As the hype surrounding play-to-earn (P2E) games and platforms began to dwindle in early 2022, Web3 participants began to emphasize the need for games to be more “fun” and less finance-oriented. In the most recent episode of NFT Steez, Alyssa Expósito and Ray Salmond speak with Aron Beierschmitt, the CEO of Laguna Games and founder of Crypto Unicorns, about the sustainability of P2E-focused blockchain games. For Beierschmitt, the evolution from a play-to-earn to a play-and-earn model suggests that there is still experimentation and maturation to be seen for these games. “Nothing has changed about making games,” said Beierschmitt. But with …

In the rapidly expanding world of NFT gaming, new projects are racing to redefine what can be done both within the games themselves and in the broader economic ecosystem in which these games exist. One new project, Tachyon Domination, has moved the arena to space, inviting users to compete with each other for galactic supremacy while offering numerous opportunities to earn on their efforts. Tachyon Domination has taken a somewhat unusual approach to blockchain gaming. Rather than requiring players to purchase access to the game via NFTs or tokens, the game is free-to-play. Players are transported some 300 years into …

It's been a seismic couple of years for the gaming industry. NFTs are playing an increasingly bigger role in new titles as studios experiment with blockchain technology. But this isn't an innovation that has been met without controversy. Here, Catheon Gaming's head of business development Philippe Ho tells us about the biggest obstacles standing in the way of wider adoption — and why careful consideration is required before digital assets are integrated into games. 1. Hello! Tell us about Catheon Gaming. Catheon Gaming is one of the fastest-growing blockchain gaming and entertainment ecosystems. We are a fully end-to-end platform that …

The beta version of a much-anticipated NFT game is about to be released. SolChicks has the ambition of becoming the best play-and-earn RPG ecosystem on the Solana blockchain, with gamers using adorable chicks as their characters in an immersive gaming metaverse. Initially, the beta version will only be accessible to those who already hold SolChicks NFTs — and the game will be available on Android devices and PCs. The closed beta service will be launched on 15 October at 12pm UTC, and you can find out how to register here. A dramatic tweet that shows a SolChick in black and …

Solana (SOL) blockchain-based move-to-earn fitness app STEPN is reportedly laying off over 100 of its contract workers amid the ongoing crypto bear market and as its user numbers dwindle from previous highs. Moderators and ambassadors will be among the sacked staff, and investment in STEPN will be scaled back according to crypto reporter Colin Wu. There will also be a shift toward promoting STEPN's parent company Find Satoshi Lab (FSL) and its new projects, Wu claimed, citing community sources. The famous blockchain game STEPN began to lay off staff in the bear market. It will mainly lay off more than …

A blockchain gaming ecosystem says play-and-earn represents "the next wave of disruption" in this $250 billion industry. Catheon Gaming says the cutting-edge technology that immutable ledgers provide tackles many of the shortcomings that exist in traditional games. In-game assets are completely owned by players, monetizable, and transferable. Rather than focusing on releasing a single game, this project wants to cultivate a vibrant ecosystem that'll endure beyond the life cycle of any one title. Catheon says it currently boasts a large and growing portfolio of 25 games — and this will be further enriched with the development of its very own …

Such a philosophy is common among investors who are enthusiastic about blockchain’s potential to dominate Web3 as it becomes the infrastructure of the new internet. Yet, if you swap “cryptocurrency” with “stock,” you get a Warren Buffett quote — word-for-word. Of course, Buffett would never say such a thing about cryptocurrency because he thinks it’s worthless. So do a host of other heavy hitters, ranging from Buffett’s close ally Charlie Munger to gold’s poster boy Peter Schiff. Add to the list J.P. Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman, and even Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren — a …

A new survey commissioned by blockchain entertainment provider Coda Labs suggests that despite the huge amount of money being poured into Web3 gaming, traditional gamers are still yet to warm up to crypto or NFTs and have little interest in Web3 games. According to the survey, gamers pointed to practical barriers as their main reason for shying away from Web3 games, with gamers often not knowing how they might work and lacking a blockchain wallet. The survey found that only 12% of non-crypto gamers have tried Web3 games, while just 15% of those yet to try were interested in doing …

The blockchain-based gaming industry will need to look at localized strategies to attract Web3 gamers, says decentralized gaming guild Yield Guild Games (YGG). Speaking with Cointelegraph at the 2022 Tokyo Games Show last week, Andy Chou, YGG’s head of ecosystem development, and Brian Lu, partner of Taiwan-based VC firm Infinity Ventures Crypto (IVC) gave a rundown of YGG’s plans moving forward, including how it is using its subDAOs. YGG was initially launched in the Philippines in late 2020, but following an early-stage investment from IVC, the duo teamed up to expand YGG across the globe via subDAOs, initially starting in …

Modern parents are going to need to keep an even closer eye on their kids’ gaming habits, as some of them may be accumulating a hefty tax bill, according to a crypto tax specialist. Speaking to Cointelegraph during last week’s Australian Crypto Convention, Adam Saville-Brown, regional head of tax software firm Koinly said that many don’t realize that earnings from play-to-earn (P2E) games can be subject to tax consequences in the same way as crypto trading and investing. This is particularly true for play-to-earn blockchain games that offer in-game tokens that can be traded on exchanges and thus have real-world …

The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) of South Korea revealed plans to move away from imposing traditional video gaming laws on the Metaverse. Instead, the ministry decided to issue new guidelines for incentivizing the growth of the budding ecosystem. South Korea’s interest in garnering Web3 and the Metaverse ecosystems is evidenced by the $200 million investment it made for the creation of an in-house Metaverse. Running parallel to this effort, the MSIT identified that imposing older regulations serve as a deterrent to the growth of new ecosystems. In the first meeting of the National Data Policy committee, MSIT noted …

One of Web3’s leading digital property rights developers, Animoca Brands, announced yet another major acquisition to its increasing portfolio of gaming subsidiaries. The company announced the purchase of WePlay Media, which developed the popular blockchain-game MotoGP Championship Quest, on Sept. 16. According to the agreement, the acquisition is in an effort to bolster user engagement in motorsport mobile gaming. Graeme Warring, the co-founder and COO of WePlay Media and co-creator of MotoGP, called the acquisition an exciting development for both parties as they expand their reach to motorcycle fans across the globe. “Animoca Brands has the ability to reach hundreds …