The scope of the Web3 gaming world has ballooned to immense proportions in recent years. These days, a seemingly countless number of development studios are competing to produce games that transcend the ‘blockchain’ label by offering genuinely immersive playing experiences (not to mention attractive rewards) for users.

The earliest iterations of blockchain-powered games amounted to mere point and click releases which lacked story, immersion, or any kind of skill-based gameplay. The new generation of titles, however, is pushing the boundaries of what the technology makes possible.

Let’s take a look at some of the most notable Web3 gaming companies that are making waves as we move through 2024.

Mythical Games

Founded in 2018 by a team of former Blizzard and Activision developers responsible for producing such popular titles as Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Skylanders, Mythical Games is a technology and game development company widely acclaimed for creating player-driven games. Including those that focus on true ownership of in-game assets.

The numerous gaming titles that make up Mythical Games’ stacked roster include NFL Rivals, a blockchain-based football management and arcade game officially licensed by the NFL. The digital collectible card game has been downloaded over 4 million times and offers players true ownership of player cards and team items.

Another of Mythical Games’ titles is a 2025 upcoming Pudgy Penguins game, which bridges the gap between the digital and the real world through partnerships with Walmart and Target.

As one of the pioneers of Web3 gaming, Mythical Games led the push of the “play-to-earn” model, allowing players to earn real income from their gaming experiences. Their successful integration of blockchain technology into mainstream sports and gaming IPs (like the NFL), meanwhile, is setting new standards for the industry.

Animoca Brands

One of the most active investors in promising Web3 gaming titles, Animoca Brands has helped develop a diverse portfolio of blockchain-based games in recent years.

One of the most notable titles in Animoca’s catalog is The Sandbox, an interactive virtual world where users can build, own and develop their own plots of virtual land – and monetize their experience using the game’s native token, SAND.

Plots of land in The Sandbox can be developed into almost anything the player sees fit, including virtual storefronts which display items up for sale – from NFTs, to other land parcels, to real-world products.

Animoca Brands is constructing interconnected digital worlds where assets can be used across multiple games and platforms. Their investments in various Web3 projects are also fostering an ecosystem of interoperable blockchain titles that put players front and center.

Polygon

Polygon has made several laudable technological advancements that changed the landscape of Web3 gaming, specifically with its development and launch of zkEVM (zero-knowledge Ethereum Virtual Machine), and its Polygon SDK (software development kit). These tools make it easier than ever for development teams to spin up blockchain-based gaming titles which benefit from fool-proof security.

Also of note is the numerous partnerships Polygon has secured with mainstream gaming studios, among them Ubisoft and Atari, with the aim of integrating Web3 ideals like real ownership of in-game items into Ubisoft games.

The blockchain currently hosts an array of eclectic gaming titles, from the cyberpunk-themed Neon District, to fantasy MMORPGs like Ember Sword, as well as collectible NFT game Aavegotchi and the virtual horse-racing game, Zed Run. Earlier this year, Polygon teamed up with Immutable to launch a $100m ‘Inevitable Games Fund’ to bootstrap game development.

Sonic Odyssey

Sonic Odyssey is a cutting-edge new infrastructure development which aims to streamline the process of building games on chains like Ethereum and Solana.

The first Solana Layer-2 solution designed specifically for blockchain gaming, Sonic leverages the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM) and the HyperGrid framework, enabling developers to write programs compatible with both the Ethereum and Solana ecosystems.

This allows for seamless execution of Ethereum Virtual Machine programs as SVM contracts, facilitating a highly scalable and low-cost gaming environment that naturally broadens the landscape of the Web3 gaming industry by fostering interoperability.

Zeebit recently announced that it will launch its testnet on Sonic in the near future, becoming Solana’s first ever on-chain risk-on microgaming platform.

Dapper Labs

Dapper Labs focuses on creating a symbiosis between blockchain technology and mainstream sports fans, enabling new ways for the latter to interact with their favorite teams and players. Its ‘Flow’ blockchain infrastructure is designed specifically for the high throughput that blockchain gaming demands.

Dapper Labs’ gaming titles include NBA Top Shot, a platform for collecting, buying, selling and trading officially licensed highlights from the National Basketball Association. NFL All Day is similar in that it allows players to collect and trade officially licensed NFL moments.

Pixelverse

Pixelverse bloomed from a standalone game into what it calls a ‘multiverse’ built around the EVM-compatible Layer-2 Pixelchain. Deeply integrated with the Open Network (TON) ecosystem and its 15 million daily active users, it has already launched a Playground demo of its MMORPG, onboarded TON users to tap-to-earn game PixelTap, and secured partnerships with the likes of Pudgy Penguins and Huxley Saga.

Offering utility to both its own PIXFI and TON, Pixelverse is an ambitious project that seeks to make Pixelchain “the most active and utilized gamefi focused blockchain in the world by many multiples.” Having onboarded over 50 million players in June alone, Pixelverse is taking no prisoners as it strides impressively through its roadmap.

Conclusion

Web3 gaming has come a long way from the days of simple ‘point-and-click’ efforts characterized by the likes of Axie Infinity.

Today, Web3 gaming companies are pushing the limits of what’s possible by developing and refining more robust technical infrastructure, and by integrating their tech stacks with existing, reputable, mainstream gaming studios – and even national retail stores and sports teams.

After years of constructing the building blocks to make Web3 gaming a serious proposition for both gaming and tech enthusiasts, the aforementioned companies and others are starting to refine their products for the next generation of gamers.

Image by Monika Baechler from Pixabay