Execs weigh in on blockchain gaming future

As Web3 gaming showed resilience despite the crypto bear market, professionals working in the space predict that the next year will be more eventful for the blockchain gaming niche.

Henry Chang, the CEO of the South Korean game development company Wemade, believes that there will be an increase in blockchain-based games released in 2024. Chang told Cointelegraph in a statement that there will be more complex applications of Web3 within games. Chang said:

“As developers gain experience and confidence, we should also see greater experimentation and sophisticated use of blockchain elements in-game mechanics and gameplay, and a wider variety of Web3 games of different genres.”

Besides the number of games coming out, Chang also suggested that more gaming studios are bound to include Web3 in their portfolio. The executive believes that this is due to the inherent characteristics of blockchain gaming, which allows it to provide new revenue streams, create new experiences and make community engagement more immersive through token-gated benefits.

Chang also pointed out that gaming combined with the blockchain returns in-game asset ownership to gamers, connects the real-world economy to games and makes games interoperable by tying them into “a cohesive whole.”

Bartosz Skwarczek, the founder and CEO of G2A Capital Group, the company behind the gaming marketplace G2A, echoed many of Chang’s sentiments and said there will be more collaboration between traditional industry players and Web3 startups in 2024.

According to a press release on Nov. 2, Microsoft backed Chang’s Wemade with its Web3 push. On Nov. 16, Skwarczek’s G2A, which is a traditional game vendor, opened its own nonfungible token (NFT) marketplace focused on Web3 games.

At @G2A_Geekverse we believe that Web3 gaming is not just a buzzword.

It represents a paradigm shift toward decentralization, digital ownership, and a new era of gaming experiences, empowering players and taking digital ownership to the next level.

Evolution has begun. pic.twitter.com/R61fJ1K1EZ

— G2A Geekverse (@G2A_Geekverse) November 11, 2023

Skwarczek told Cointelegraph that more collaborations will lead to more mainstream Web3 gaming adoption. Skwarczek said:

“With improved accessibility and user-friendly interfaces, we can also expect more elaborate game designs and more engaging gameplay mechanics, attracting a broader audience.”

The executive believes that integrating NFTs for in-game assets and the emergence of a true Triple A-rated Web3 game may be the catalyst to redefine blockchain gaming in the coming year.

Related: NFT sales volume upward trend to continue, industry execs say

How Web3 gaming can onboard more players

While there are many things to look forward to in 2024, one of blockchain gaming’s biggest challenges is onboarding a more extensive player base. According to Chang, blockchain technology is complex for most game designers and developers. This means users themselves will have a hard time understanding the technology.

Despite these hurdles, Chang believes that making it easier for developers to integrate Web3 elements into their games and making the blockchain parts more intuitive and native to games could solve the issue. The executive believes that making these things easier for your average gamer to understand will allow them to adapt much faster, leading to broader adoption of Web3 in gaming.

Meanwhile, Skwarczek reiterated that there has to be “one groundbreaking Web3 title” that will set the standard for blockchain gaming and enhance players’ overall experience. “That is the missing piece that will get Web3 attention and mass adoption,” Skwarczek added.