Animoca Brands partners with Sony to bring blockchain user IDs to Sony’s L2 Ethereum blockchain

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🎮️ Top Stories of the Week

🪪 Animoca Brands partners with Sony to bring blockchain user IDs to Sony’s L2 Ethereum blockchain

Sony's Ethereum Layer-2 blockchain, Soneium, is integrating Moca Network’s infrastructure, enabling users to keep unique identities and credentials across various dApps on the platform. The first project adopting this identity system will be San FranTokyo’s Anime ID.

Key Points:

• Soneium, developed by Sony Block Solutions Labs, is a blockchain built on Ethereum that focuses on entertainment and digital experiences.

• Animoca’s integration of their AIR SDK product (Account, Identity, and Reputation SDK) allows for seamless digital identities, a crucial step towards creating a valuable and monetizable blockchain product.

• San FranTokyo’s Anime ID will aid in both technical rollout as well as an anime-themed campaign to attract users 

• Animoca Brands and San FranTokyo will also launch anime-inspired cultural campaigns to onboard anime enthusiasts to Soneium.

The Gaming Crypto Take:

• The move indicates Sony’s continued growth in the blockchain space, and positions Soneium as a major player in entertainment-driven Web3 ecosystems.

• It is notable that Animoca Brands, a leading Web3 company that almost entirely focuses on gaming, has struck up a deal with Sony’s Soneium, which has positioned themselves to focus more on general entertainment. 

• Digital identity is a critical piece of blockchain adoption. By providing a seamless and interoperable identity layer, Soneium is creating an infrastructure that could enable smoother user onboarding that blurs the line between gaming and other entertainment sectors. 

• Anime is a large worldwide entertainment industry, and tapping into this market could bring mass adoption to blockchain through familiar cultural experiences.

🪙 RavenQuest reports a strong user base as they start their token generation event

​RavenQuest, a highly anticipated MMORPG, is poised to launch its token generation event (TGE) today, marking a significant milestone in its evolution. With an engaged player base, the game looks like another promising Web3 title.

Key Points:

• According to Immutable’s 2024 Season, RavenQuest boasts over 250,000 active users. Immutable also reports a thriving economy, with all three of the game's land sales selling out in less than an hour. Popularity likely stems from the already established title RavenDawn, a Web2 predecessor in which RavenQuest evolved from.

• In 2024, RavenQuest was honored with the "Best Adventure Game" award at the GAM3 Awards for its excellence in gameplay and innovation.

• Streaming has also shown strength, with a recent Twitch beta release livestream garnering over 1 million views.

Gaming Crypto Take:

• Strong foundations matter when it comes to building popular games. The fact that  RavenQuest’s is built after its established Web2 predecessor makes the new Web3 title much more capable of acquiring users.

• Winning "Best Adventure Game" at the GAM3 Awards and surpassing 1 million Twitch views showcase both critical and audience acclaim, signaling strong market interest. Games need organic growth methods like these to shoot into the mainstream. 

• With a massive reported player base paired with sold out land sales, RavenQuest could be primed to be a flagship example of a thriving Web3 game economy. This could be a massive step for Web3 gaming to see if utility of in-game currency can be maintained in the long haul. 

• Heading into its token generation event, RavenQuest has a well-timed opportunity to capitalize on its active community and growing visibility. Despite turmoil in the traditional crypto markets, RavenQuest seems to be timing their TGE well in the context of their own community and product.

📱Xsolla’s report found strength in the mobile gaming player base

According to insights from The Xsolla Report Q1 2025, mobile gaming remains the dominant segment of the gaming industry, outpacing PC and console in both revenue and player numbers. However, a critical challenge persists: monetization.

Key Points:

• The mobile gaming industry is on an unprecedented trajectory, with revenue projections and engagement metrics continuing to break records. In-app purchases and ad-based monetization models remain dominant, but direct player-to-player transactions continue to grow as an emerging trend.

• Digital wallets are expected to become more widely adopted, growing from 50 to 61% of expected ecommerce transaction value between 2023 and 2027.

Gaming Crypto Take:

• As more developers explore blockchain integrations, Web3-enabled wallets present an opportunity for gamers to retain digital ownership of assets across games and ecosystems. 

• In-depth market reports like Xsolla’s are very important to consider. When firms without a vested interest in Web3 report data showing growth in things like in-game wallets, people should take notice. Reports showing growth and strength in mobile gaming are good news for Web3 gamers as well given many promising Web3 titles are built for mobile.

🔫 Gunzilla Games launches their highly anticipated GUNZ token on major trading platforms

Gunzilla, the studio behind the Web3-enabled battle royale game Off the Grid, just released its $GUN token to the public. The token will serve as the backbone of the game’s digital economy, and be integrated into an already thriving playerbase.

Key Points:

• Off the Grid has generated over 14.5 million wallets on Avalanche and boasts around 500,000 daily active users. At its peak, the game saw 900,000 daily active users, boosted by streamers like Ninja and Timthetatman.

• Gunzilla made headlines last week for acquiring Game Informer and reviving the gaming publication after GameStop shut it down in 2024.

• Off the Grid is the first Web3 game to launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, which has so far positioned itself with optional Web3 elements.

• The GUNZ ecosystem is the first Avalanche L1 to integrate with Binance, making $GUN the first Web3 gaming token on Binance since Pixels in Q1 2024.

Gaming Crypto Take:

• Gunzilla has made the smart decision to prioritize mainstream adoption by making Off the Grid playable without requiring Web3 engagement. Requiring users to become crypto natives has proven to cause problems for other game companies.

• Real Web3 gaming adoption is still being driven by solid game design rather than speculative hype. Successful developers don’t want to scare off players with a clunky user experience, especially if players aren’t versed in Web3. Incorporating aspects like optional digital ownership, allowing players to buy, sell, and trade in-game assets if they choose, is an important aspect for a successful Web3 game.