The GameFi narrative has always been prevalent within the blockchain space, proving to be a successful vehicle in bridging the gap between the web2 and web3 worlds and providing interactive ways for users to earn through play-to-earn games. However, there are still many obstacles that hinder these projects, leading many to opine that GameFi has become stagnant in recent times. Mantle believes that gaming still has a place on the blockchain, which is why we are going above and beyond to address the issues that typically hold back GameFi dApps.

Whether you're an avid gamer looking to explore a bustling gaming ecosystem or a developer seeking a well-equipped network to build on, this article has you covered. We will navigate through the current problems in the GameFi space and explore Mantle’s ever-growing GameFi ecosystem.

Major Challenges Facing GameFi Applications Today

User Experience

Due to the high-demanding nature of gaming dApps, providing a flawless user experience is challenging but essential. Within Mantle Ecosystem, delivering a superior user experience to gamers is crucial because of the high volume of in-game traffic and transactions. Users need to enjoy the advantages of on-chain assets and interact with them in a manner that doesn’t compromise their experience. Gaming dApps require a robust network to offer the best experience, and thanks to Mantle's architecture, we are able to deliver just that.

At its core, Mantle Network is built with a modular architecture that combines an optimistic roll-up protocol with an innovative data availability solution. This allows Mantle to achieve a high throughput and offer the lowest transaction fees among L2s. Earlier this year, we also introduced meta transactions as part of the Mantle Network Mainnet v2 Tectonic Upgrade. This enables dApps to facilitate the payment of transaction fees on behalf of users, reducing barriers to entry and encouraging micro-transactions and in-game economy participation.

Gaming Publishing Expertise

A robust network is only one piece of the puzzle when launching successful GameFi dApps. Having a strong, experienced team is another essential aspect. A common reason for the stagnation in GameFi is the lack of industry experience. Many games in the GameFi industry focus on the wrong things and release products with subpar retention and monetization, suggesting there is a need for experienced game publishers and developers in the space.

To provide Mantle gaming dApps with the support they need, Mantle has built a strong web3 gaming team that comprises individuals with successful publishing and operations experience who focus on core fundamentals such as tokenomics design, game design, gameplay, user retention, and general operations. Mantle's team has worked with influential platforms within the web3 gaming industry, including HyperPlay, MetaCene, and Catizen, each of which has been genre-defining in its own right. Additionally, they have experience with some of the biggest names in the web2 gaming space, such as Apple Arcade, League of Legends, Ragnarok, and TapTap. This expertise ensures that Mantle is well-prepared to support gaming dApps that launch on its platform.

Fostering an Engaged and Invested Web3 Gaming Community

A common industry trend that tends to inhibit the long-term success of many gaming dApps is their inability to create an engaging community that contributes to the game’s revenue through in-game purchases. Instead, these dApps often attract users who are primarily interested in farming rewards and extracting value from the game. To help alleviate this issue, Mantle has placed heavy emphasis on introducing gaming dApps into the ecosystem that allow users to become accustomed to using web3 wallets for in-game microtransactions. By introducing applications that make this process as seamless as possible through a good user experience, Mantle aims to train users to interact with the in-game economies of gaming dApps.

With the help of gaming dApps such as Catizen and xMetaCene, Mantle is achieving its goal of fostering an engaged and invested web3 gaming community. Both applications have recently launched on Mantle, and as of June 24, 2024, Catizen and xMetaCene have recorded 2.8 million on-chain transactions each. Attracting these games, and by extension, interactive on-chain users, benefits Mantle's wider gaming ecosystem.

Strategic Investment

Thanks to Mantle's large treasury, we can make strategic investments to help accelerate the growth of GameFi dApps within Mantle Ecosystem, ensuring the best possible start for them. Recent examples of such initiatives include the introduction of Catizen and xMetaCene, each receiving 230,000 $MNT and 200,000 $MNT respectively in incentives to boost participation and help establish their user base on Mantle.

Mantle also backs Game7, a community-formed application designed to accelerate the adoption of web3 gaming through crowdsourcing. Through this alliance, we can provide gaming dApps built on Mantle with another platform to showcase their applications. For instance, as part of Mantle's joint initiative with Game7, Dungeons and Degens, users get rewarded for completing quests associated with numerous web3 games, many of which include some of Mantle's most popular games. Keep an eye on Mantle's and Game7's X/Twitter for further updates regarding the next phase of Dungeons and Degens, as more games from Mantle are expected to enter the Dungeons with a lot more $MNT up for grabs.

A Word From Mantle’s Head of Gaming, Geezee

After catching up with Mantle’s head of gaming, Geezee, he weighed in with his opinions on the GameFi space and where he thinks developers are going wrong when it comes to Token Generation Events (TGE) and launching gaming dApps.

"Coming from true game publishing experience, I think one interesting topic for game developers right now is the idea of TGE and how we are approaching them. From my experience advising many games, I've noticed that developers often believe they need to launch on a centralized exchange (CEX) to succeed, similar to DeFi projects. They think success comes from getting a high valuation, extensive token trading, and driving FOMO with a lot of liquidity. While this makes sense for a pure DeFi project, it doesn't fully apply to gaming. In fact, it can become a hindrance in the long run.

When you launch a game token on a CEX, the exchange provides liquidity and trading activity, but most of these traders won't actually play your game. As a game developer, your main source of revenue should be in-game spending, not token sales. Launching on a CEX detaches your token's valuation from the actual gameplay and user spending habits. This can lead to a scenario where a game generating modest revenue might have an inflated token valuation due to market speculation. Sustaining this inflated token price requires significant reinvestment, which can be unsustainable.

To summarize, the valuation of the token becomes detached from its actual value, causing games to become unsustainable. The best approach is to launch with a modest valuation and ensure your game generates revenue before your TGE. This helps keep your token valuation tied to the actual value of your game, supported by real metrics and numbers."

Having minds like Geezee as part of the Mantle team helps us provide sound advice to gaming projects, ensuring they get off to the most successful start possible within Mantle Ecosystem.

Exploring Mantle's Gaming Ecosystem

As we've already mentioned some of Mantle's gaming dApps in this article, we thought we'd give you gamers a deeper insight into these games and how you can get involved immediately.

Catizen

Developed by Pluto Studios, Catizen is an immersive new cat-themed game on Telegram. Since launching on Mantle, Catizen has been a huge success, emerging as the best-performing dApp in terms of transactions and users on Mantle Network in May. It continues to thrive, currently recording 487,000 active users on the network.

Within Catizen users partake in activities such as breeding cats, fishing, and collecting coins, with the ultimate goal of ranking up their cats and accruing as much vKitty as possible. The more vKitty a user has, the higher they place on the leaderboard and the better rewards they get. To enhance your gameplay, you'll need to either earn or purchase more FISH. FISH is crucial for leveling up your cat, as higher-level cats are more productive and capable of generating more vKitty. For a complete guide on how to get started and play Catizen, visit our guide here. For those who can't wait and want to jump into the game, visit the Telegram link here.

xMetaCene

Mantle recently introduced xMetaCene, the first derivative project of the MetaCene ecosystem. Similar to Catizen, despite its recent launch, xMetaCene has gained significant traction on Mantle, with 387,000 players, 1,878,000 quests completed, and 284,000 $tMAK holders. It’s safe to say users are loving xMetaCene.

From June 7, 2024 to July 4, 2024, users can get their hands on their share of 200,000 $MNT and 3,000,000 $tMAK in rewards and subsidies. $tMAK is one of the most important credentials for $MAK token airdrops and is non-consumable and non-transrable.

Upon entering xMetaCene, users will receive a pet, which is the primary way to earn crystal within the game. You can also earn crystals by completing newbie, daily, and time-limited quests. Additionally, if you own a Citizens of Mantle NFT, you instantly receive 150,000 crystals. The crystals are then used to power up the cannon and battle the boss. In exchange for battling the boss, players earn honor points, which can then be exchanged on the lucky wheel, where users can win the all-important $tMAK tokens.

Visit here to read our complete guide on xMetaCene.

If you want to explore the other gaming dApps that Mantle Ecosystem has to offer, visit Mantle’s Ecosystem page, where you’ll find a list of all the dApps available.

If you’re a builder with a cool minimum viable product (MVP) and want to become part of Mantle Ecosystem, whether you're developing Mantle’s next killer GameFi dApp or any other interesting platform, apply for up to $20K in $MNT tokens via the Mantle’s Grant Program to help kickstart your journey on Mantle. If you’re already ready for investment apply for the $200M Catalyzed Capital Pool with Mantle EcoFund.