Gamescom, Gaming and Tezos

For all of us who didn’t make it to this year's Gamescom , we caught up with Jan Albers, Head of Gaming Partnerships at Tezos Foundation for a fresh download. Here are his top takeaways for Gaming x Web3: 

• Every industry player is having conversations around Web3 right now.  No matter who you talk to: game engines, indie developers and AAA studios: all are exploring a future that is on-chain. 

• However not all games will or even should have Web3. Just like not all games are Free to Play. 

• What does the future look like? We’re going to see new Web3 games emerge that really move the industry forward and drive engagement the same way Riot Games did with League of Legends.

Usability of Web3 is key for customers and studios alike

• Large scale studios especially need to provide strong customer support. User protection needs to be increased and on-chain data availability needs to be simpler for support teams to interact with, for example the data from block explorers needs to become more easily interpretable. 

• Wallet providers are the gatekeepers of web3, the entry point for gamers. They have a big opportunity to make it easier for new gamers to participate.

Scalability of Web3 is important for gaming economies

• For a blockchain to support gaming, it needs Layer 2 solutions. Pure cosmetic integrations are fine to run on L1 right now. Games that build on ownership information and that encourage open ecosystems built on Web3 need high tps and fast finality.

Innovation and new game concepts are enabled through ownership data 

• Where will the next game come from? Innovation can be unlocked and exciting new games created by simply giving creative developers sets of tools and information sets (e.g. ownership of assets). DOTA being a Warcraft 3 mod is a beautiful example of how industry changing games emerge when creative developers get sets of tools and information.

Gaming needs great infrastructure. This is where Tezos comes in. Tezos’ scalability is the infrastructure for the next industry shift in gaming via Web3. 

1. For all new projects and games launching on a blockchain in 2022, a low carbon footprint has become a hygiene factor. Tezos has been at the forefront of Proof of Stake development and therefore highly carbon efficient since the outset. 

2. Through Tezos’ upgradability, gaming companies and players alike can be sure of a chain that is able to improve over time while not having to worry about a fork duplicating the assets they reflect on-chain.

3. Third, core developers, especially in 2021, have focused a lot on making the chain as efficient as possible to allow for a great basis for projects to start on.

4. Going forwards, scalability is paramount. The future of Tezos allows for the scalability needed by large-scale gaming projects, for example full-on game economies, that live on-chain. Here, the work on SCORUs becomes the next key development in the Tezos ecosystem, with additional work being done e.g. on sidechains and data availability sampling, all focused on creating the infrastructure needed to make Tezos the choice for game developers.

The bottom line is that the industry needs to push for a more player ready interaction with the chain so that the deals we discuss today with the largest game devs in the world will succeed tomorrow.