PLUS: Crypto’s killer app is here!

Welcome to Tri-News, a Trikon newsletter covering the latest updates, insights, and conversations in the Web3 gaming & NFT ecosystem. Subscribe if you want to join a fast-growing community of gamers and developers.

You can also check out Trikon’s blog posts and follow us on Twitter.

Here are key highlights of this week:

• The Allure of NFTs is gone

• Zynga enters Web3

• Friend.tech — Crypto’s super app?

Let’s get started!

The Allure of NFTs is Gone 📉

What brought creators and artists into NFT space no longer exists. Yes, we’re about royalties!

Royalties were one of the foundational aspects of NFTs that made people launch their work in this new medium. Royalties made a compelling case for creatives of any kind to explore NFTs. And we did see many of them release NFTs.

More importantly, the biggest projects in the space survived to this point because they made a ton of money off royalties. This upside of collections was also significantly captured by the NFT marketplaces that facilitated the trades.

OpenSea is the latest of many marketplaces to make royalties optional — and that’s not it! They have also removed the operator filter that allowed creators to blacklist NFT marketplaces that don’t enforce royalties.

From OpenSea’s perspective, they have taken this decision because the tool didn’t get expected support from the NFT ecosystem. Also, they observed that other marketplaces like Blur could easily circumvent their SeaPort Protocol to avoid creator fees.

This news certainly didn’t sit right with the NFT community as many felt OpenSea is caving into pressure from competitors. Even the great investor Mark Cuban who invested in OpenSea feels the same way.

The backlash didn’t end with just words. Projects started taking action, with the most notable being Yuga Labs. Yuga has announced they will stop supporting OpenSea’s SeaPort for all upgradable contracts and future collections. This means early collections of Yuga will still be on Yuga as they are not upgradable.

This is a huge blow to OpenSea and marketplaces in general. If projects continue to build their own private marketplaces, it can be devastating for marketplaces. More importantly, it would make future creators choose not to launch on these marketplaces and do it on a platform with enforceable royalties.

This debate is not over yet. And we’ll see more projects opt-out of such a paradigm to protect creator royalties.

Zynga Enters Web3 🤩

Zynga, the renowned mobile game developer, has introduced its debut Web3 game and platform, Sugartown. In a pioneering move, Zynga is the first major mobile game developer to craft a Web3 game from the ground up.

Operating on the Ethereum network, Sugartown offers players an engaging realm to earn rewards. Sugartown's narrative centers on three farm animals who accidentally open a portal into Sugartown from another dimension, ushering in creative beings known as Ora’s. These Ora’s use their ingenuity to transform Sugartown into a lively haven brimming with amusement.

To access Sugartown, players use their ERC-721 Ora token as proof of ownership. By staking these tokens, players earn energy, which fuels participation in Sugartown's games and facilitates the acquisition of Sugar, the in-game currency unlocking exciting rewards.

Zynga's VP of Web3, Matt Wolf, expressed excitement about Sugartown's launch, highlighting its significance as Zynga's inaugural Web3 game with an original IP. The game will evolve over time, appealing to both native Web3 enthusiasts and a broader audience, while fostering a vibrant community of holders and players.

Even in the bear market, Web3 gaming is flourishing. Top gaming companies are joining and launching projects, showcasing growth amid challenges. A promising time for both players and creators in the Web3 gaming space, with numerous games available now and more on the horizon.

Friend.tech — Crypto’s Super App? 🚀

Web3 might finally have its killer app. Friend.tech is the latest app going wild on crypto twitter. The app idea is pretty simple. You buy shares of your friends and get exclusive access to their private rooms.

You may say this is a newer version of BitClout. But what’s interesting is the difference in response from the community. The entire crypto squad seems hooked to this app. And who wouldn’t if they can trade shares and book decent profits. As you can see below, these are some accounts who made the most profit. And the app launched like a week ago!!!

What’s more surprising is that Friend.tech is already making more money in fees than some of the top protocols like Uniswap and blockchains like Bitcoin and Binance Smart Chain. In just the last 24 hours, it made over $1.1 million. Now imagine if this app reaches escape velocity.

And we may not even be far away from that…👀👀

Well-known personalities of the internet, NBA players, and adult film stars are already taking notice of this app.

And why wouldn’t they? The fact that people can bet on influencers based on their popularity and content makes it a great use-case for both parties. The holders of the shares can flip for profit. And the owner can rake in trading fees.

As an airdrop is expected, we can expect many people farming as much as possible. Currently, the onboarding is broken and not suitable for someone who has no idea about crypto or blockchain. This is because Friend.tech asks you to send ETH of $20 to Base blockchain. And many who are not aware of bridging may find it difficult.

So the app seems to have captured the attention of the crypto community and is slowly going beyond. We can see some exciting things happen as we’re still so early and many new features are yet to go live.

Game Updates

• Axis Infinity introduced Project T, a prototype of the new Axie social game.

• Champions Ascension went live on Steam and released a new gameplay trailer.

• Space3 introduced its first PlayFest with a total reward of $25,000.

• Star Atlas announced a new browser-based open-world simulation game called SAGE Labs.

• Immutable zkEVM, the first EVM-equivalent zk-rollup custom built for games, is now live.

Get Started on Trikon Today 👋

At Trikon, we are pushing the envelope in Web3 gaming with our game distribution platform integrated with unique wallet and marketplace solutions. From onboarding and game discovery to asset management, we can provide a truly uninterrupted gaming experience.

Want to try it out? Register on our website and you’ll be among the first to get early access.

Join our discord community.

If you want more such updates and insights into gaming and NFTs, be sure to follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.