A Look Ahead to 2023

With 2022 behind us, it is now time to look ahead ahead towards what 2023 might bring us in the ever-changing world of blockchain gaming, play to earn, and web3-enabled dapps!

Despite enduring the most significant crypto market downturn since 2018, development and innovation continues in the blockchain space. This includes not only gaming, but also blockchain infrastructure, smart contracts, and even the philosophy of design, such as tokenomics. Every facet of the blockchain / web3 Ecoverse (a new term I just coined for ecosystem-metaverse -- spread it around!), has seen change over this past year. And though some of that change resulted in the closing of a number of companies and projects, the ones that remain continue to bring us updates and releases -- with even more expected over this coming year!

Releases, releases, releases

If 2022 was the year of the alphas, then 2023 will be the year of releases. The final six months of 2022, saw an amazing number of games move into alpha and beta phases. Some were public, some were not, but all are an indication that the development of these games continues onward despite the market downturns.

We already have a growing number of web3 games that have officially moved out of beta. I expect to see that number jump 10 fold this year. And not only will we see more releases over this coming year, but we will also see a higher quality of game releases. From FPS, to auto-battler, to MMO, we'll see more detailed game systems, higher quality graphics, and fun, engaging gameplay. The alpha and beta peeks we've enjoyed over the past year already show huge advances in all of these areas.

The click-mining and semi-idle staking games had their day. It's time for real gaming to take over the web3 world!

Mainstream Interest

Though there is still a lot of general hostility from mainstream gamers in regards to blockchain and in particular, NFTs, the integration of web2 and web3 will continue to increase. This will include side by side versions of the game like we see with Superior and Benji Bananas, though we will also see games just moving wholesale onto the blockchain. The latter group will mostly be smaller companies and independent developers, though the CEO from Square Enix did just double down on their commitment to investing in blockchain gaming!

But one advantage that smaller, independent developers have brought to the table in blockchain gaming is innovation. Independent developers are always more willing to try something new rather than just sticking with the same old formulas. And that will continue to be an ongoing boon for the web3 ecosystem.

Continued Innovation

The blockchain gaming space is still a new frontier. And developers and publishers are still figuring a lot of things out. Particularly around token based economies, and creating meaningful NFTs that also serve as crowdfunding efforts.

We've already seen a branching of NFTs from art and gaming into music and films. We've seen mutable NFTs, stackable NFTs, and even playable NFTs! There will be more of this over the next year as artists and developers continues to push the limits of NFT technology, as well as pushing the boundaries of our collective imaginations in regards to what can be achieved with NFTs and blockchain technology.

Another interesting, growing trend has been the creation of more tools and support services. This ranges from the Roblox style system of The Sandbox and Blankos Block Party, to the blockchain integration tools being built by MetaFab, to entire ecosystems such as VulcanForged.

These sort of development boosts can help all sorts of creators. Whether it's a lone person with an idea and the willingness to start building or a developer with an existing game who doesn't know much about blockchain programming. It also opens the door to many people who otherwise might not have a chance to try their hand at bringing their game ideas to life.

2023 has just started, and I'm already hyped for what we'll see over the coming year. Journey forward with us as we bring you the latest news and events from the world of blockchain gaming, NFTs, and web3 enabled dapps!