DappRadar has released a report in collaboration with Pacific Meta that highlights Asia’s potential for Web3 gaming dominance. Could Asia be the pacesetter for blockchain integration in gaming?
Asia has more or less always been a crucial continent for the games industry, from development through to esports. As this report mentions, Asia houses an estimated 55% of the world’s gamers, and despite some restrictions and blockers, the trend is strengthening. It makes sense, therefore, that Asia has the potential to exhibit Web3 gaming dominance. But, that isn’t why the report wasn’t surprising to me.
If you have been watching the Web3 gaming industry closely, you’ll have seen a near-endless supply of news from Asian companies. Let me give you just a handful of examples and reasons why Asia is already leading the way:
- Animoca Brands (Hong Kong) is arguably the most influential Web3 gaming organization
- Sony is filing blockchain patents for gaming regularly
- Sky Mavis (Vietnam) of Axie Infinity fame continues to be a force
- Square Enix (Japan) is all-in on blockchain gaming (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 examples)
- Sega (Japan) partnered with Oasys (also Asian)
- WEMADE (South Korea) partnered with Near Protocol
- Alibaba (China) launched a Japan-based Web3 gaming incubator
- NCSoft (South Korea) is working with blockchain
- Netmarble (South Korea) is creating a Web3 ecosystem
- Bandai Namco (Japan) is throwing an enormous sum at the metaverse
These are just the examples off the top of my head and far from an exhaustive list. There are also myriad games and projects in the works. In the past three to four years, I have reported on Asia’s push into Web3 gaming as much as — but likely more than — any other continent.
It is likely that any tectonic shift in the games industry will have to, at the very least, get the nod of approval from Asia, if the shift isn’t initiated by the continent. Although several Asian countries have been frosty toward crypto as a whole, blockchain technology’s integration into games, as well as its value to the gamer, has not gone unnoticed.
As Asia feels like the homeland of MMORPGs, and blockchain can revolutionize that genre (as I harp on about on the Mint One podcast regularly), I’m particularly pleased to see Asia lead the charge.
Lead image made in part with a photo by AXP Photography on Unsplash
