What does Web3 actually add to Gaming? – Aug ’25 refresh
Short attempt to separate what’s real from wishful thinking.
0. Web3 Gaming Hopium stack (unchanged)
- Interoperable NFTs
- True digital ownership
- Play-to-Earn/GameFi
- Player-run DAOs
- Progress portability
- Composability & modding
- Provably-fair economies
- Crowd-funded publishing
1. “Is anyone asking for this?”
- Consoles still closed: ~240M current-gen consoles (PS5/XSX/Switch class) and none of the big three let wallets/NFTs onto their stores. Web3 can’t keep a mobile wallet live at scale; the couch is farther away.
- Studios: still cold: Most devs remain uninterested in chain gameplay; pilots are marketing-led, not player-led.
- Storefronts:
@EpicGames:continues allowing blockchain games under a Blockchain Addendum; policy is explicit but curated.
@Steam: policy still hostile to crypto/NFTs – but a crack appeared: Off The Grid announced a Steam launch in June as the first blockchain-integrated title publicly revealed since the 2021 ban. Edge case, not a door swing. - Player backlash: Big publishers still get roasted if “crypto” feels bolted on.
- Scale check: Ronin flashed real DAU (2M day peak in 2024) and remains the closest thing to Web3 gaming scale – powered by Pixels/@AxieInfinity, not “universal NFTs.”
2. Why the “NFT everywhere” wet dream collapses on contact with reality
- Assets aren’t Lego: pipelines/rigs/shaders/hit-boxes are bespoke across engines & titles. a @CallofDuty skin cannot magically render in @Battlefield
- Economics: publishers print billions via closed stores (F2P cosmetics, passes); player resale nukes margins.
- Licensing/IP: cross-game use is a rights nightmare.
- Security/liability: open markets invite exploits + AML/KYC headaches.
- Fun ≠ finance: turning loops into yield spreadsheets still isn’t fun.
3. Money flows anyway – mostly to narrative
- Funding exists, but teams quietly sunset or pivot when the token loop isn’t enough.
- Crypto devs remain a rounding error vs. global devs; most studios can’t justify the integration cost for uncertain gain.
- 58%+ of PC revenue is already microtransactions – no chain required.
3a What actually changed since May ’25
- @Ubisoft doubled down (cautiously): Might & Magic: Fates landing on Immutable zkEVM (mobile TCG) shows IP experimentation continues – note the format: tradable cards, not shooter skins.
- Immutable keeps shipping: more titles onboarding to its zkEVM and reward layers; momentum is infra/launchpad, not breakout hits.
- Epic stays open (with paperwork). Steam stayed closed – with that one OTG outlier.
- Ecosystem churn: projects migrate chains (e.g., Cross The Ages → Solana) and others shut down—signal that distribution > chain purity.
Net of all that: the “progress” is mostly plumbing (faster finality, account abstraction, curated distribution). It reduces friction; it doesn’t increase fun.
4. So is Web3 gaming doomed? No – just a narrow path
What still won’t work
- P2E flywheels needing constant new entrants
- “Interoperable” cosmetics across rival AAAs
- Token-first, game-later roadmaps
What might work (unchanged, now even clearer)
- Invisible crypto + plug-and-play SDKs (drop-in like a Unity package).
- Single-publisher universes where assets move inside the walled garden.
- On-chain engagement layers (esports/viewer drops, verifiable passes) that don’t touch the core loop.
- UGC royalties/markets (Roblox/Unreal-style) with on-chain payouts.
- Transparent economies for sim/market games where scarcity drives drama.
- Gasless wallets/no seed phrases – players shouldn’t know (or care) it’s Web3.
5. Blunt bottom line (still)
Web3 gaming remains mostly infrastructure wins chasing a fun deficit. The few bright spots (Ronin DAU, curated Epic titles, Immutable ramp) are distribution and tooling stories, not mass-market game wins. Until a chain makes itself invisible and indispensable, skepticism > hype.
Disclaimer : These are my personal opinions, built on public data and 20 years of paying for (and critiquing) games. I can be wrong – bring receipts and I’m happy to update.
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