Key trends for blockchain games in 2026? Stablecoins, AI agents, FIFA Rivals, AppTokens.

• [1:17] You need to know what doesn't work before you can find out what does work.
• [3:18] We thought the value of a blockchain game would be reflected in its token price. It's not.
• [7:25] In 2025, we saw projects become more focused on who their specific audience is.
• [9:20] One of the small successes in 2025 was risk-to-earn games for degen gamers.
• [11:43] But mass market blockchain games are increasingly hiding their crypto elements.
• [14:58] Blockchain gaming as revolution has failed. Blockchain games as evolution may not.
• [15:28] Mythical Games is moving to a new stablecoin-based marketplace.
• [18:15] The success of its FIFA Rivals game in a World Cup year will be interesting to see.
• [20:00] Stablecoins will continue to become more significant in gaming and fintech in 2026.
• [24:00] Crypto tokens will kill your game fastest than they can make your game work.
• [26:20] Cross-chain infrastructure is now much better, which enables better UX.
• [28:01] AppTokens remain interesting but are difficult for developers to
• [31:58] AI agents were predicted to be a big trend in 2025 but they weren't.
• [35:54] AI agents are symbiotic with blockchain. Games could be the first test case.
• [39:17] AI agents have the potential to fix many of blockchain gaming's problems in 2026.
• [42:30] Gaming's biggest challenge at present is cost of marketing for web2 and web3.
• [46:50] Blockchain games are the best positioned part of gaming to take advantage of AI.

• [1:58] 2025 was the end of play-to-earn cycle which started in 2021 with Axie Infinity.
• [3:10] However, crypto had a great year in terms of Tradfi adoption; ETFs, stablecoins, DATs etc.
• [7:50] Why have crypto incentives not worked for blockchain games?
• [11:00] Adding real-world value has overwhelmed the other reasons why people play games.
• [14:30] The killer feature of blockchain games shouldn't be making money but assets having value.
• [17:40] Tokens are dead; at least tokens that are available for trading on centralized
• [24:58] Do stablecoins eat all other forms of payment including in games?
• [26:01] Mythical Games is launching a new USDC-based NFT marketplace in 2026.
• [33:03] Funding for games in general and blockchain games in particular has been
• [36:53] In 2025, blockchain game funding was $350 million, $1 billion in 2024, $1.7 billion in 2023.
• [41:03] Pixels and its forthcoing Stacked rewards app is going for a mass audience.
• [44:44] YGG gave up on mass market guilds and is making Casual Degen games for crypto people.
• [49:11] (An aside - the rise of prediction markets.)
• [55:06] Another trend is large games like MapleStory and EVE Frontier building an ecosystem.
• [1:03:00] The Sandbox is launching its new community memecoin Corners platforms.
• [1:04:45] An example of the sector's change in 2025 is Mighty Bear Games rebranding to Wearemighty.
• [1:09:25] Immutable also had a significant change of focus from games to marketing in 2025.
• [1:13:15] The products that die in 2026 will be the ones with exactly the same strategy as 2025.

The Sandbox's new Corners platform, MocaProof, Soccerverse's FIFPRO license and BGA 2025 report.

• [0:37] The Sandbox launched its Corners UGC content-memecoin platform into invite-only beta.
• [3:00] It's an attempt to inject some dynamism into the SAND token aside from The Sandbox.
• [4:28] Corners lets user collate and curate weblinks on specific content topics.
• [6:33] Users can then buy each Corner's memecoin, spending it to upvote links.
• [7:24] Users are rewarded for their activity with SAND.
• [9:00] It's easy to criticise such projects but it's about trying new things around simple UGC.
• [13:00] The wider question is what does The Sandbox brand brings to this cultural launchpad?
• [21:25] Moca Network launched its ID and reputation system MocaProof.
• [22:10] It uses zero-knowledge proofs to preserve users privacy while proving your credentials.
• [23:44] This is gamified with a Mocat pet that you level up by verifying your actions.
• [27:25] Blockchain Game Alliance released its report for 2025.
• [30:00] Representation in MENA region (mainly the Gulf) had grown from 1% in 2021 to 20% in 2025.
• [32:00] 66% of people were extremely or somewhat optimistic for 2026.
• [35:17] 46% thought AI would be game-changing for blockchain gaming.
• [38:08] Spider Tanks launched on PC and mobile with Immutable.
• [41:14] EVE Frontier Cycle 4 is live with new manual ship controls.
• [43:48] Soccerverse signed a license with Fifpro to get access to 65,000 football players.

Sony's stablecoin plans, Fableborne Season 4, EVE Frontier's free week, and Footium's $600,000 funding.

• [0:32] Sony looks like it's going to be launching a stablecoin in the US.
• [1:09] It's an extension of the trend that's seen PayPal, Stripe and Klarna also announcing stablecoins.
• [2:00] Sony has set up a US bank, which is applying for a federal license, required for stablecoins.
• [4:44] One key reason is companies pay up to 2% of transactions as fees to Visa and Mastercard.
• [6:30] Sony could save up to $20 million for each $1 billion of spending it moves to its stablecoin.
• [8:55] Do other gaming platforms such as Steam start adopting stablecoins too?
• [10:43] Mobile RPG Fableborne has launched its Season 4, including guilds for the first time.
• [13:07] It's one of the last of a long line of play-to-earn games. Interesting to see how it goes.
• [14:43] Fableborne is on Ronin, which now has a bunch of live and liveish games.
• [15:35] Also on Ronin, Craft World has a new collab with Fishing
• [20:26] Immutable has launched an new AI-based marketing platform.
• [21:16] New mobile/PC action-RPG Myths will launch in 2026, using the Mythical Market for NFTs.
• [28:00] EVE Frontier is free for everyone until Tuesday 9th December; the end of Cycle 3.
• [34:44] UK studio Footium has raised $600,000 for its own-IP soccer management game.
• [36:25] Trying to create your own brands for clubs and players in a sports game is a hard sell.

Xociety and Arise release their first public playables, MapleStory burns $1.7 million tokens and we talk generative AI.

• [0:30] Ndus has raised $1.6 million for its pop extractor shooter Xociety, which hits also early access.
• [10:00] Cross The Ages has launched its PC RPG Arise into open alpha.
• [18:54] "It's like juggling an elephant and a crocodile. If it works, absolutely amazing."
• [21:36] Nexpace will burn $1.7 million NXPC in the first of its planned quarterly token burns.
• [27:32] Hytopia has had 1 million downloads on Google Play store.
• [29:47] JC Kim was on the podcast talking about genAI game-making platform Verse8.
• [37:10] Should games be hand-built like luxury shoes or watches? Rant over.

Jon Jordan talk to Verse8 creator JC Kim about the genAI game-making platform, which is now live for professionals and noobs.

• [3:15] How JC Kim first met Delabs' co-CEO James Joonmo Kwon as a mentor.
• [6:05] Why JC Kim started work on a generative AI game-making tool, which became Verse8.
• [7:20] Verse8 includes coding, 2D image generation, background music and 3D model generation.
• [8:10] The game sector's biggest issue is production costs. GenAI reduces this by 90%.
• [10:06] This means developers can try more ideas and be more
• [10:20] This is particularly important for web3 developers who want to rewards players with tokens.
• [11:56] Using AI, anyone can make mini-games and apps around an IP, which enables real community.
• [15:53] One element of Verse8 is the ability for users to recast or "spin" existing games.
• [19:15] Verse8 can generate a complete multiplayer game for around $10-$20.
• [21:50] Verse8 can suppport both professional game devs and inexperienced users (kids!).
• [28:35] Creators can also choose to launch tokens, effectively memecoins.
• [31:45] Delabs Games is already using Verse8 to develop new titles.

MapleStory Universe get $50M ecosystem fund, Legend of Ymir custom servers expanded, Stan extends Series A and we talk Hyptopia and Moku's Grand Arena.

• [0:40] Nexpace has announced a $50 million ecosystem fund for MapleStory Universe.
• [3:48] As a reminder Nexon funded Nexpace two years ago with $100 million of funding.
• [4:17] Technically the fund is "up to $50 million" - likely mainly NXPC tokens and work-in-kind etc.
• [6:56] MapleStory N is the core, but the fund is to encourage third party games and app around it.
• [8:55] This is a trend for many fully onchain games such as Soccerverse and EVE Frontier.
• [12:10] There's also a deeper trend with stablecoins becoming payment rails for Tradfi.
• [14:03] Our Mavens discussed the balance of financials and fun for blockchain games.
• [17:22] Wemade has expanded the custom server business for its Legend of Ymir MMORPG.
• [18:00] It originally auctioned 10 servers for +$20,000 each. You can earn 15% of in-game
• [21:37] Indian social gaming app Stan extended its Series A funding to $10.5 million.
• [23:08] One likely reason is India banned real money games so apps like Stan are now an alternative.
• [26:29] Jon had Maxwell from Hytopia on the podcast this week.
• [29:12] The platform is now live with its HYBUX token also live on Base.
• [30:16] Maxwell says "Crypto is cool but fun is #1".
• [33:13] Moku has launched the 4 week preseason for its Grand Arena game.

Maxwell Holmes from Roblox-on-blockchain UGC platform Hytopia thinks "Crypto is cool but fun is number 1"

• [2:30] "I like it when the house is on fire and tomorrow is unknown. I need the craziness."
• [05:08] "People see we have been consistent through the changes. We don't play the hype game."
• [09:36] "We're trying to use crypto to empower gamers." That continues to be the
• [12:46] Comparing Hytopia to Minecraft and/or Roblox in terms of its base functionality.
• [15:43] Gaming used to be about fidelity and polish. Now it's about social, virality and memes.
• [16:54] "The user is the most knowledgable about the product they want." That's the power of UGC.
• [18:07] "Attracting creators is Hytopia's top priority now."
• [19:30] Hytopia uses Typescript/Javascript, which is the easiest way to make games.
• [20:56] Our app (mobile/desktop) is basically the website wrapped into the app.
• [22:57] Anytime you target web3 gamers, you're going to fail. There aren't enough of
• [23:40] Crypto is cool but fun is number 1. If the games aren't fun, you will
• [25:44] Why does Hytopia have blockchain? It has to enhance the user
• [27:40] In future, investors will be able to fund new games in Hytopia and get a
• [29:15] Hytopia is currently doing 19,000 DAUs and 100,000 WAUs, and growing from organic users.
• [31:42] At launch, the marketplace will give 85% to creators with 15% used for token buybacks.
• [33:55] The marketplace uses both fiat and HYBUX but using HYBUX incentivized.

Axie Infinity tweaked its rewards and lost 45% DAUWs, MapleStory N has banned 640,000 bots, and Forkast moved to Arbitrum.

• [0:35] Axie Infinity's DAUWs have dropped 45% following to a change in its AXS reward system.
• [3:10] In April 2024, it launched its first Bounty Board, which more than doubled its audience.
• [4:45] There were further giveaways, which further boosted DAUWs to more than 100,000.
• [6:29] Now, the rewards system has been streamlined, with a paid battle pass added.
• [8:34] Over time, these reward systems become increasing complex to understand.
• [10:06] Not directly related but the AXS token is down from $7 to $1 since April 2024.
• [15:00] The good news is web3 games are now more focused on profit and sustainability.
• [17:54] Nexpace has banned 640,000 accounts from MapleStory N for botting and macros.
• [21:20] It's also forced 28,000 KYCed accounts to be reregistered. Only 155 succeeded.
• [25:10] The Forkast prediction market has moved from Ronin to Arbritrum.
• [32:55] Jon is enjoying playing EVE Frontier but likely won't be part of its Winter PVP tournament.

Animoca's Nasdaq listing plan, Spider Tanks reborn, Moonfrost goes web2 and IMX is fully liquid.

• [0:24] Animoca Brands has announced a reverse merger to get a Nasdaq listing.
• [4:25] It's started the process to merge with tiny Nasdaq listed company Currenc.
• [6:03] Currenc shareholders will get 5% of the new company. Animoca's 95%.
• [7:58] There's no official valuation for Animoca, but it's likely somewhere between $3-4 billion.
• [11:30] But the entire process will take 9-12 months, so Animoca won't be listed until late 2026.
• [14:16] Moonfrost has gone pure web2 but is also launching web3 degen platform Frost Arcade.
• [22:30] Immutable's IMX is the first major gaming token to become 100% circulating.
• [25:18] The Sandbox has committed to be majority UGC-focused in 2026.
• [30:45] Spider Tanks is being rebooted on Immutable, with early access from 8th December.

Jon talks to Pixels CEO Luke Barwikowski about how he still believes play-to-earn rewards are a viable marketing mechanic.

• [2:09] 'This is probably the worst market sentiment I've seen in the space.'
• [5:40] 'Without speculation, you have to build something that's fundamentally sound. That's hard.'
• [7:50] 'In early 2024, Pixels was loved. People were making money. But we weren't making money.'
• [8:39] '1% of our players were taking 50% of the rewards.'
• [9:51] After recent changes, Pixels has generated a Return On Reward Spend greater than 1.
• [12:25] 'I think over time, Play-to-Earn becomes more of a loyalty or a cash-back system.'
• [14:00] 'We've noticed crypto is very off-putting for normal users. Robux or V-Bucks are more
• [20:45] The spend-only vPIXEL token has been surprisingly effective when used correctly.
• [23:45] Pixels Chapter 3 introduces Unions, which are factions for competitive gameplay.
• [27:13] 'The issue with web3 gaming isn't fidelity, it's figuring out the economics.'
• [27:53] 'We did $20 million in revenue in 2024. 2025 will be less but it's more sustainable.'
• [29:41] Why Pixels has launched new social tamagotchi app Chubkins. (Currently only US.)
• [30:05] 'We're not going to emphasis crypto, but we will emphasis rewards, including crypto cash-out.'
• [33:50] Pixels also plans to launch a standalone rewards app in 2026.

Wemade launched Legend of Ymir, Mythical integrated World Chain, Pixels launched Chapter 3 and Yuga's Otherside goes live on 12th November.

• [0:30] Wemade has launched its latest web3-enabled MMORPG Legend of Ymir on PC and mobile.
• [2:10] Wemade previously tried to add blockchain to casual mobile games. It didn't work.
• [3:24] Legend of Ymir is the result of Wemade's experience over its previous web3 games.
• [4:50] Ten game servers have been auctioned to be run by guilds etc.
• [5:50] It's more combat-focused than Night Crows, but still with a lot of idle gameplay.
• [8:09] Wemade as become more nuaunced in how it's combining web2 and web3 elements.
• [10:07] Cambria has raised $2 million from Bitkraft, Sky Mavis and various angels.
• [16:03] The Mythos blockchain is integrating World via the launch of an L3 on World Chain.
• [19:38] One advantage is this gives the Polkadot parachain EVM compatibility for the first time.
• [23:34] Yuga Labs' Otherside will finally go live on 12th November with the Koda Nexus hub.
• [31:13] Pixels has launched Chapter 3 including an new lightweight social competition layer.

Jon's been asking What's Working For Web3 Gaming? at Zebu Live conference.

• [0:27] It's been London Blockchain Week and Jon has been at Zebu Live 2025.
• [2:06] He moderated a panel about What's Working In Web3 Gaming?
• [4:08] Panellists including Koko from Mighty Bear Games and Russell from Metacade.
• [5:58] We've moved from blockchain games to crypto games, with the emphasis on "crypto gainz".
• [7:00] ICP-based MMORPG Dragginz has gone into "hiberation".
• [12:30] YGG Play's LOL Land has now done $5.5 million in revenue.
• [12:59] The key issue for most blockchain game companies is doing what you need to make money.
• [14:10] The comparison is EVE Frontier, MapleStory Universe etc - big onchain gaming ecosystems.
• [16:51] Wildcard has launched into early access on Steam: it's a web2 game with a web3 ecosystem.
• [22:56] Jon's been enjoying playing RavenIdle.

Discussing Mythical Games integrating Worldcoin, MapleStory going multichain, Legend of Ymir's launch plus Sorare and EVE Frontier changing chains.

• [0:18] Mythical Games is about to close a new funding round, including from Worldcoin.
• [1:37] The reason we know this is happening is from a press release from DAT outfit Eightco.
• [4:44] Eightco has raised $270 million to buy Worldcoin tokens, also investing in Mythical Games.
• [7:40] MapleStory Universe is going multichain thanks to Chainlink integration.
• [10:50] Projects focused on UGC want to be as open and accessible as
• [11:26] Wemix's PC/mobile MMORPG Legend of Ymir goes live on 28th October.
• [14:38] One interesting web3 aspect of the game is the ability to own and run your own servers.
• [17:30] Wemix has successfully switched from a quantity to quality-led focus on blockchain games.
• [18:59] Moku saw $5 million allocated in a no-loss raffle pre-sale for its Grand Arena AI game.
• [23:02] Sorare has moved from StarkEx to Solana.
• [26:04] EVE Frontier is moving to the Sui blockchain.
• [27:10] It was using an EVM testnet but decided Sui's object-oriented structure was a better fit.
• [31:37] Does it matter which blockchain a game choses to build on?

Talking SANDchain, Pudgy Party hits 1 million installs, KGeN raises $13.5M and Proof of Play.

• [0:25] The big announcement is SANDchain; a Patreon-type rewards platform for creators.
• [1:25] It's more to do with providing extra utility for SAND token than for The Sandbox platform itself.
• [5:10] Verified creators can use SANDchain to take a loan to invest in their business.
• [7:01] Some creators will also be able to launch their own memecoins.
• [8:05] It feels like a smorgasbord of current blockchain trends. But will anyone actually use it?
• [9:44] Pudgy Party has hit 1 million mobile downloads and Mythos chain has also hit an ATH.
• [13:03] But the MYTH token is at a (near) ATL.
• [14:58] Web3 rewards platform KGeN has raised $13.5 million taking total funding to $43.5 million.
• [15:56] It started out as an Indian guild but is now a global platform with 66 million MAUs.
• [17:32] It verifies all its users across 5 categories, giving them an overall reputation score.
• [22:07] One thing to be aware of is KGeN's current users are being incentivized by a future airdrop.
• [24:29] South Korean web2/3 game item marketplace Overtake has launched its beta on Sui.
• [28:01] The continuing fall out from Pirate Nation's shutdown and the $50 burn price for its NFTs.
• 33:10 Proof of Play is now working on a new mobile game.
• [34:53] It's also generated $500,000 in two months from its Proof of Play Arcade on Abstract.

Jon Jordan and Jenny Jordan talk through the week's news including:

• [1:00] Axie Infinity: Atia's Legacy has launched its first 7-day playtest.
• [2:10] It's an MMOG that in part builds on the Axie Infinity: Homeland farming/trading game.
• [3:33] Jon thought the initial plans laid out for the game were a little sketchy.
• [8:16] Comparing the iterative approach of Pixels to whether Atia's Legacy needs a stronger direction.
• [10:12] Atia's Legacy probably won't be properly released until 2027. It's a big project.
• [11:10] Jon thinks it's likely that blockchain games need to be more onchain and collaborative.
• [15:42] Resource idle game Craft World announced its Era 3.1 roadmap.
• [18:15] Its challenge is building longterm interest from a simple idle mechanic.
• [19:30] Additions include new land requiring new assets and blueprints, and new base assets.
• [21:55] RavenQuest's idle game RavenIdle launches on 11th October.
• [28:05] Gunzilla has started the mainnet migration for EU-based PC players of Off The Grid.
• [32:06] Jon guestimates Off The Grid's active playerbase.
• [34:03] Gunzilla's official numbers are 300,000 accounts migrated to mainnet.
• [36:03] Immutable's (part) pivot from a gaming blockchain into a general games marketing channel.
• [37:34] All this week's drama around Pirate Nation and its $50 NFT burn offer.
• [39:05] Blockchain games' fundamental issue - divorcing real value assets from speculation.
• [42:18] Despite all the complains, Pirate Nation NFTs were free and holders got +$1,000 of tokens.
• [48:08] Jon's confession - he burnt his Pirate Nation NFT by mistake and so had to buy another one.techn

Jon Jordan and Jenny Jordan talk through the week's news including:

• [0:44] This week, we asked our Mavens group about the rise of sustainable degen games.
• [2:00] Originally, this type of game was more about crypto than blockchain.
• [3:25] YGG is now calling this genre "casual degen" games.
• [4:40] These experiences start with a thin layer of gaming and a lot of high risk-high reward features.
• [7:30] You can often get 1,000 players into these games but how do you keep them
• [10:05] A lot of these games are launching on the Abstract blockchain.
• [13:00] Degen isn't a negative terms, at least not all the time.
• [13:25] Gigaverse has been going for 200 days, generating $5.5 million in revenue.
• [16:30] It's also building out its ecosystem with third party devs in the Gigaverse Hub.
• [19:39] YGG Play is publishing Gigachadbat on Abstract.
• [24:00] The Sandbox has announced Alpha 6 Season with Cirque du Soleil on 24th September.
• [27:45] The problem is The Sandbox hasn't got product-market-fit, esp. compared to Roblox.
• [29:55] It now needs to focus on creators, probably including the ability to launch tokens.
• [31:32] Off The Grid is starting to migrating EU-based PC players to the Gunz' mainnet.

Jon Jordan and Jenny Jordan talk through the week's news including:[0:22] Blockchain gaming is quiet. It's having a 'back to school' moment.

[1:05] There's a wider focus on general crypto with ETFs, treasury companies etc. Not gaming.[3:51] Web2 game Wildcard and its Thousand web3 ecosystem is gearing up for its October launch.[5:10] Wildcard has just surpassed 75,000 wishlists on Steam. [9:04] Details about ownership of in-game character cards has been released, including rev share. [11:05] The WC token has been released but it's airlocked into wallets so it's hard to get a price for it.[12:40] People will also be able to buy game arenas, but they would be very expensive.[16:10] Jon's theory of blockchain games operating in a battle royale-style shrinking area.[18:10] Pudgy Party has done 500,000 downloads within 2 weeks.[19:57] The Pudgy Party Power Pudgy NFT skin now has a floor price of $3,300.[21:27] Adam Weitsman has acquired the HV-MTL NFT collection from Faraway Games.

Jon Jordan and Jenny Jordan talk through the week's news including:

• [1:18] Looking at the most popular blockchain games, we can start to see some trends for 2025.
• [1:42] Axie Infinity and Aliens Worlds have been very stable throughout 2025.
• [4:17] Games such as Pixels and Nine Chronicles have decline sharply as they rethink their vision.
• [6:00] MapleStory Universe is the big growth story of the year so far - c. 70,000 DAUWs.
• [8:41] Craft World has launched its first mainnet collab with Ronkeverse.
• [15:16] Gigaverse has raised $2.3 million to build out open world gameplay.
• [16:55] We're seeing a rise of degen-focused onchain games. Niche but generating revenue.
• [20:42] LOL Land is a good example. It's basically an onchain lottery but generated $1.5 million.
• [22:15] Similar are RWA platforms for Pokemon cards like Courtyard. $125 million of trading in August.
• [27:10] Animoca has announced MocaPortfolio, which will be rewarding $20 million to stakers.
• [28:43] This is part of a wider narrative for Animoca to boost the MOCA token around a possible IPO.
• [32:33] Stakers will burn their staked points to get various free tokens. The first is Magic Eden's ME.
• [34:01] How is Mythical Games doing with its three mobile games now live?
• [35:06] This is in contrast to the trend towards more niche, onchain degen-focused games.

Jon Jordan and Jenny Jordan talk through the week's news including:

• [0:38] What's going on at The Sandbox? Co-founders shifted? Job cuts? Memecoins?
• [0:52] Animoca's Robby Yung will be the new CEO as Animoca exerts more control over the project.
• [1:30] To a degree, the news is only "big" because its The Sandbox, which everyone knows.
• [3:25] Animoca is annoyed because it wanted to announce the restructure and new vision in the
• [4:10] Things have been going very slowly at The Sandbox. Change was needed.
• [7:19] Despite these changes, The Sandbox will still have nine offices globally.
• [10:40] From the outside, it looks like The Sandbox has suffered from a lack of strategy.
• [12:13] The Sandbox will be announcing a "big new project" a couple of months.
• [13:34] This project seems to be about expanding the scope of the SAND token.
• [17:51] Jon's wild rumor. A SAND treasury company? Fronted by Barron Trump? Stranger things...
• [19:12] Mobile game Pudgy Party is out today with a Steal a Brainrot collab.
• [22:10] It's a cute battle royale game with lots of customization and light combat options.
• [23:01] The concept is Mythical does the game, Pudgy Penguins brings the marketing.
• [28:42] The Axie Infinity Constitution has been revealed. You can vote from 1 September.