In a bear market, how does Game Space go against the trend with mini-games?
Blockchain-issued resources jointly serve as the role of game publishers, helping users enter the game and providing gameplay education, thus achieving a cold start for game distribution at a lower cost.Author: CryptoNews
In October, a mini-game supported by the world's first GameFi as a Service (GaaS) platform, Game Space, titled "Goat! Goat!" was launched, achieving 600,000 weekly active users in its first week.
Against the backdrop of a bear market where GameFi active users are continuously declining, on one hand, the market is focusing on the emergence of games with stronger playability and healthier economic models; on the other hand, various parties are striving to attract more traditional game developers and users, with high expectations for phenomenon-level breakout products.
The launch of "Goat! Goat!" achieving 600,000 weekly active users in its first week undoubtedly brought significant shockwaves to the current GameFi market. In its first week, "Goat! Goat!" also conducted launch activities with over 50 DAOs and institutions globally, including BitKeep, Nawarat, OE DAO, Crypto Tech DAO, Real Trick (DAO), Meta Galaxy, FMJ_DAO, etc., creating a surge in countries like India, the Philippines, and Vietnam. This has made the market very curious about how "Goat! Goat!" achieved this success.
Overall, the chain transformation approach of "Goat! Goat!" in achieving 600,000 weekly active users during a bear market mainly includes:
Game Side: A market-validated hit game combined with rapid chain transformation capabilities, motivating players in the crypto world to pay for good games;
Traffic Side: A unique web2.5 model that integrates Web2 traffic and Web3 distribution methods, lowering the entry barrier for 3 billion traditional game players;
Model Side: Adopting a more elegant v3.0 economic model compared to GameFi v1.0 and v2.0, de-tokenizing and replacing the Token economic model with NFT economic models such as blind boxes, props, and land.
Let’s delve deeper into the game for analysis.
Phenomenal Chain Game with 7-Day Rapid Chain Transformation in a Bear Market
Overall, the experience of "Goat! Goat!" on the game side gives the impression that no gaming skills are required, there’s no need to understand complex economic model designs, and no need to master Web3-related technical knowledge. Whether it’s the entry barrier to the game or the content and interaction during gameplay, everything is designed to be as simple as possible.
In terms of game content, "Goat! Goat!" integrates multiple popular match-three games. Using classic NFT block icons as the animated background, players clear levels by eliminating NFT block icons.
In terms of specific operations, players can eliminate selected NFT icons by choosing three identical classic NFT block icons. There are a total of 7 slots at the bottom of the game, and players only need to move 3 identical NFT icons into the slots to clear them. The NFT icons in the game overlap continuously, and players can only select the topmost NFT icons.
In the game model, players can spend $0.1 each time to purchase props up to three times to eliminate obstacles and traps in the levels. If they fail a level, they have one opportunity to spend $0.1 to revive. After passing two levels, players have a chance to receive blind box NFTs of varying rarity, which can yield different rarity MergeBird NFTs. The MergeBird NFTs can be used in another classic chain transformation mini-game, "Merge Bird," or sold on the NFT Marketplace.
Regarding game entry, Game Space adopts a web2.5 design philosophy, allowing users to log in directly with Web2 accounts. From email to phone numbers, from Google to Facebook accounts, the game provides various familiar Web2 login methods. After selecting any commonly used login method, players can directly enter the game, with the entire login authentication process taking less than 5 seconds.
After logging in, "Goat! Goat!" offers players a fresh experience through its NFT-based fun gameplay while allowing them to earn gold, silver, bronze, and other varying rarity blind boxes through the "Play to Earn" mechanism. The blind boxes can be sold on the NFT Marketplace and may yield USDT, different levels of Merge Bird, and even well-known NFTs like Mfers, Mimic Shhans, and BAYC as mystery rewards.
From the gaming experience perspective, "Goat! Goat!" adds classic NFT avatars with strong metaverse and Web3 styles as game elements on the basis of classic match-three gameplay, showcasing excellent art; the level difficulty settings are also very creative, effectively stimulating players' desire for challenges, with precise enjoyment points; the login and entry process aligns with most users' habits, ensuring smooth operations.
This outstanding experience, integrating multiple popular match-three games, completed its chain transformation in just 7 days.
The "Goat! Goat!" team quickly acquired blockchain capabilities such as NFT engines, NFT trading markets, wallets, management backends, and security guarantees by embedding Game Space's SDK, and deployed the game across blockchain networks like BSC, ETH, Polygon, and Solana through cross-chain components. Ultimately, the entire chain transformation development was completed in less than a week—thus "Goat! Goat!" was born.
GameFi Distribution and Retention Mechanism with 600,000 Weekly Active Users
Having a good gaming experience, a sufficiently low entry barrier, and rapid blockchain technology capabilities is just the first step in attracting 3 billion traditional game players. The success of "Goat! Goat!" in breaking through the circle is inseparable from its successful GameFi distribution and user retention mechanisms.
Traditionally, the game distribution model mainly relies on app store co-distribution channels and advertising spending. Game developers cannot bypass channels like Google Play and APP Store, or they can only buy traffic on advertising platforms like Facebook and YouTube, such as through spending to boost APP Store rankings.
However, the "Goat! Goat!" team leveraged the traffic resources aggregated by GameSpace, including Game Guilds, DAO organizations, KOLs, and blockchain platforms, to build a bridge between more users and NFT games. These blockchain distribution resources collectively acted as game publishers, helping users enter the game and educating them on gameplay, achieving game distribution and a cold start of 600,000 weekly active users at a lower cost.
After the game launch, "Goat! Goat!" conducted a series of distribution activities with over 50 DAO organizations and institutions globally, including BitKeep, Nawarat, OE DAO, Crypto Tech DAO, Real Trick (DAO), Meta Galaxy, FMJ_DAO, etc., achieving 600,000 weekly active users in its first week.
This is one of the advantages of GameSpace's rapid chain transformation capability: top-tier blockchain distribution resources and deep cooperation with hundreds of Game Guilds, DAO organizations, and mainstream blockchain platforms, facilitating a quick cold start for the game and acquiring a massive user base.
On the other hand, compared to acquiring users, retaining them is more important. The traditional Web2 "token subsidies" and Web3 "airdrop expectations" can generate short-term popularity, but how to turn temporary usage into long-term behavioral habits is a more significant issue.
Firstly, the mobile end is more aligned with mainstream users. "Goat! Goat!" supports both mobile and web platforms. For a long time, web-based chain games, while more direct and simple in terms of earning, still primarily rely on mobile devices. Data shows that over 90% of gamers worldwide were mobile players in 2021.
Secondly, the free-to-play model allows users to fully experience the game process. Web2 games are generally free, requiring payment only occasionally, and not paying does not affect the overall smoothness and completeness of the game. In contrast, many Web3 games currently have token entry barriers or require holding tokens to unlock significant later stages. This somewhat restricts new players' entry and severely disrupts the user gaming experience.
"Goat! Goat!" is a game that embraces both free play and GameFi mechanics, acting as a transitional layer of web2.5. It provides players with a free-to-own NFT gaming experience to attract everyone to join, using mini-games and combinations to build gameplay, retaining players in a casual, gradual manner, allowing users to experience the entire process for free while also opening up some advanced or derivative sections for paid experiences.
Notably, based on the Free to Own model, the cross-game combination mechanics of "Goat! Goat!" make it more crypto-native and innovative: the MergeBird NFTs can be used in another classic chain transformation mini-game, "Merge Bird."
This is another advantage of GameSpace's rapid chain transformation capability: aggregating cross-game and cross-chain asset interoperability and traffic interchange, forming a larger network of 1+1>2. This extremely low entry barrier for GameFi, combined with the free-to-own NFT gaming experience and the design of combinable NFTs, achieves account and asset interoperability within the platform and even cross-chain NFT asset interoperability, ultimately resulting in a more sticky user retention.
GameFi 3.0 Economic Model Centered on NFTs
GameSpace CEO Michael stated that in the GameFi 1.0 phase of chain games, the focus was on simple NFTs + Play to Earn games, while in the GameFi 2.0 phase, complex NFTs + X to Earn models were introduced. However, in both phases, the financial attributes of GameFi were much stronger than the gaming attributes, making it easy for game developers to prioritize finance over gameplay, leading to short game lifecycles and extreme suppression of the playability of the games themselves.
GameFi 3.0 emphasizes game quality and playability, primarily focusing on NFTs + a more reasonable Play to Earn + Play for Fun model + AAA games, with web2.5 infrastructure serving as middleware to introduce Web2 users at a low threshold while guiding them towards Web3 through gameplay.
For instance, in the AAA game sector, Game Space provides GaaS services for AAA games to small, medium, and large game companies. Game Space has collaborated with Tigon Mobile to create the upcoming first AAA MMORPG GameFi, "Bless Global."
"Goat! Goat!" serves as a demonstration model for mini-game chain transformations in the GameFi 3.0 era, combining fun games validated by the market with rapid chain transformation capabilities, lower entry barriers compatible with Web2 traffic, and more Web3 game distribution methods, all centered around NFTs as incentives in a more reasonable Play to Earn model.
In terms of game modeling, Game Space has designed a more reasonable Play to Earn model: "Goat! Goat!" has created a rational metaverse economic model:
- No token design has been incorporated, resulting in a low entry barrier for users, who can register an account and start playing without needing to purchase PFP avatars as PassCards. All game players are treated equally.
This de-tokenization design helps players avoid the impact of generally declining token prices on gaming experiences during bear markets, allowing them to focus more on the playability of the game itself.
With NFTs and blind boxes as the core incentives, the fun and playability of earning are enhanced, allowing users to gain wealth in the metaverse through purchasing props, trading assets, and Play to Earn, among other activities.
The asset application scenarios within "Goat! Goat!" have been extended to other projects, creating a synergistic effect between games and forming a new symbiotic network, where the lifecycle of a single game is supported by other projects.
In summary, the chain transformation approach of "Goat! Goat!" does not solely aim for profit; it does not rely on short-term wealth-generating FOMO economic models, nor does it depend on rising asset prices in secondary markets to attract users, or on new player growth to maintain game balance. Instead, it aligns more closely with the tastes and perceptions of 3 billion mainstream players worldwide. Once enough incremental users are retained through experience, more NFT consumption and interoperability scenarios can be added to the game model, making a healthy business model based on gameplay possible.
