The crypto and NFT gaming space is busier than ever lately, what with prominent games starting to release, token airdrops piling up, and a seemingly constant array of other things happening at all times. It’s a lot to take in!
Luckily, Decrypt’s GG is all over it. And if you need a quick way to get caught up on the latest moves around crypto video games, we’re happy to present This Week in Crypto Games.
Our weekend roundup serves up the biggest news from the past week, along with a few other tidbits you might have missed. We also showcase a few of our original stories from the week.
Biggest news
Notcoin token delay: It was bad news for fans of the viral Telegram-based game Notcoin last week, as the project confirmed that its token would no longer drop via The Open Network (TON) on or around April 20, aka in parallel with the Bitcoin halving. Fortunately, a representative told Decrypt’s GG that this is only a “slight delay” while the team “works to line everything up.”
Notcoin saw huge success with over 35 million players giving the clicker game a spin, in which players tap an image of a coin to earn in-game coins. April 1 saw an end to this “mining phase” with in-game coins expected to be converted into NOT tokens, though the game will return with a new incentive structure following the token mint.
‘Notcoin’ Token Won't Drop Alongside Bitcoin Halving—Here's Why
The on-chain token mint for the viral Telegram-based game Notcoin was originally expected to take place on or around the same date as the Bitcoin halving, but that’s no longer the case. Notcoin representatives confirmed to Decrypt’s GG that the token launch, which will take place on The Open Network (TON), will no longer occur on April 20, the expected date when the Bitcoin halving will occur in the UTC time zone. The Bitcoin halving is the quadrennial event in which the amount of BTC earned by...
Gaming tokens plunge: Game over? It’s been a couple rocky weeks for the crypto market, and gaming tokens took some of the hardest hits last week with notable gaming tokens crashing more than 30%—and some (like Pixels and Portal) even hitting all-time lows.
But there’s light at the end of this tunnel, as many of the top gaming tokens have started regaining ground in recent days, with tokens like Gala Games (GALA), Beam (BEAM), The Sandbox (SAND), and ApeCoin (APE) now each up double-digital percentages (per CoinGecko) over the last week as things turn around.
Gaming Tokens Crash Hard as Bitcoin Falls Ahead of Halving
The crypto markets have been bleeding red in recent days, a stumble ahead of the Bitcoin halving currently expected on late Friday—but gaming tokens have taken some of the hardest hits, with some notable tokens down by more than 30% and hitting all-time low prices. The price of BTC is down by over 12% this week, falling to around $61,500 as of this writing after being above $71,000 earlier this week. And Ethereum has fallen by almost 15% over the last week, currently at just $3,000. Many major t...
Saga's massive airdrop: Yep, there are more airdrops from Saga. This time the gaming-focused layer-1 blockchain has teamed up with over 100 projects across Ethereum, Solana, Avalanche, and more. These partners include first-person shooter Shrapnel, metaverse game The Sandbox, and racing game Wilder World.
Those who stake their SAGA tokens will be eligible for bundles of token and NFT drops “over the coming months,” the announcement said. The Dragon Ball Z-themed campaign is grouped in vaults that will feature multiple projects giving out various prizes.
Saga Reveals Massive Airdrop With Ethereum, Solana, and Avalanche Projects
Gaming-focused layer-1 blockchain Saga has announced an airdrop campaign so huge, the team is calling it: Power-Level Over 9000! It’s a “Dragon Ball Z” reference that spawned a memorable internet meme, and now it’s conveying the scale of this sizable rewards push. In partnership with over 100—not quite 9,000—projects and games across various blockchain networks, users who stake their SAGA tokens will be eligible for bundles of token and NFT airdrops “over the coming months,” the announcement say...
Ragnarok on Ronin: The classic Ragnarok Online gaming franchise is coming to Ethereum thanks to a partnership between developer Gravity and Ronin, a sidechain gaming network. With this announcement the iconic game, which has amassed over 167 million downloads since its launch in 2022, will be making its blockchain debut with Ragnarok: Monster World.
Combining tower defense and monster collection elements, the new title is scheduled to launch on Ronin in Q3 2024.
'Ragnarok Online' Franchise Coming to Ethereum Gaming Network Ronin
The classic Ragnarok Online gaming franchise is coming to Ethereum thanks to a partnership between developer Gravity and Ronin, a sidechain gaming network. Gravity will launch Ragnarok: Monster World, a strategy game based in the Ragnarok Online universe, on Ronin. Ragnarok Online, an iconic massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) that has amassed over 167 million downloads globally since its 2002 launch in South Korea, is making its blockchain debut with Ragnarok: Monster World....
ICYMI
- The Machines Arena, an Ethereum-based top-down Overwatch-style shooter, announced it will enter open beta via the Epic Games Store, and release an Android mobile app, on Tuesday, April 23.
- Bored Ape creator Yuga Labs sold two of its gaming IPs to Web3 gaming studio Faraway, in an attempt to sharpen its focus on metaverse gaming platform Otherside. The firm also burned nearly $1 million worth of HV-MTL NFTs as part of the deal.
- Adidas released $2,500 Solana NFT sneakers in the move-to-earn game Stepn. This is the first step in a year-long partnership with more NFTs and physical items to come.
- Layer-3 gaming network, Xai, expanded its token staking program last week, this time enabling the launch of staking pools to attract a wider audience of players.
Our first game is coming out https://t.co/jYY4GuY5iQ
— Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) April 11, 2024
- Cardano co-founder Charles Hoskinson announced that one of his companies, RFLXT, is releasing a crypto game. Quake-style shooter Voyager: Ascension will be free to play on Gala Games on April 23. And no, it doesn’t run on Cardano.
- The team behind Avalon, a blockchain-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) powered by AI, raised $10 million in fresh funding.
- As Illuvium opened registration for the next phase of its closed beta, outlining how its play-to-airdrop campaign will work.
- Nyan Heroes released stats after its two-week pre-alpha demo closed, showing that the game got 200,000 downloads with 35,000 average daily users.
GG spotlight
Here are a few of our original stories from this past week that we think are well worth a weekend read:
PS5 Pro Preview: Everything You Need to Know About the Next Sony PlayStation
Sony’s PlayStation 5 outsold Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and S last year, shipping a whopping three PS5s for every Xbox. But the tech giant hasn’t put its feet up for the rest of the generation, and now it’s official: an upgraded PlayStation 5 Pro is coming soon. After months of leaks and rumors, the company announced a Pro model of the PS5 during a technical presentation on September 10. The PlayStation 4 also got an enhanced mid-generation upgrade, and likewise, the PS5 Pro promises loads of per...
BitBoy One Preview: Everything You Need to Know About the Bitcoin Gaming Handheld
No, the infamous crypto influencer hasn’t turned into a Game Boy. Instead, the Bitcoin project Ordz Games is getting ready to release its first gaming device that promises a lot of functionality. Crypto games, classic emulated games, hardware wallets, and mining tokens are all promised with this device—most of which aren’t available on the original Game Boy. At an expected price around $500, does the BitBoy One pack enough of a punch for you to part with your hard earned cash? What is the BitBo...
Edited by Andrew Hayward
