The crypto and NFT gaming space has been incredibly active recently, with new games launching, token airdrops occurring, and various other events taking place. It can be overwhelming to keep up with all the developments!
Fortunately, Decrypt’s GG is here to provide you with a quick summary of the latest happenings in the world of crypto video games. Our weekend roundup highlights the most significant news from the past week, along with a few interesting details you might have missed.
Biggest news:
1. Hamster Kombat TON layer-2: After the successful launch of the fourth-largest gaming token of 2024, the creators of the Telegram tap-to-earn game Hamster Kombat announced plans to establish a layer-2 network on top of The Open Network (TON). This decision was made following a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) vote, with an overwhelming majority of 1.1 billion HMSTR token voting power in favor of the move, and just 104,368 votes against. It is worth noting, however, that the top two voters currently hold over 88% of all voting power, giving a significant amount of influence to a small number of individuals.
Prior to this announcement, the developers revealed that Hamster Kombat’s highly anticipated second season, which has been subject to numerous delays, will be more than just a game. They are working on three games that will form the core of an entertainment ecosystem based on the game’s intellectual property. The closed beta for HamsterVerse, as the ecosystem is called, is already underway with 30,000 community members.
2. Off the Grid stands tall: As the year came to a close, the Avalanche-based shooter Off the Grid received several accolades. Not only did it win GG’s Game of the Year, but it also won Gam3s’ Game of the Year award and made it onto Rolling Stone’s year-end gaming list. Gunzilla Games, the studio behind Off the Grid, shared its plans for 2025 with Decrypt. One notable plan is the estimated Q1 2025 launch of their GUNZ network on the mainnet, which will allow free trading of their GUN token. Before that, the studio aims to introduce ranked and solo queue modes and expand the game’s map by opening up the remaining 80%. Additionally, Gunzilla intends to onboard third-party developers to the GUNZ network and even explore the possibility of creating a Telegram mini app for the ecosystem. It looks like 2025 will be a significant year for Gunzilla Games, one of the biggest success stories in the crypto gaming industry.
3. Illuvium’s next steps: The crypto gaming franchise Illuvium shared its plans for the new year. In the past, the project launched three titles that were interconnected through shared resources and a narrative loop. However, the team found it challenging to focus on all three titles simultaneously. Moving forward, they have decided to prioritize their efforts on one game at a time, starting with the auto-battler Illuvium Arena. The team also outlined plans to reduce microtransactions, add more content, and secure additional funding. They are considering temporarily shutting down their flagship title, Illuvium Overworld, until it becomes a fully realized experience. However, the team’s top priority for 2025 is to enhance the MMO experience in the Overworld.
ICYMI (In Case You Missed It):
– Telegram game Catizen distributed rewards to airdrop pass holders, granting them three different tokens.
– Iconic gaming brand Atari unveiled a new handheld console called “My Arcade.”
– Zoo, a popular Telegram game with over 12 million players, confirmed that its mining phase will end on January 31st. Each in-game ZOO token will be equivalent to one future on-chain token.
– Players of the TikTok tap-to-earn game Sonic SVM will receive a SONIC airdrop on the Solana blockchain.
– The crypto trading card game Parallel reached a milestone of 6 million games played throughout its history. The developers claim that the game currently averages 200,000 games per week.
– Cat Gold Miner, another Telegram game, announced that its token will be listed on Bitget, Gate, MEXC, and other exchanges on January 9th.
– Someone created a CAPTCHA human verification challenge using the iconic first-person shooter game Doom.
– Roaring Kitty, the meme stock icon associated with GameStop, posted a GIF that caused the stock of Unity Software, a gaming company, to surge.
– Forkcast, a gaming prediction market, revealed its plan to launch on the Ethereum sidechain gaming network Ronin.
– The open beta for Season 11 of the crypto shooter game Parallel, titled Hounds of Havoc, began.
GG spotlight:
Here are a few original stories from the past couple of weeks that we believe are worth reading over the weekend:
– “Edited” by Andrew Hayward
