Multiple partnerships have gained attention in the crypto gaming industry this week, like between Virtual and Animoca Brands, and SoonChain and Gaimin.
TL;DR
- GameFi market is starting to show strength
- Multiple new partnerships for Web3 games
- Cagy teases a better game than Off The Grid
- Jihoz now has a digital twin
Introduction
It seems the GameFi sector has decided if you can’t beat them, then join them. Multiple partnerships have gained attention in the crypto gaming industry this week, like between Virtual and Animoca Brands, and SoonChain and Gaimin.
As the so-called AI agent Supercycle gains traction, gaming platforms continue to collaborate with the agents, like Ronin and Sovrun both partnering with Virtuals Protocol. Is it time for Web3 gaming to shine?
Bitcoin briefly went past $100,000 again only to be rejected once again as the interest for Bitcoin reserves gains momentum and Trump’s pro-crypto term is nearly here. What’s good for BTC is, of course, usually good for everything else in crypto.
Source: CT
Market Overview
The GameFi market cap grew by a modest 3% this week, rising from $23.69 billion to $24.31 billion over the last seven days.
The upward surge since the bottom in August 2024 has continued, and we are up 75%.
GameFi tokens started a gradual but steady rise since the whole market corrected.
Source: CMC
According to DeFiLlama’s Narrative Tracker, GameFi went up three spots, ranking 15th over the last week, outperforming Ethereum and NFTs.
Top Coin Movements
This week the top 20 Web3 gaming tokens are looking much better compared to last week where only three projects showed positive gains.
Source: CMC
Top Gainers:
- Gala (GALA): +10.97%
- Notcoin (NOT): +10.62%
- Decentraland (MANA): +5.45%
- Echelon Prime (PRIME): +4.55%
- Immutable (IMX): +4.32%
Top Decliners:
- GMT (GMT): -5.81%
- Wilder World (WILD): -4.47%
- Kadena (KDA): -0.94%
- Enjin Coin (ENJ): -0.63%
- Beam (BEAM): -0.48%
Web3 Gaming Activity This Week
Do we really have a game that’s better than Off The Grid?
The co-founder of Axie Infinity and Ronin, Jihoz, now has a digital twin, an AI agent called JAIHOZ.
GameFi’s user activity continues to surge regardless of what the overall market decides to do.
- Vertus’ UAW skyrockets as their VERT token goes live.
- Stan soars by 50% while they creatively connect their superpowers to iconic superheroes.
- Treasure Ship Game surges by 21.34% and always welcomes everybody to the Pirate Ship.
- MEET48 rises by 12.11% as they invite the AI agent builders and community members to share their experiences.
- LOL goes up by 11.01% and partners with KingdomX.
Latest Blockchain Gaming News
Virtuals Protocol Teams Up With Animoca Brands
Virtuals Protocol has partnered with Animoca Brands to push AI gaming experiences. This collaboration also involves Agentstarter, an on-chain AI agent accelerator on Base, to support the development of AI games.
With this collaboration, they plan to provide funding, technical expertise, and incubation support for developers exploring new ideas, such as Sentient AI non-player characters, AI gamers, and AI avatars capable of competing with or mimicking human players.
FatPay Collaborates With Gbox
FatPay, a leader in decentralized payments and financial technology, has announced a partnership with GBox to transform the PayFi and GameFi sectors.
The collaboration was announced on FatPay's official X account, highlighting GBox's platform, which integrates gaming leagues, advanced security, privacy isolation, and decentralized ecosystems.
Kroma Partners With W3GG
Kroma Network, a layer-2 solution on Ethereum, has announced a partnership with W3GG, an official partner of YGG in Southeast Asia.
By integrating Kroma's blockchain infrastructure with W3GG's regional expertise, they plan to make blockchain gaming more accessible and appealing to a broader audience in Southeast Asia.
The Machines Arena To Expand Without Blockchain
The Ethereum-based game The Machines Arena launched on Steam on Jan. 14 and will also launch on PlayStation 5 later in 2025. Due to platform restrictions, it won’t include any blockchain features.
Players on PC (via the Epic Games Store) and Android can still earn TMA tokens and trade NFT skins on Ronin, but these features won’t be available in the Steam version.
As for the PS5 version, talks with Sony are ongoing about the possibility of integrating blockchain elements, but given Sony’s strict crypto policies, nothing is confirmed yet.
SoonChain Partners with Gaimin
SoonChain, an AI-driven layer-2 platform for gaming, has partnered with Gaimin, a Web3 gaming platform, to introduce a new gaming experience through blockchain technology.
The collaboration allows gamers to monetize unused GPU power, generating passive income while playing games, and supporting the rising demand for AI processing energy.
Gaimin also empowers gamers, esports enthusiasts, and developers by offering tools for monetizing computing power, sponsoring esports teams, and building blockchain-driven games.
What You Can Do Now
- Focus on quality over hype: look out for games that people play for fun rather than just for earning.
- Check for real utility and in-game integration: projects where tokens and NFTs have multiple use cases within the game such as staking, upgrades, and crafting, tend to be more sustainable.
- Evaluate team experience and transparency: teams with a proven track record in gaming or blockchain are more likely to deliver.
- Assess community activity and growth: high player retention and active communities (Discord, Twitter, Reddit) show that a game can attract and keep players.
- Check out all the latest developments where AI meets gaming.
This article contains links to third-party websites or other content for information purposes only (“Third-Party Sites”). The Third-Party Sites are not under the control of CoinMarketCap, and CoinMarketCap is not responsible for the content of any Third-Party Site, including without limitation any link contained in a Third-Party Site, or any changes or updates to a Third-Party Site. CoinMarketCap is providing these links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement, approval or recommendation by CoinMarketCap of the site or any association with its operators.
This article is intended to be used and must be used for informational purposes only. It is important to do your own research and analysis before making any material decisions related to any of the products or services described. This article is not intended as, and shall not be construed as, financial advice.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s [company’s] own and do not necessarily reflect those of CoinMarketCap.
