Game development in web3: real use cases, challenges, and solutions

On September 14, 2023, Sequence and Game Developer hosted a webinar with more than 220 registrants titled “Game Development in web3: real use cases, challenges, and solutions”. 

It fostered an insightful and engaging discussion featuring some of web3’s leading experts:

Sam Barberie - Head of Strategy and Partnerships at Sequence

Sameer Chauhan - Senior Staff Software Engineer at Polygon Labs

Serhat Maraşlıgil - CEO at BoomLand

Alissa McAloon - Publisher at Game Developer

Webinar recap: Here’s what you need to know

In case you missed it, we’ve summarized key takeaways from our expert panel discussion👇 Sam Barberie first introduced the Sequence platform, the all-in-one web3 gaming development tool. He discussed the challenges faced by game developers in implementing web3 elements into their titles and how Sequence was created to address these challenges.

In the panel discussion with Sameer and Serhat that followed, the speakers shared their experiences and insights on various aspects of web3 gaming development. They touched upon topics like user acquisition, technical challenges, and the evolution of the web3 gaming industry.

One of the major points of discussion included how the integration of blockchain elements positively impacts retention and monetization in web3 gaming. Speakers mentioned that players are spending more on in-game assets in web3 games compared to their web2 counterparts, leading to higher lifetime value (LTV) . For example, Hunters On-Chain, an action RPG leveraging web3 by BoomLand, saw 4.5x higher Day 30 retention, 7.2x higher average revenue per user (ARPU), and bigger spending from whales in comparison to the web2 version of the game.

The conversation also explored how game developers are increasingly focused on creating more mature and intentional products, considering how user acquisition, account management systems, and technology integration affect their games. This marks a shift from the initial hype around blockchain and web3 when developers rushed to embrace the technology. Now, the focus is on delivering fun, engaging games that build communities, rather than just promoting the use of blockchain networks.

acknowledged that there's still a stigma associated with cryptocurrencies and the financialization of web3 projects. The hope is that as more games leverage web3 with a player-centric approach and demonstrate its value, the negative stigma will diminish. 

Despite this bottleneck, web3 is expected to be adopted by first-party console platforms in the future. The demand from players for shared experiences and the success of brands like Nike and EA collaborating in web3 gaming suggests that it's a matter of when and not if these platforms will embrace web3.

Additional topics covered during the panel discussion include:

• Challenges of deciding what game elements should be on-chain and what should be off-chain. In this sense, the panelists emphasized the importance of providing a seamless user experience for web2 players while still integrating web3 technology.

• Technical challenges, like the choice of which blockchain platform to build on, development language, and wallet integration. These elements impact how web2 players can seamlessly onboard into the web3 gaming ecosystem.

• The parallel development of web3 and AI in the gaming industry. Those with experience in game development are looking to integrate these technologies into their practices in ways that benefit players.

• How Unity's new terms of use might impact the web3 developer community. While the new pricing structure may affect larger companies once they reach a million downloads, web3 games tend to monetize better, potentially offsetting these costs.

In closing, the panelists saw promising developments in web3 game development, particularly in terms of user acquisition, monetization, and player retention strategies. Speakers acknowledged that the industry is still evolving, with new challenges and opportunities emerging regularly, but emphasized the inevitability of web3 technology being increasingly adopted in the gaming space.