Whilst excitement around crypto gaming has certainly dwindled at this stage of the dev cycle, it was encouraging to see plenty of activity around EthCC. For the first time, there was a healthy selection of games with playable demos out that culminated brilliantly at HyperPlay’s LAN event. The team put the latest version of their launcher on full display, with over 15 titles pre-installed and ready to play. The Bornless and MEGAWEAPON appeared to be particular favorites amongst the crypto gaming diehards who appeared unphased by the bear.
Beyond the buzz generated around being able to actually play all these (early) games together, a sector that continues to draw in talent and energy is on-chain games. The Autonomous Worlds Hacker House hosted by @Komorebi88 saw many well-capitalized teams sharing views and solutions to the various problems the space presents. This is undoubtedly the most technical frontier of gaming and crypto, with many cutting-edge technologies being deployed in the quest to pioneer a new medium for games. Whilst the space has a long way to go as discussed in Delphi’s report, it continues to be a massive talent vortex attracting brilliant, curious minds.
Source: Ishanee Nagpurkar
Turning more towards the mainstream, Coin-Op hosted an event with Sorare at their offices that discussed the latest on the regulatory front for the industry. Following the recent news that Google would be opening up to crypto gaming, much of the conversation anchored around a positive outlook as the web’s gatekeepers begin to warm up. Sorare-backed initiatives such as GEDI (Games with Exchangeable Digital Items) Framework in the EU look to build upon this momentum and formalize some boundaries for operation. As with much of the crypto industry, clear guidelines for operation are paramount. Their absence continues to deter builders, especially in the mobile space who are beholden to the whims of the app stores.
Despite a sharp decline in activity and user numbers, it was encouraging to see enthusiasm for the sector remain. Teams are heads down polishing their builds, much needed infrastructure like HyperPlay continues to materially improve UX frictions, and the on-chain games space seems to have reached an ATH of gigabrains working on it. Whilst we still have a lot to prove, there is undoubtedly enduring spirit amongst the builders who believe in the role that crypto must play in the game experiences of the future.