Original title: B3
Original article by Paul Veradittakit, Partner at Pantera
Original translation: 0xjs, Golden Finance
Over the past decade, the emergence of smart contract blockchains has unleashed a wave of innovations such as decentralized finance (DeFi), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). These advances have not only reshaped the financial services landscape, but have also enhanced various industries, including the gaming industry.
The proliferation of public blockchain standards (e.g., ERC-721 for Ethereum NFTs) makes it easier than ever before for in-game items to interoperate not only with a wider variety of games, but also with the decentralized finance (DeFi) stack. As a result, in-game assets (avatars, skins, land, currencies, etc.) can now be truly owned and financialized like traditional assets (real estate, public and private equity, etc.). As a result, gaming economies can benefit from greater liquidity and price discovery for both cosmetics and in-game currencies.
However, while the original crypto game theory remains intact, many developers are frustrated by key issues between the needs of on-chain game developers and reality. Game developers seek seamless user experience (UX), unified liquidity, one-click deployment, and compatibility with crypto on-ramps. But today, they often face fragmented UX, broken liquidity across multiple chains, high Rollup as a Service (RaaS) overhead, and lack of compatibility with deposits.
B3 changes that!
B3 Overview
Developed by NPC Labs, B3 is a horizontal ecosystem on the L3 blockchain built on Base, focused on crypto gaming.
Base has quickly become one of the premier L2 blockchains in the crypto ecosystem, largely due to its partnership with Coinbase. Since its launch in August 2023, Base has been profitable, growing, and sticky. Today, Base has the second-largest number of L2 wallets (after Arbitrum) and is home to applications such as Uniswap, Friend.Tech, USDC, ThirdWeb, OpenSea, Zora, and many others.
By aligning with Base’s tools and culture, B3 can build a robust L3 gaming ecosystem, solidifying Base’s position as the leading venue for consumer crypto applications.
B3 Stack
1. Security layer: Ethereum, one of the most decentralized and secure first-layer blockchains.
2. Settlement layer: Base, a low-cost, builder-friendly L2 incubated by Coinbase.
3. Blockspace: B3, a L3 that allows for further expansion, provides dedicated block space for gamers, low gas fees, and faster transaction speeds.
4. B3 Rollup Network: B3 achieves horizontal scaling through sharding at the application layer, orchestrating dedicated side chains for applications, games, and compute-intensive operations.
5. Discovery Layer: Join.B3.Fun acts as a discovery layer for on-chain games, serving as a front-end landing page and game launcher where players can discover and play B3 rollups/games with seamless cross-chain UX.
Today on B3, you can play popular on-chain games like Dino Runner 3D, Anomaly Pinball, PewPew Tap, and more on web, mobile, desktop, and Telegram!
Key players and their contributions
The core of B3 is its team, which has about 20 years of experience in the crypto ecosystem. In addition, the team has demonstrated incredible team-market fit, leading Base to develop its business and ecosystem from zero to one.
Daryl Xu serves as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of B3. Previously, Daryl led Base’s gaming and login ecosystem during his tenure at Coinbase, where he established influential partnerships with on-chain developers, builders, and Web2 game studios.
Viktoriya Hying joins B3 as Chief Product Officer (CPO). She previously led Base’s social and creator ecosystem, building partnerships with on-chain platforms, enterprises, and web2 brands.
Sean Geng serves as B3’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Sean previously worked as an engineering manager at Coinbase, where he led the development of the Coinbase Wallet and Coinbase NFT, and founded two companies before that.
Pantera is excited to have led B3’s (NPC Labs) $18 million round in July, along with other great investors including Mirana Ventures, Collab+Currency, Sfermion, Bitscaple Capital, and Mantle EcoFund.
in conclusion
In summary, B3 represents a major shift in the Base gaming ecosystem, addressing key challenges facing on-chain game developers.
By providing a seamless user experience, unified liquidity, and enhanced compatibility with crypto on-ramps, B3 will revolutionize the crypto gaming landscape. With strong leadership, innovative technology, and strong investor support, Pantera believes B3 will become a key player in the future of blockchain gaming.
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