We’ll look back on 2024 as a very good year for GameFi. There have been few bona fide smash hits that have “pulled an Axie” and gotten mainstream gamers FOMO’ing in, it’s true. But quietly, the foundations have been built for an industry that appears poised to stand the test of time and whose future is no longer reliant on pumpamentals.In 2024 we saw games launched with sustainable token economies; the rise of tap-to-earn mini-games; the blurring of video gaming and GameFi; and the emergence of Polkadot as a serious gaming chain. Much of this success has been thanks to Mythical Games, whose NFL Rivals release has shown that there is a product-market fit for GameFi titles that tap into a ready-made fanbase.Polkadot’s Big Year of GamingPolkadot was conceived as a general-purpose web3 chain, and it remains so but is beginning to find its core competencies. Just as Solana has become the memecoin network of choice and EVM L2s have proven ideal for onchain perps and prediction markets, Polkadot is proving that its architecture is well suited to hosting gaming.Much of this is simply down to the scalability of the main chain and its interconnected parachains, which can handle high-volume dapps without performance degradation. This is achieved while keeping network fees negligible

Create an account to save your articles.Create an account to save your articles.We do the research, you get the alpha! Get exclusive reports and access to key insights on airdrops, NFTs, and more! Subscribe now to Alpha Reports and up your game! Go to Alpha ReportsDecrypt’s Art, Fashion, and Entertainment Hub. Discover SCENEWelcome to Decrypt’s Week in Polkadot, our regular round-up of the latest developments in the Polkadot ecosystem.Pudgy Penguins land on Polkadot with mobile gameWeb3 gaming studio Mythical Games is set to release a Polkadot-based mobile game based on the well-known NFT brand Pudgy Penguins.The Pudgy Penguins brand has made inroads into the mainstream in recent months; physical toys based on its intellectual property have been released in Walmart and Target, while the brand has hit the pages of outlets like the New York Times.The “AAA” mobile game will launch on the Mythical platform, home to other NFT-trading-centric games NFL Rivals and Blankos Block Party, at some point in 2025.The Mythos Chain (MYTH), which will host the Pudgy Penguins mobile game, claims over one million active wallets and over 5 million players, and will be migrating to Polkadot shortly.Pudgy Penguins was Decrypt’s NFT Project of the Year in 2023, with the team behind the tokens managing to raise $9 million in May 2023 despite the crash in NFT values earlier that year.🚨 Big news! @playmythical, in collaboration with @pudgypenguins, announced a brand new game on Polkadot 🐧 Mythical Games CEO @johnwastaken unveiled plans to bring together Web3 gaming and iconic IP for a fresh new mobile gaming experience 🤝https://t.co/aIL91835bB pic.twitter.com/fPOldukYEC — Polkadot (@Polkadot) May 30, 2024Frequency parachain tops monthly transactionsFrequency, a parachain aimed at providing a framework for decentralized social media that prioritizes privacy, was by far the most popular parachain on Polkadot this month.The daily number of transactions on Frequency averaged 180,000 in the last 10 days, according to Polkadot analytics outfit DotLake, a 108x month-on-month increase.Polkadot parachains number of transactions. Image: DotLakeMeWe, a decentralized social network designed to solve Big Tech-related privacy issues, is in the process of migrating to Polkadot parachain Frequency, after first announcing the move last year.The firm's founder and CEO Jeffrey Edell believes that blockchain can be used to combat issues that have plagued social media over the past decade, such as fake news, disinformation and misinformation.This isn’t the first time Frequency has been in the crypto news recently.Frank McCourt, a real estate billionaire with an estimated net worth of $1.4 billion, has launched a “people’s bid” to buy TikTok, and plans to shift some elements of its technical framework to an architecture created by Project Liberty, based on Frequency.However, this is dependent on the billionaire’s bid for the social media platform succeeding, while the U.S. government would need to force TikTok to divest its interests.1/ 🧵Mover alert! ⏰ @one_frequency, the parachain linked with a bold bid to secure social media phenomenon @tiktok_us in the US, tops the Daily Number of Transactions in the @Polkadot ecosystem with an average of 180k in the last 10 days, a 108x MoM increase 🫡 pic.twitter.com/N8Yq6yiY20 — DotLake (@dotlake_xyz) June 3, 2024Polkadot Decoded gets entertainmentPolkadot Decoded, the world’s largest Polkadot Community Event, has partnered with Beatport.Beatport is one of the world’s largest online electronic music stores aimed at DJs, and the platform provides its own specialized streaming service.Beatport will provide music for the Polkadot Decoded’s closing event. Headliners have yet to be announced for the event, but 2023’s closing event featured artists such as Len Faki, Gina Jeanz, Lovecatt, Tsuniman and MARRØN.Polkadot Decoded will run from July 11-12 in Brussels, Belgium.We're thrilled to announce that Beatport is teaming up with @Polkadot to kick off @PolkadotDecoded 2024 in style! Join us on July 10th in Brussels for the Opening Party, featuring a massive lineup at the exciting warehouse venue. Stay tuned for updates and reveal of headliners!… pic.twitter.com/fYggdBqtsK — Beatport (@beatport) May 30, 2024Gavin Wood joins Vitalik Buterin at EthPragueLong time collaborators Polkadot creator Gavin Wood and Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin took to the stage at EthPrague last week.The pair, who first collaborated over a decade ago, discussed how crypto can help address corruption in the developing world, crypto’s relevance to average people, Polkadot’s impending JAM upgrade and the democratic future of Ethereum.Wood and Buterin also explored the best way to build an ecosystem and the pros and cons of and on-chain and off-chain governance.Sponsored post by Polkadot Community Learn More about partnering with Decrypt

GamesBeat Next unites gaming industry leaders for exceptional content, networking, and deal-making opportunities. Join us on Oct 23-24 in San Francisco.  Register NowMythical Games has released Nitro Nation World Tour, a Web3 mobile racing game that is available on the app stores. Developed in collaboration with CM Games, the creators of the popular Nitro Nation franchise, Nitro Nation World Tour brings street racing and car ownership to the world of Web3 gaming. The game is now available for download on Android and iOS platforms.Nitro Nation World Tour offers players an immersive racing experience as they travel across the globe, competing in real-time player-versus-player races, tournaments, events, challenges, and more. Players have the opportunity to collect and digitally own an array of fully licensed cars from manufacturers such as Aston Martin, Jaguar, and Pagani, with McLaren Automotive headlining the first season. The game features a campaign mode with a storyline and memorable characters