Daily Insights: Updates on Crypto, Blockchain, NFTs, Web3, and Play-to-Earn Gaming

Yuga Labs has had a blast with its Otherside Second Trip playtest. The Web3 gaming juggernaut knows how to stay in the limelight, whether it’s the endless mocking of its brazen toilet humor or its exorbitant ludicrous NFT access pass prices. Irrespective of the good side or the bad side, Yuga Labs stays in the conversation in the crypto and gaming world in equal parts. After the massive success of Dookey Dash, Yuga Labs eyes further scaling up its gaming venture by launching Otherside. Otherside Second Trip is a metaverse game and its latest playtest last month makes it a super promising game. The playtest had thousands of players in the lobby talking, interacting, and ready to leap into the other side. This is something you don’t see in other Metaverse games out there.

The article discusses Star Atlas, a metaverse game that utilizes web3 technology and features a new mini-game called Escape Velocity. The game's movement system is entirely blockchain-based and promises endless possibilities for player-owned gaming in the metaverse. The recent technical showcase allowed the web3 gaming community to test the movement system at a massive scale, enhancing the robustness and resilience of the forthcoming browser game module, Star Atlas: Golden Era (SAGE). Escape Velocity allows players to explore the Galia Expanse in Star Atlas using their spaceship, experiencing the marvels of moving through the blockchain while witnessing the underlying web3 technology in action.

Champions Arena is an upcoming Web3 game developed by Gala Games, offering captivating graphics and engaging gameplay. It's a simulation NFT card game that showed promise during its playtest in November of the previous year. A new playtest has been conducted, revealing several enhancements and additions to the game.Notable Updates:New Content: The recent playtest introduced Tower Trials and improved game operations and tools. A major update is the introduction of Estate content, still in development and expected to see further improvements before the official launch.In-Game Rewards: Players now receive daily gem rewards by logging in, promoting a level playing field. Higher-ranked players receive better rewards, emphasizing effective resource management and team composition of Champions with various roles.Gacha System: A Gacha update includes regular and Premium Gachas. Premium Gacha guarantees a Champion Hero, albeit at a higher gem cost. Another way to obtain a Champion is by combining characters from Mayhem raids.Launch Date: Champions Arena is tentatively set to launch in Q2 2023 across iOS, Android, and PC platforms. The development team is actively working on adding content and refining the game.Seasons and Battle Arenas: The game will feature seasons in its Battle Arenas, determining player ranks based on PvP match stats. Rankings reset at the end of each season, with pre-seasons allowing experimentation and testing of strategies.Tokenomics: Gems serve as the primary currency, crucial for acquiring, growing, and enhancing Champions. The demand for gems will lead to players spending $GALA tokens. Developers are continuously working on refining the game's tokenomics.NFT Integration: NFT Heroes offer exclusive PvE rewards, but non-NFT Heroes are sufficient for gameplay. The game also features NFT accessories, gears, and Estates. Some non-NFT items can be converted into NFTs through Minting Scrolls.Debut Pre-Sale: A pre-sale for Champions Arena is set to launch, offering bundles with utility. The first NFT available is Nexus, a limited-edition Champion with unique capabilities, allowing players to rent items to others. Nexus also grants access to Estates and future Estate purchases.Champions Arena aims to deliver an immersive and diverse gaming experience, blending NFT elements with exciting gameplay mechanics. Its evolving content and mechanics suggest a commitment to creating a dynamic and engaging Web3 gaming ecosystem.

This week brings a lot of excitement and energy for Web3 gamers as we have a deluge of alpha playtests live right now. You can play and test upcoming Web3 games like Champions Ascension, Champions Arena, Star Atlas, Wildcards, and Tearing Spaces. Other gaming news had Mythical Games launching NFL Rivals, MMA Web3 game on the cards, and Eternal Dragons eyeing another successful tournament. This week we also saw Star Atlas rolling out its mini-play and earn game; Escape Velocity. Finally, we have Sandbox bringing us another Land Sale, this time it is Mega City 3 with 250 plots.

Polygon has seen unprecedented growth in the past few months, with the number of active users and total value locked (TVL) in Polygon’s DeFi ecosystem increasing rapidly. During April, Polygon zkEVM Mainnet experienced up to +300% growth in key metrics. This month recorded some huge numbers for Polygon Mainnet as it gained further support for its community and larger Web 3.0 ecosystem. We will discuss these key metrics on gas costs, total value locked (TVL), net value bridged (NVB), and development activity in this report. its zkEVM Mainnet Beta exceeded 50,000. A total of 95.25 ETH, or almost $177,000 in fees, is already generated across all transactions on the high-performance Zero-Knowledge platform. DappRadar report also indicates that Planet IX, a strategic play-to-earn NFT game, dominated the on-chain activity on Polygon in the first quarter.

With the rise of embedded markets, Web3 gaming is changing. These built-in markets fit right into the game experience and offer a new way to buy, sell, and trade in-game items. In this blog, we'll talk about the idea of "embedded economies" in Web3 games. We'll talk about how they help game makers and what they mean for the future of the gaming industry. Embedded economies in Web3 gaming are when in-game markets are built right into the game itself. In the past, game makers had to use outside platforms to buy and sell in-game assets.

Animoca Brands Notre Game joins forces with MMA One Championship to bring web3 NFT game One Fight Arena with plans to launch in 2024. These two notable companies are creating One Fight Arena. An NFT-powered MMA mobile game that will make use of the extensive IP library and a rich lineup of fighters from ONE Championship. Later this year, the NFT game will be tested to figure out shortcomings or glitches before its actual launch in 2024. It will be free to download when it launches on both Google Play and Apple's App Store.

By using blockchain technology, immersive gameplay, and economic incentives, Web3 games have changed the gaming business. This article looks at Axie Infinity, STEPN, and Illuvium, three famous examples. Each game has its own features, which brings in a wide range of users and shows how much promise the Web3 gaming ecosystem has. The play-to-earn model of Axie Infinity lets players earn cryptocurrency, while STEPN rewards physical exercise by combining fitness and gaming. Illuvium is an open-world game with beautiful graphics and gameplay that is driven by the community. These games show how Web3 gaming can change things by giving players economic chances and letting them own in-game assets. Through Web3 innovations, the future of game seems to be decentralized, player-centered, and financially rewarding. This article looks at Axie Infinity, STEPN, and Illuvium, three popular Web3 games. Also, each game is different, which brings in a wide range of users and shows how much promise this growing gaming ecosystem has.

Kinetix, an AI startup based in Paris, is revolutionizing the gaming industry with its groundbreaking technology called Text2Emotes. By harnessing the power of generative AI, Kinetix allows gamers and virtual world enthusiasts to create 3D animations and emotes simply by inputting text prompts. Also, this innovation opens up new avenues for self-expression and user-generated content in gaming. It presents an exciting prospect for players, developers, and publishers alike. Kinetix's CEO, Yassine Tahi, believes that text is the easiest way for people to express themselves in virtual worlds. Text2Emotes offers one of the first examples of AI technology that can generate high-quality. In addition, it can generate playable 3D animations and emotes based on basic text input. Users can enter a simple text prompt, such as a dance move or an emotional expression, and witness their avatars come to life through AI-generated emotes.

FTX collapse ripple effect continues to date as another casualty happened where a Web3 card game bites the dust. Sam Bankman-Fried’s favorite game Storybook Brawl is shutting down its servers on May 1st. The decision came just after 13 months of its acquisition by FTX. It is yet another addition to the list of casualties. Good Luck Games, the creator of Storybook Brawl, announces on Twitter that the Web3 card game will shut down amid no direction forward. Apparently, the creators tried their best to find a way to keep the game afloat. However, they couldn’t find a way forward and hit a dead end. Good Luck Games was acquired by FTX US (also known as West Realm Shires) and fell under the "FTX Gaming" banner.

Today marks the launch of NFL Rivals worldwide on both Apple AppStore and Google Play. Mythical Games, the game's developer, invites players to immerse themselves in the exciting football gameplay. They can strategize their plays, gather their preferred players, and establish their ultimate team. Players can also celebrate the off-season in style with special rewards, tournaments, and exclusive content. Mythical Games acknowledges the critical role by their partners, including the National Football League (NFL), NFL Players Association, and OneTeam Partners, in achieving this milestone. The collaboration was instrumental in delivering a unique gaming experience that captures the spirit and energy of football.

Video games have come a long way since the days of arcade machines and simplistic graphics. Today, there are a multitude of platforms available for gaming, including consoles like Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo, as well as PC gaming. One of the biggest advancements in gaming technology has been the development of virtual reality (VR), which allows players to immerse themselves in digital worlds like never before. Companies like Oculus and HTC are leading the charge in this field, with more and more games being developed specifically for VR.

Eternal Dragons have announced that they are launching their first-ever Guild-focused tournament. This is a significant event that follows the success of the Alpha Tournament that took place earlier this month. The tournament is designed to put a spotlight on the gaming guilds that have joined Eternal Dragons and those that have been explicitly formed around their game. So this time around we have gaming guilds in focus, and players should join one at their earliest convenience. Players can collect special Dragon NFTs and use them across multiple games as they progress through the expansive realm of Eternal Dragons. We will share more about Eternal Dragons gaming guilds at the end of the article.

Play To Earn Games, Hype or Not? In recent years, there has been a rise in the popularity of Play To Earn games. These games allow players to earn real-life rewards, such as cryptocurrency, by playing the games. While some may see this as a new hype in the gaming industry, others believe that it is here to stay. Firstly, let's take a look at what Play To Earn games actually are. These games use blockchain technology to allow players to earn rewards for their in-game achievements. The rewards can be anything from cryptocurrency to skins for their characters or even rare items.

Web3 gaming content creator Brycent and Esports Pioneer XSET are all set to join forces for unprecedented development and expansion in gaming. XSET focuses on creator-driven narratives and their vision led them to collaborate with one of the most dominant web3 content creators. Brycent aims to expand its Web3 gaming content with XSET, a company renowned for devoted esports teams and popular gamers. Additionally, Brycent will continue his collaboration with Gary Vaynerchuk's VaynerSports as his talent management company. Brycent Johnson has joined the renowned esports organization XSET as its first web3 gaming content creator.