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Spotify is shutting down Heardle, the Wordle-like music guessing game it bought last year

Spotify is closing down Heardle, the Wordle-inspired music guessing game it acquired last July for an undisclosed sum. Similar to Wordle, Heardle offers players six tries to guess a popular song — but instead of typing in different letters to form words, players listen to a song’s intro to guess the artist and title. At the time of its acquisition, Spotify said Heardle would remain free to play for everyone. Now the company says it will sunset Heardle on May 5, as it aims to focus on its other objectives around music discovery.

The changes are being announced through an in-app message on the Heardle website.

Image Credits: Heardle

The decision to close Heardle, we understand, came about because Spotify wants to devote more of its energy toward music discovery through its recent app changes, not through Wordle-inspired gameplay off-platform.

Last month, Spotify rolled out a significant redesign of its mobile app experience that introduced new TikTok-style discovery feeds for music and podcasts along with other features, like Smart Shuffle for playlist recommendations and a new podcast autoplay option, among other things. It also rolled out an “AI DJ” that figures out what sort of music users like, then plays those tracks for you. The feature also gets smarter over time the more you engage with it.

In light of these updates, Heardle was no longer a major part of Spotify’s overall music discovery efforts. In addition, like many tech companies that have undergone belt-tightening measures like layoffs in recent months, there’s less of a financial incentive to dabble with side projects — including the likes of a fun music game, for instance.

Heardle, however, had still been fairly popular at the time of its acquisition. According to data from web analytics firm Similarweb, the game peaked at 69 million monthly desktop and mobile web visits in March 2022. Just ahead of the Spotify deal, those visits had dropped to 41 million. It’s possible they had continued to decline, making Heardle’s ongoing maintenance no longer a solid bet.

Plus, with much of the Wordle craze also trending down after The New York Times bought the flagship word game in January of last year, Heardle’s own future prospects may have been dimming, too. We understand Heardle had maintained some of its loyal users after the deal closed, but Spotify wouldn’t comment on overall usage or repeat engagement with any specific metrics. However, it was only after Spotify learned how Heardle players were engaging with the game that the decision was made to focus the company’s investments elsewhere.

In the game, after users guessed the song, they could click a button to listen to the full track on Spotify. It’s possible that not enough users did so, instead just exiting the game to play again later.

In other words, Heardle didn’t ultimately help Spotify achieve its goals around improved music discovery. And with the redesign, much of what Heardle had to offer was now duplicating the company’s other music discovery features — and doing so outside of the Spotify app.

Still, for those who loved playing Heardle, today’s announcement regarding the game’s imminent closure will not likely be welcome news. Except, perhaps, by those Forbes contributors who had to write up the daily answers and clues and by the numerous sites running Heardle clones.

Spotify confirmed the game’s closure with a statement.

“After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to say goodbye to Heardle as we focus our efforts on other features for music discovery,” a company spokesperson told TechCrunch.

The website will display a banner to users alerting them to the shutdown coming May 5.

We understand there was no team dedicated to working on Heardle so there’s no impact in terms of either employee cuts or reorganization.

While Spotify is moving away from Heardle, it’s not necessarily giving up on other sorts of interactive experiences, we’re told. The company today offers its interactive AI DJ feature and other things like polls and Q&As, which lets podcast listeners engage with their favorite creators. It also will continue to invest in other gaming projects, like its Spotify island on Roblox, its in-app Gaming hub and other integrations with Xbox and PlayStation.

Earlier this month, Spotify also shut down another side project with the closure of Spotify Live, its livestreaming app and Clubhouse rival.

Spotify is shutting down Heardle, the Wordle-like music guessing game it bought last year by Sarah Perez originally published on TechCrunch

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Fortnite players are getting a new Coachella-themed destination

After rolling out Coachella-themed fashion item drops in Fortnite last year, Coachella is expanding even further into gaming with the launch of Coachella Island, a new destination in Fortnite that allows players to virtually experience the popular music festival.

Coachella Island launches tomorrow, April 14, at 3 PM ET. Gamers can find the new destination via the “Epic’s Picks” Discover row in Fortnite or type in the island code: 5449-4207-12803.

Built by creators from Alliance Studios using the game’s Creative mode, the island has a virtual merch tent and Art Park, along with desert skies, mountains, Polo Fields and palm trees inspired by the festival’s landscape.

The Art Park has virtual replicas of the festival’s most recognized art installations that Fortnite community creators recreated. This includes the Coachella Ferris Wheel, Spectra and balloon chains, as well as the two new art installations appearing at this year’s festival and a gallery of Fortography.

Gamers can also participate in creator-made music and art experiences like minigames and quests. There’s an in-game Icon Radio for users to listen to, featuring songs and artists from Coachella’s 2023 lineup.

“The future of in-game music and art experiences should not mimic the real-world, but reimagine the magic and make it more accessible via a new medium,” said Sam Schoonover, innovation lead for Coachella, in a statement. “We believe that the best way to do that is to enable and empower artists to show us the way. Just like the festival IRL is a stage for musicians, Coachella Island is now a canvas for gaming creators. Fortnite provides the tools needed to invite creators and fans to participate in this creative process.”

Image Credits: Fortnite

Similar to last year, players can purchase Coachella-inspired outfits and in-game items in the Fortnite Item Shop. There are two new outfits this year, dubbed “Sunset Alto” and “Desert Dawn Lyric.”

The Sunset Alto outfit includes a cute, orange summery tank, shorts and a tan beach hat. It comes with a bonus Aurora Visualizer alt style that reacts to music, a reactive Sunset Swirl Back Bling and Crystalline Cactus Pickaxe.

The Desert Dawn Lyric outfit includes a streetwear graphic tee, and comes with the reactive Aurora Visualizer alt style, an Airflow Vibes Back Bling and Electropalm Staff Pickaxe.

The music-reactive elements play songs by two Coachella 2023 performers, Bad Bunny and Burna Boy.

And in case you missed last year’s outfits, those will still be available to purchase in the item shop, as well.

Fortnite players are getting a new Coachella-themed destination by Lauren Forristal originally published on TechCrunch

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Messenger adds multiplayer games you can play during video calls

Facebook Gaming, a division of Meta, has announced that you can now play games during video calls on Messenger. At launch, there are 14 free-to-play game available in Messenger video calls on iOS, Android and the web. The games include popular titles like Words With Friends, Card Wars, Exploding Kittens and Mini Gold FRVR.

To access the games, you need to start a video call on Messenger and tap the group mode button in the center, then tap on the “Play” icon. From there, you can browse through the games library. The company notes that there must be two or more people in your call to play games.

“Facebook Gaming is excited to announce that you can now play your favorite games during video calls on Messenger,” the company wrote in a blog post. “This new, shared experience in Messenger makes it easy to play games with friends and family while in a video call, allowing you to deepen connections with friends and family by engaging in conversations and gameplay at the same time.”

The company says it’s working to bring more free games to the platform this year. Facebook Gaming is inviting developers who are interested in integrating this feature into their games to reach out to the company.

Image Credits: Facebook Gaming

The news comes as Facebook shut down the standalone Facebook Gaming app last October. The app had launched in April 2020 toward the start of the pandemic as a way for users to watch their favorite streamers, play instant games and take part in gaming groups. Facebook noted at the time that users will still be able to find their games, streamers and groups when visiting Gaming in the Facebook app.

Although Facebook has been experimenting with Messenger games over the past few years, the idea of playing games while on video chat in a quick and easy way could be a welcome addition for some users.

The launch comes as Facebook recently announced that it’s testing the ability for users to access their Messenger inbox within the Facebook app. Back in 2016, Facebook removed messaging capabilities from its mobile web application to push people to the Messenger app, in a move that angered many users. Now, the company is testing a reversal of this decision.

Messenger adds multiplayer games you can play during video calls by Aisha Malik originally published on TechCrunch

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Saudi’s Savvy Games Group to acquire mobile games company Scopely for $4.9 billion

Savvy Games Group, a games and esports company that is part of the Saudi government’s Public Investment Fund, has agreed to acquire mobile games studio Scopely for $4.9 billion. Founded in 2011, Scopely is known for several popular mobile games including Yahtzee With Buddies, Star Trek Fleet Command, Marvel Strike Force, Stumble Guys and Scrabble Go.

The Los-Angeles based company had a $3.3 billion post-money valuation in 2020 after raising a $340 million funding round. Scopely has grown over the past few years with a number of notable acquisitions. In 2020, Scopely acquired Disney’s FoxNext Games, and in 2021, the company acquired Sony Pictures Entertainment’s GSN Games for $1 billion.

“Scopely is one of the fastest-growing games companies today, and we have long admired their ability to build loyal, engaged player communities,” said Savvy Games Group CEO Brian Ward in a press release. “At Savvy Games Group, our mission is to invest in – and grow – the global games community by inviting the best minds to join us.”

Scopely will operate as an “autonomous company” under the Savvy umbrella, which includes esports firms ESL and Faceit. The company will continued to be led by co-CEOs Walter Driver and Javier Ferreira.

“As part of the Savvy Games Group portfolio, we will continue to build one of the world’s most diversified mobile-first games companies,” said Scopely co-CEO Javier Ferreira in a press release. Our technology platform, market-leading studio ecosystem, and world-class team have always enabled us to stay one step ahead of the rapidly growing games industry, delivering long-lasting franchises that delight players around the world. We look forward to reimagining the future of play with Brian and the Savvy team.”

Savvy says the acquisition, which is subject to regulatory approval, will strengthen its ability to deliver new products for the global gaming community. The company also says the acquisition will build on Scopely’s cross-platform approach to extend its live services expertise to new segments like PC, console and more.

Earlier this week, Bloomberg reported that the Saudi Arabian government is betting $38 billion to become the next hub for the video-game industry, and that Savvy is looking to develop and acquire top-tier games.

The deal marks the sixth biggest acquisition in video games history in terms of price. The top place in this category goes to Microsoft buying Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion in a deal that’s still in the process of being completed, followed by Take-Two acquiring Zynga for $12.7 billion, Tencent buying Supercell for $8.6 billion, Microsoft purchasing ZeniMax for $8.1 billion and Activision buying King for $5.9 billion.

Saudi’s Savvy Games Group to acquire mobile games company Scopely for $4.9 billion by Aisha Malik originally published on TechCrunch

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Nintendo and mobile games company DeNA launch Nintendo Systems

Back in November, Nintendo and app developer DeNA announced its joint venture company called Nintendo Systems, which is meant to help reinforce Nintendo’s business and “create value-added services,” according to Nintendo’s Japanese website. Today, the companies officially launched the Nintendo Systems website.

“Nintendo Systems was born in April 2023, led by a team of engineers from Nintendo and DeNA, to create a system that makes it easy to deliver Nintendo entertainment to consumers,” Nintendo and DeNA wrote in a message posted on the new Nintendo Systems website (loosely translated from Japanese to English).

The eight-year-old partnership between Nintendo and DeNA dates back to 2015. The companies have worked on various titles together, such as Super Mario Run, Mario Kart Tour, Pokémon Masters and Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, among others.

“The technology surrounding the Internet is changing at a dizzying pace day by day and is becoming more complex. Under these circumstances, Nintendo Systems will leverage the relationship of trust between Nintendo and DeNA, which has been cultivated through a partnership of more than seven years, and use Nintendo’s originality and DeNA’s knowledge of technology as the driving force to create new innovations for the world,” the companies added.

It’s not yet known what exactly the two companies are currently working on together. At this time, no games or software have been announced.

TechCrunch reached out to Nintendo for comment.

Nintendo’s Tetsuya Sasaki is the president of Nintendo Systems. In 1995, Sasaki joined the company as a software engineer for the Entertainment Analysis & Development Division. He is credited for his work on titles like The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Animal Crossing: Wild World, Wii Sports and Mario Kart DS.

Nintendo and mobile games company DeNA launch Nintendo Systems by Lauren Forristal originally published on TechCrunch

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Netflix appears to be working to bring games to TV with the iPhone as a controller

Netflix is working on a new feature that could bring its mobile games to the TV. Based on code hidden within Netflix’s iOS app, the company may allow iPhones to be used as video game controllers.

The code was discovered by app developer Steve Moser and reported by Bloomberg. One line of code says, “A game on your TV needs a controller to play. Do you want to use this phone as a game controller?”

The findings point to a major move from the company as it shifts from smartphones and tablets to the big screen.

Netflix declined to comment to TechCrunch.

Netflix has previously admitted that it wants to bring games to more devices. “As you can imagine, we do want Netflix games to be playable on every Netflix device that you have,” Leanne Loombe, Netflix’s VP of external games, said last week.

Plus, Netflix posted a job listing last November for a game director to work on a AAA PC game.

The company also said it would expand into cloud gaming, according to Netflix VP of Gaming Mike Verdu, speaking at TechCrunch Disrupt in October 2022.

Since Netflix entered the mobile gaming space in 2021, the company has released more than 55 titles, ranging from original titles based on IP like “Stranger Things” and “The Queen’s Gambit” to popular games such as Heads Up!, Vikings: Valhalla, Valiant Hearts and Country Friends, among others.

Netflix recently announced its 2023 slate of mobile games, which includes 40 titles like Mighty Quest: Rogue Palace. There are 70 games in development. Next year, subscribers will get access to the popular puzzle games Monument Valley 1 and Monument Valley 2.

While Netflix doesn’t disclose how many of its subscribers play the mobile games, an Apptopia report from August 2022 indicated that less than 1% of subs are interested in playing them. Netflix’s upcoming feature will likely convince a few more players to check it out, but it remains to be seen just how many.

Netflix appears to be working to bring games to TV with the iPhone as a controller by Lauren Forristal originally published on TechCrunch

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Epic launches Unreal Editor for Fortnite, will give 40% of all revenue to creators

Epic Games announced a new system for paying creators on Fortnite, the ultra-popular, free-to-download battle royale game.

Announced on Wednesday at the Game Developers Conference, Epic will now share 40% of Fortnite revenue with anyone who designs “islands” in the game. This includes money that Epic earns from the purchase of V-Bucks (in-game currency), real money spent in Fortnite on items like starter packs, quest packs and cosmetics, and Fortnite Crew subscriptions.

On their personal island, creators can develop their own unique in-game experiences with custom rulesets and designs. A creator’s payout is determined by how popular the island is, and how many users keep returning to the island.

According to Epic’s wording, companies can also earn payouts in this program, which means that, like with Roblox, professional game developers can also publish their own content on Fortnite and get paid. However, the language makes it unclear whether Epic itself is eligible to earn back a portion of the allotted 40%, which would make the actual sum going to third-party creators far smaller.

Already, about half of play time in Fortnite takes place in user-created content, but these third-party maps are about to get a massive upgrade. Epic announced today that Fortnite is getting an Unreal Engine editor, which is now available in public beta. At least from the demo videos, this looks like it’ll be a game-changer (literally):

With the new editor, it only makes sense that Epic would switch up its creator system. Fortnite’s existing creator program offered relatively paltry incentives for would-be amateur game designers. Creators had a personal code, and if fans entered their code when buying an item in the Fortnite shop, they would get 5% of the revenue. To join the new program, which Epic is calling “Creator Economy 2.0,” users can sign up on Fortnite’s new creator portal. Any creator who joins before April 21 will be paid retroactively for any island engagement from March 1 onward. To be eligible for payment, users must be 18 or older and have an account that’s at least 90 days old.

The 40% figure is an interesting choice. For years at this point, Epic has been embroiled in a lawsuit with Apple, alleging that the iOS App Store maker is anti-competitive, as it takes 30% of all in-app purchases. Epic originally sued Apple in 2020, when the company removed Fortnite from the App Store; Epic had implemented a new payment mechanism that allowed it to bypass Apple’s in-app purchase framework.

The initial verdict on the case was mixed, prompting both companies to appeal. A judge ruled that Apple was not a monopoly, but that the company couldn’t prevent apps from routing customers to a different payment processor to get around the 30% cut. Epic appealed, pressing for Apple to support third-party payments. Apple also appealed, seeking to close up these workarounds and keep payments flowing through its own channels.

Comparing Apple’s app marketplace to Epic’s in-game creator earnings isn’t exactly straightforward, given the nuances of the new Fortnite payments model. Epic argues that app developers have no choice but to host their apps on Google and Apple stores, but Fortnite is just one ecosystem of many in which developers can earn an income stream. Depending on how the details shake out — and what light they cast the company in — we may see bits of Epic’s new creator payments program bubble up in the ongoing appeals process between the two companies.

Epic launches Unreal Editor for Fortnite, will give 40% of all revenue to creators by Amanda Silberling originally published on TechCrunch

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Ubisoft’s new AI tool automatically generates dialogue for non-playable game characters

Ubisoft, the developer behind popular games like Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry, announced that it’s using an AI “Ghostwriter” tool to write dialogue for some of its games with the aim of keeping NPCs (non-playable characters) individually interesting and realistic with less manual work.

The company says the tool isn’t replacing video game writers, but instead will alleviate the task of writing barks, which are phrases or sounds made by NPCs during a triggered event. Ghostwriter generates first drafts of barks in order to give scriptwriters more time to focus on the general narrative.

“Crowd chatter and barks are central features of player immersion in games – NPCs speaking to each other, enemy dialogue during combat, or an exchange triggered when entering an area all provide a more realistic world experience and make the player feel like the game around them exists outside of their actions,” Ubisoft wrote in a blog post.

“However, both require time and creative effort from scriptwriters that could be spent on other core plot items. Ghostwriter frees up that time, but still allows the scriptwriters a degree of creative control.”

The process starts with scriptwriters first creating a character and a type of interaction or utterance they would like to generate. Ghostwriter then generates variations that the scriptwriter can choose from and edit to fit their needs. The process uses pairwise comparison as a method of evaluation and improvement, which means that for each variation generated, the tool provides two choices which will be compared and chosen by the scriptwriter. Once one is selected, the tool learns from the preferred choice. The idea is that after thousands of selections are made by scriptwriters, the tool will become more effective and accurate.

Ben Swanson, the R&D scientist at Ubisoft who created Ghostwriter, says technology like Ghostwriter requires scriptwriters to learn how to not only use the tool, but also integrate it in their video game production process. Swanson and his team’s goal is to give this AI power to narrative designers, who will be able to eventually create their own AI system tailored to their own design needs. To do this, the production created a tool called Ernestine that facilitates anyone to create their own machine learning models used in Ghostwriter.

It’s worth noting that following Ubisoft’s announcement, some game developers took to social media calling for the company to invest in human writers instead. Ubisoft responded to criticism in a tweet, noting that the tool was created in collaboration with writers and is simply about creating more variations for short lines given to NPCs.

Ubisoft’s new AI tool automatically generates dialogue for non-playable game characters by Aisha Malik originally published on TechCrunch

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Amazon expands Fire TV lineup with more QLED models, entry-level 2-Series TVs and new markets

As competition among smart TV makers heats up, Amazon today is introducing an expanded Fire TV lineup which now includes more sizes for its top-of-the-line Omni QLED series as well as a new, lower-cost Fire TV 2-Series that will start at $199.99. The company is also bringing its TVs to new markets globally, updating some features — like the Omni QLED’s “ambient” mode — and will roll out its cloud gaming service Luna to countries outside the U.S. for the first time.

Amazon first announced its Omni QLED TVs last fall as a way to bring better picture quality to customers with a 4K QLED display. The sets, which initially shipped in both 65-inch ($799.99) and 75-inch ($1,099.99) sizes, were the first Amazon Fire TVs to ship with Dolby Vision IQ. They also support HDR 10+ Adaptive and Adaptive Brightness, which adjusts the picture brightness and contrast based on the room’s brightness.

Now, the company is expanding its QLED lineup with three new models starting at $449.99, in 43-inch, 50-inch and 55-inch sizes. Like their larger counterparts, these will still include QLED displays with up to 96 dimming zones and the sensor-driven “Ambient Experience” features.

The TVs ship with a custom sensor package on the front that includes a presence sensor that allows the TV to turn its “Ambient Experience” on or off based on whether someone has entered or left the room thanks to an ambient light sensor that helps the TV understand the context of the movement. That is, if you just walked past the TV to get a midnight snack it may remain off, but if you walk into the room in the morning, it may load the ambient experience to help you start your day.

Image Credits: Amazon

The experience includes a free package of artwork and photography and various Alexa widgets that can be displayed either compacted or expanded, delivering things like news and headlines, your calendar, notes and reminders, streaming recommendations and more.

Now, Amazon says the experience is being updated with new art, too. Specifically, it’s adding something it’s calling “dynamic art,” or art that adapts to the current environment. The art will change based on factors like the time of day, temperature, weather and more. Initially, Amazon is working with contemporary artist Samuel Stubblefield to create the dynamic art package.

“We want to make smart TVs that are actually smart. That means things like bringing together content usefully…but we also want them to be beautiful and useful throughout more parts of the day and infused with ambient intelligence to make them more powerful for customers,” noted Daniel Rausch, VP of Entertainment Devices & Services at Amazon, in a conversation about the new Fire TV products.

Image Credits: Amazon (Fire TV Omni QLED Series)

These newly added QLED models will become available for preorder today and ship on May 11. The 43″ will be $449.99; the 50″ is $529.99; and the 55″ is $599.99.

Amazon is also now introducing a new line of more affordable Fire TVs, dubbed the Fire TV 2-Series, which slots in below the existing QLED and 4-Series. These will ship in two models to start: 32-inch ($199.99) and 40-inch ($249.99) options in HD. The 2-Series lineup supports HDR 10, HLG and Dolby Digital Audio and comes with an Alexa Voice remote.

Image Credits: Amazon (Fire TV 2-Series)

These models can be ordered now and start shipping today.

In addition, Amazon says it will now begin to ship its Omni QLED Series, 4-Series and new 2-Series in the U.K., Germany and Mexico for the first time.

Rausch says the company has now sold more than 200 million Fire TV devices worldwide, including TVs and media players, and has shipped over 260 Fire TV models with its partners, like TCL, Hisense, Yamada, Xiaomi and others. As TV sets themselves become more powerful, many consumers are now opting to buy a TV with Fire TV baked in, rather than as a streaming player add-on. This has resulted in TVs becoming the fastest-growing part of the Fire TV business, he notes.

Image Credits: Amazon (Luna)

Alongside the TV expansion, the company will also bring its Luna cloud gaming service to new markets outside the U.S. for the first time.

Designed to work with Fire TV, Luna offers Prime customers a rotating selection of monthly games that can be streamed and played using a Bluetooth controller like Amazon’s Luna Controller, or even with a smartphone through a companion app.

Luna customers can optionally choose to subscribe to premium packages, like Luna+, Ubisoft+ and Jackbox Games. Luna+ includes a broad selection of games like action, adventure, platformer, indie, shooter, racing and classic games for $9.99 per month. The Ubisoft+ subscription, meanwhile, features top titles and fan favorites like Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry for $17.99 per month. And Jackbox Games offers a party gaming set for $4.99 per month.

The service has been generally available in the U.S. for over a year and is now coming to the U.K., Germany and Canada, Amazon says, which will allow it to reach some of the new Fire TV markets.

Amazon isn’t alone in targeting consumers with TVs running its own OS — rival Roku in January revealed its first-ever TVs designed and built by the company. But neither effort is meant to preclude the companies from working with partners — it’s more of a way to demonstrate what’s possible from the company’s own software and specs while generating additional revenue from hardware sales.

Amazon expands Fire TV lineup with more QLED models, entry-level 2-Series TVs and new markets by Sarah Perez originally published on TechCrunch

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Web3 gaming will onboard up to 100M gamers in next 2 years, Polygon and Immutable presidents predict

Two key players in the web3 gaming space predict exponential expansion in the next few years.

Robbie Ferguson, co-founder and president of web3 gaming company Immutable, and Ryan Wyatt, president of layer-2 chain Polygon Labs, told TechCrunch+ that web3 will add the first 10 million to 100 million gamers within the next year or two.

“We’re going to see 40% of the web3 games [ever] built go live over the next 12 to 18 months, which will be a huge amount of attempts or shot-on-goal to have that 100 million players,” Ferguson added. If this prediction becomes true, it would represent a massive wave of adoption that the decentralized gaming industry didn’t have before.

On Monday, web3 gaming firm Immutable teamed up with layer-2 blockchain Polygon to help grow the scaling and adoption of the subsector. The collaboration will focus on making web3-enabled games faster to build, easier to use and less risky for larger gaming studios and independent developers to get involved.

“What we now are seeing is these games are being built to go live because games have a lead time of two to four years,” Ferguson said. “What’s required is incredible infrastructure for them to build an incredible customer experience where players can use this.”

“Over $100 billion are spent by players every year on in-game items,” Ferguson said, implying that the market for web3 games could be large. “This is not the box copy of Fortnite or the ability to download a game. This is literally [money spent on] skins, Candy Crush coins and costumes.”

But those assets are not ownable by players or, at best, are part of a gray marketplace, he added. “The opportunity here is to take a multi-100-billion-dollar asset class and make it truly ownable by players and make sure that the rights and the keys stick with them rather than a major third-party company.”

The only way web3 gaming scales is through true property rights, Ferguson thinks. “And if they have no idea how web3 works under the hood.”

Web3 gaming will onboard up to 100M gamers in next 2 years, Polygon and Immutable presidents predict by Jacquelyn Melinek originally published on TechCrunch

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