Gunzilla Games Acquire Game Informer

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🔫 Gunzilla Games Acquire Game Informer

Game Informer, the gaming publication, has been acquired by Gunzilla Games the creators of Web3 Game Off The Grid. This comes 7 months after former parent company GameStop shut the publication down. 

Key Points:

• This is one of the first large-scale gaming-related businesses acquired by a Web3 gaming company. 

• The publication will remain independent while operating as Game Informer Inc.

• Gunzilla CEO Vlad Korolov said: “We are proud to welcome the talented voices behind Game Informer in the Gunzilla Games family, and join their fight to preserve the heart of video game journalism in what has been a tumultuous time for the industry. Its legacy spans over 33 years, the publication has had a dedicated readership since its inception and still holds a special place in the hearts of many players across multiple generations — including us.”

The Gaming Crypto Take:

• Although this is a distressed asset, it’s fascinating to see a large Web3 gaming company acquire such a storied publisher.

• There is still a huge bridge to build between Web2 gamers and Web3 enthusiasts. 

• Gaming publications still don’t like crypto. It will be really interesting to see what the coverage for Web3 games is from Game Informer. 

• Whilst much of the Web3 gaming market struggles, Gunzilla seem to be going from strength to strength and building a real business with multiple arms. 

• This is a bold move, and there is likely a huge upside for Gunzilla if this even moves the needle 10% in their favour from an optics perspective. 

💰 Arbitrum DAO Mulls Winding Down 'Unsustainable' Web3 Gaming Fund

Arbitrum DAO, one of the largest Layer 2 scaling solutions for Ethereum, is considering closing its dedicated Web3 gaming fund after internal reviews raised concerns about long-term sustainability and resource allocation.

Key Points:

• The fund, which launched in early 2024 with $15 million allocated to support game developers building on Arbitrum, has faced challenges in demonstrating clear ROI

• The ARB token has dropped 81% since the launch of the ecosystem’s gaming catalyst program (GCP).
  

  

• On March 24th 2025, DAO member Nathan van der Heyden submitted a proposal calling for the recovery of unused funds allocated to the Arbitrum Gaming Catalyst Program. He cited that the GCP was created in ‘overly optimistic times’ and that ‘key backers are gone’. 

• A formal proposal for winding down the fund is expected to be put to vote in early April, with provisions to honour existing commitments
  

The Gaming Crypto Take:

• Per DappRadar – Q3 2024 was the lowest quarter of Web3 game & metaverse project funding in over 3 years. Arbitrum’s proposal is perhaps just a reflection of the times. 

  

• A Key point is that this is that the GCP is not a grants program, it’s a fund. Therefore if the DAO cites its lack of ROI… it makes sense that they could clawback funds. 

• Foundations in crypto are always over-exposed to their token. It is not only their runway but also their mechanism for funding. Many foundations have combatted this by selling their treasuries for stables / BTC and participating in on-chain lending to ensure the economics still go back into the network level.

🌐 Diga Labs Partners with Ambrus Studio to Launch Immersive Metaverse Experiences

Diga Labs, known for its blockchain infrastructure solutions, has announced a strategic partnership with immersive technology specialist Ambrus Studio’s Metaverse game world Ambrus Studio to develop next-generation metaverse experiences.

Key Points:

• Their first joint project will be unveiled in Q2 2025, promising high-fidelity environments with seamless blockchain integration

• The partnership includes a co-investment fund of $5 million to support developers creating content for their platform

• Both companies emphasized interoperability as a core design principle, allowing users to bring digital assets across different virtual spaces

Gaming Crypto Take:

• Interoperability is hard. Difficult from a technology perspective, but even more so from a ‘business market fit’ level. In crypto, moats are sparse - so if you encourage interoperability, you better be sure you have a business model that caters towards it.

• It feels like when not if decentralised Metaverse worlds have a renaissance. The question is whether they will scale, this time around.

🎲 Beamable Partners Up with POG Battle

Beamable, the cloud-based game backend service, has announced a strategic partnership with competitive gaming platform POG Battle to enhance blockchain integration for game developers.

Key Points:

• The partnership will bring Beamable's blockchain SDK and infrastructure to POG Battle's tournament and matchmaking platform.

• Game developers can now implement tokenized rewards and NFT functionality with minimal coding through Beamable's Unity-based tools.

• POG Battle's competitive gaming features will receive enhanced blockchain-based verification for tournament results and prize distribution.

• The companies plan to launch a joint developer program in May to encourage the adoption of their combined technologies.

Gaming Crypto Take:

• All the rage in crypto right now is stablecoin and financial infrastructure, but quietly Web3 gaming infrastructure tools, app layers and Layer3 solutions in gaming are creating new pathways to creating smoother games with better UX.

• 2025 is the year that legacy IP comes to Web3 Gaming in a real way, either first-party or via third-party IP rent/sales.

• Multichain, browser native is compelling – and lowers the barrier to entry whilst making their TAM as big as possible.

• 250,000 sessions in Beta so far is impressive. 

• With Ton walling the garden that is telegram, it will be interesting to see how many Web3 gaming brands develop great browser native propositions going forward.