During the last crypto boom, a new form of gaming began to garner a lot of attention. Blockchain-based titles, often framed as “play to earn”, exploded in popularity as they gave many people a way to combine two of their biggest passions – gaming and crypto.

In 2021, the internet was awash with discussions of games like CryptoKitties, Axie Infinity, and Gods Unchained as they pulled in players from across the internet. While they all had different themes and graphics, they worked in mostly the same way.

In these blockchain games, players complete tasks to unlock items represented by tokens or NFTs. The ‘play to earn’ concept allows players to sell these items on the secondary market.

Sadly, excitement around blockchain games faded as people moved away from NFTs and cryptocurrency values dropped.

Many smaller blockchain games have since folded. The remaining ones now see dramatically fewer players compared to their peaks earlier in the decade.

Is this the end of blockchain gaming, or will these titles experience a second wind when crypto prices rise again?

Other Forms of Gaming Are Still Going Strong

Crypto gaming fell due to a focus on blockchain tech over engaging content. The gaming industry also slowed after the crypto crash, as people explored other entertainment options.

Popular games remain just as in demand as ever. In particular, classic casino games like roulette continue to attract millions of players from around the world, just as they have done for centuries. This has been boosted by brands like PokerStars Casino that have created new variants of the game, including the proprietary PokerStars Roulette.

New big-name releases like Valve’s Counter-Strike 2 have also helped to engage players. Prior to its release, its predecessor attracted an average of 500,000 players at any particular moment, a figure that practically doubled following the release of Counter-Strike 2.

Other AAA blockbusters, including Grand Theft Auto Online and Minecraft, continue to enjoy the attention of millions of players every month.

With that in mind, there is not an issue with interest in games in general but just crypto games specifically. Therefore, if developers can create a title that is much more focused on fun rather than simply relying on the blockchain mechanics, we are more likely to see players interested.

What Do Blockchain Games Need for Players to Return?

Similar to the degradation of NFTs as hype grew, blockchain gaming saw many poor-quality titles in the early 2020s. Unscrupulous individuals exploited them for personal gain.

This was similar to the video game bubble of the 1980s. Developers rushed to release subpar content to make money from players constantly seeking new titles. The influx of poor-quality games turned these players away.

Gaming companies overcame this drop in interest by refocusing on quality. They slowly won back past players.

Blockchain game developers need to do the same. By prioritizing quality over the concept of ‘play to earn,’ they can attract players to new releases.

This will take time. It’s easy to break players’ trust, and hard to regain it. But it’s not impossible. Let’s watch this space.