main attraction, blockchain is a bonus because it facilitates transactions, ownership, and expression.
Just like Telegram, which is sneaking the functionality of a cryptocurrency wallet into hundreds of millions of people's pockets, game developers know that simplicity is key. Bombarding gamers with painful onboarding and crypto-heavy concepts can turn potential players away.
The bull market in the next game is not driven by the following factors: blockchain games— it will be driven by great games that happen to use blockchain.
A quiet revolution in blockchain gaming
Off The Grid has been making a lot of noise as a game that hasn't been officially released yet. Gunzilla Games' cyberpunk battle royale, available only in early access on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series is attracting a lot of attention. .
“Part crude satire on streaming culture, part gamer tirade, all clever, self-aware storytelling. Off The Grid is a good time.” CNET wrote in October:
Indeed, it's a fun time that takes place entirely on the blockchain. Blink and you'll miss it, but Off The Grid is a native Web3 title built on the Avalanche subnet. This will enable crypto features in parallel with gameplay, including future tokens and NFT minting and trading of in-game weapons and skins on OpenSea. The best part? For now, players are under no obligation to take advantage of these features. Blockchain and gaming are separate but complementary, with the former intended to enhance rather than override the latter.
There was a similar story on Telegram. Players flock to the simplicity and appeal of clicker games within chat platforms. Thanks to endorsing The Open Network (TON) as the official Web3 infrastructure and integrating wallet functionality, Telegram is making it easy for gamers to accept cryptocurrencies without knowing it. Gone are the complex onboarding and difficult interfaces. Telegram's mini-app games happen automatically within a known and trusted chat platform.
The successes have been impressive across the board. TON Clicker Notcoin and its eponymous token have risen to over $500 million in market cap, and BANANA has amassed 12 million players in just over a month since launch. Meanwhile, Off The Grid has also garnered a lot of attention, with millions of wallets created in its first week of early access, and has since become the top free game on the Epic Games Store. The numbers tell a clear story. If blockchain integration is not visible, mass adoption will continue.
Lessons for blockchain game makers
Since the creation of this field, we have been waiting for blockchain gaming’s “mainstream moment”. The one-two punch of Off The Grid and Telegram suggests we're inching closer, but their victory holds important lessons for developers.
First, just equipping your game with blockchain is not enough. About 400 crypto games Development stopped last year, and from 2018 onwards 3/4 of all blockchain games It failed to gain traction and was discontinued. reason? The game wasn't interesting enough and the blockchain features weren't engaging enough. Going forward, game makers will need to start with both the game and the blockchain use case before working backwards. Without good games, blockchain elements have no chance of taking off.
The second lesson is about accessibility. A quarter of Web3 readers agree We found that the learning curve of blockchain technology and the lack of a user-friendly interface remain major hurdles to adoption. solution like CARV ID This is where it would be beneficial to consolidate gamers' profiles under one banner to improve interoperability and showcase their achievements across games. This crop of new games shows that we need to start with great gameplay, ease of access, and incorporate blockchain into the foundation. This is the best way to get both sides of the “blockchain game” working together.
In my view, it's time to think of blockchain gaming as something like cloud computing. It drives the backend thanks to invisible integrations that consumers rarely encounter. Just like we don't think about cloud computing when we use Netflix, players don't have to think about blockchain in-game.
Balancing gameplay and blockchain in 2025
As we head into the new year, blockchain gaming is well-positioned to enter the mainstream. AAA Studios is serious about us and gamers considering the idea of blockchain features that will further enhance the playing experience.
However, there is a fine line between creating great games and ensuring meaningful cryptocurrency synergies. Neopets Metaverse is an NFT-based game based on the wildly popular 1999 pet simulator that was in development for about two years before it was abruptly canceled. reason? CEO told gamers: “I didn't care.” It's about blockchain, and the title aims to repurpose blockchain as a regular mobile game. Obviously, the game needs to be good, and the addition of blockchain needs to make sense, add value, and improve the ecosystem.
Understanding your audience is key here. Gamers are trending younger and want better ways to express themselves, own their identity, and make money online. All of this is possible with blockchain. Therefore, using blockchain to make these capabilities accessible and meaningful will fuel the next bullish development of Web3 games.
This is the challenge for our field in 2025. The goal is to make blockchain relevant to games, invisible to players, and powerful enough to drive adoption. It's up to us, the developers, to get there. Off The Grid and Telegram show a way forward, with blockchain in the background and gaming in charge.
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