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
Gala Games exploit: The Gala Games ecosystem was attacked last week when an as-yet-unidentified person exploited the Gala smart contract to print and swipe 5 billion GALA tokens, or $240 million worth at the time. After swapping 600 million GALA tokens for ETH via Uniswap, the wallet was frozen—and the next day, the attacker returned the $22 million ETH that they’d managed to get their hands on.
The Gala team decided to exchange the returned Ethereum for GALA tokens before burning them, thus cutting the overall supply. Network operators are now voting to consider the remaining 4.4 billion GALA tokens printed by the attacker as effectively burned, since they’re currently stuck in a frozen wallet.
Gala Games Attacker Returns Ethereum After $240 Million Token Exploit
The as-yet-identified attacker behind Monday’s $240 million Gala Games token exploit has returned the Ethereum (ETH) gained from selling some of the tokens, as Gala reckons with the fallout from the attack and how to address lingering questions. Approximately 5,913 ETH, or about $22 million, was sent back from the attacker’s wallet to a Gala wallet on Tuesday morning, representing the funds earned from selling 600 million GALA tokens on decentralized exchange Uniswap shortly after Monday’s explo...
NYAN token launches: Solana-based hero shooter game Nyan Heroes launched its token on Bybit, early Tuesday. The token popped over $0.46 with $22 million in early volume, and at the time of writing it currently has a market cap of about $21 million according to CoinMarketCap.
Alongside the launch, Bybit hosted a rewards campaign handing out 2.76 million NYAN tokens (about $828,000) to customers that staked NYAN, MNT, or USDT on the exchange. Nyan Heroes developer 9 Lives Interactive also opened up airdrop claims to those who checked out the pre-alpha demo playtests on the Epic Games Store.
‘Nyan Heroes’ Launches Solana Token, Up 27% as Airdrop Claims Open
Nyan Heroes, a PC-based hero shooter on the Epic Games Store, launched its Solana-based NYAN token today, opening up its token claim for players who participated in the recent play-to-airdrop campaigns around the game. NYAN debuted on crypto exchange Bybit early Tuesday, as the game’s official launch partner following the Solana token generation event (TGE). The token popped over $0.46 with $22 million in early volume, and is currently priced at $0.30, per data from CoinMarketCap, with a market...
Notcoin earning missions: After successfully launching its NOT token to sizable demand, viral Telegram-based clicker game Notcoin launched a new type of in-game mission last week that lets players passively earn crypto rewards, rather than earning one-time rewards.
“Earnings missions” guide players through different communities belonging to “partner projects,” granting them tokens in return for learning about other crypto games and apps. The actual clicker gameplay has yet to return, however, though it’s planned.
'Notcoin' Missions Let You Passively Earn Crypto via Telegram—Here's How
Notcoin, the viral clicker game that had tens of millions of users fervently tapping a digital gold coin to earn crypto via Telegram, has launched a new type of mission that lets players passively earn crypto token rewards. After conducting its NOT token airdrop via The Open Network (TON) last week, Not ranks as the largest gaming token launch so far in 2024–instantly reaching a market cap of nearly $1.5 billion. Now, the token has settled around a $500 million market cap at a price of just unde...
ICYMI
- Move-to-earn game Stepn announced the launch of a new social lifestyle game called Stepn Go.
- Pokémon-esque crypto and NFT game Pixelmon announced airdrop details for its soon-to-be-launched MON token.
- Meme coin gambling game Rug.fun is currently under construction as the devs work on version two of the game.
- The Apeiron Guild Wars 2024 esports competition began with $1 million worth of prizes up for grabs.
- Fantasy Top started a 22-day competition with 222,222 Blast Gold as a reward.
- Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) said he bought GameStop stock to “punish predator short selling to the moon”
GG spotlight
Here are a few of our original stories from this past week that we think are well worth a weekend read:
'Guild of Guardians' Review: The Perfect Ethereum Game to Play While Taking a Poo
Games have to find you at the right time. Well, this Ethereum game found me on the toilet. My favorite gaming experiences have come when a game is enjoyable and perfectly fits into my life. Think Bloodborne finding me cooped up inside during the pandemic, or co-op gem It Takes Two when I wanted to bond with my partner. Guild of Guardians meets you in those natural breaks in your day—as you're taking a suspiciously long toilet break at work, waiting for the bus, or cooking dinner. This mobile fan...
Play Games, Earn Bitcoin: The Best iOS and Android Games That Pay You BTC
Did you know that there are mobile games that pay real Bitcoin for playing? These are legit games that you can download from the iOS App Store or Android Play Store, and as you play the game and watch ads between rounds or levels, you’ll stack up satoshis (aka the smallest denomination of a Bitcoin). Granted, you’ll need to keep your expectations in check—most of these games pay out something in the ballpark of a few cents worth of Bitcoin per hour of play. Nobody’s going to get rich playing a B...
Chain of Alliance Game Guide: Getting Started With the Turn-Based RPG
Blockchain-powered role-playing game (RPG) Chain of Alliance pits parties of Heroes against each other in turn-based battles, using the spoils of war to craft and engrave items and equipment, customizing your party members. Heroes can be minted as NFTs, with their progression recorded directly on the NFT—but even if you’re a blockchain neophyte the game is easy to pick up and play. With the launch of its beta version, there’s never been a better time to dive into Chain of Alliance. Here’s how to...
What Is Nyan Heroes? The Solana Shooter Game and NYAN Token Explained
A cat-based shooter with paw-sitive reviews from players? Sorry, there’s more cat puns to come. Nyan Heroes is a Solana-based game developed by the aptly named 9 Lives Interactive. The game experienced some early success following the initial wave of its play-to-airdrop campaign, which saw fur-tunate players earn points towards NYAN tokens. Currently available to play on the Epic Games Store in pre-alpha, the game has garnered an impressive fanbase. Is the game as meow-gical as it’s made out to...
Edited by Andrew Hayward
