The Web3 gaming industry faces challenges, but the potential remains huge.

Investment in the Web3 gaming sector peaked in February and March of this year, with monthly investments ranging from $60 million to $100 million. However, this only accounts for 41.35% of the trading volume during the same period last year. Compared to other crypto assets, the market value of Web3 games has seen a greater decline since the beginning of the year, down 33%, while other crypto assets have only dropped by 14%.

Despite facing numerous challenges, Web3 games still show great potential. Currently, Web3 gaming remains an active field, accounting for 30% of all decentralized application activity, with 2.1 million daily active wallets. As technology continues to advance and user experience keeps improving, Web3 games are expected to become an important force driving the development of the crypto industry.

Recently, a Web3 game named Off The Grid(OTG) has garnered widespread attention. It is reported that the game has undergone 5 years of development, with a total investment of up to 90 million USD, far exceeding the budgets of some well-known game projects.

Cyberpunk-style Battle Royale Game

OTG is developed by the game developer Gunzilla Games and has currently launched a preview version on multiple mainstream gaming platforms. The game has quickly gained popularity, topping the free games chart in a well-known game store and garnering hundreds of thousands of live stream views on streaming platforms.

OTG integrates the mechanics of classic battle royale games and adds a unique cyberpunk style. Players can achieve agile movement using jetpacks and can switch to mechanical prosthetics with different abilities. The game developers have stated that more than 260 unique weapon combinations will be introduced in the future.

In map design, OTG has created the largest battle royale map to date. Players can utilize their characters' special abilities to navigate between skyscrapers, achieving rapid aerial movement. This highly flexible movement system not only enhances the excitement of the game but also encourages a more aggressive play style.

It is worth mentioning that OTG has introduced an innovative extraction combat mode. Players need to collect cubes that represent blueprints for weapons, attachments, or prosthetics, and take them to specific extraction points for decoding. After a successful extraction, these items will be "3D printed" into the player's inventory, essentially minting the assets on the blockchain in the background.

The game does not have a traditional in-game store; all items that enter the economic system and peer-to-peer market are obtained by players through the in-game extraction mechanism and minted on the chain. This design not only ensures the scarcity and true ownership of items but also brings more dynamism and player engagement to the game economy.

Can Web3 games break into the mainstream market?

The "semi-finished" version of OTG has gained such high popularity on mainstream gaming platforms that it has given Web3 gaming enthusiasts hope once again. According to data, as of October 15, the trading volume of OTG-related tokens has surpassed 50 million, with over 5.6 million unique wallets. In addition, the game's viewing time in its first week has exceeded 2 million hours.

From being obscure to gaining unprecedented popularity among mainstream players, in addition to the high quality of the game itself, Gunzilla Games' successful marketing strategy is also a major factor. They sponsored multiple well-known game streamers for live playtesting, which attracted a lot of attention and subsequently drew more streamers and bloggers into participation.

However, it is still difficult to predict whether OTG can maintain its traffic after gaining significant attention. Firstly, there are currently no clear signs indicating that the gaming industry will be particularly favored in the fourth quarter. Secondly, a large number of new games are expected to be released in the next six months, which may intensify competition and further distract players' attention.

In the coming months, several highly anticipated Web3 games are planned to be launched, including:

1. A single fragment survival game set in a dark, dystopian space.
2. A large-scale multiplayer online role-playing game based on blockchain, set in a surreal post-apocalyptic world.
3. A game built on Unreal Engine 5 that integrates multiple blockchains, inspired by the legend of King Arthur.
4. A multiplayer action role-playing game that combines fast-paced combat with an open game economy.

Conclusion

As more and more Web3 games enter the mainstream market, this industry is poised for significant growth. It is hoped that games like OTG can have a positive impact on the sentiment of both the Web3 and traditional gaming markets. This type of content is still seen as one of the best tools for attracting attention in the cryptocurrency space, and we have reason to maintain an optimistic outlook for the short to medium-term development prospects.