According to a survey by the Blockchain Game Alliance, 42% of respondents believe that player reward models are the biggest advantage in attracting new users. However, as the GameFi industry evolves, blockchain games will face multiple challenges in 2025.
Tobin Kuo, CEO of Seraph, stated in an interview with Cointelegraph that maintaining player engagement, adopting new technologies, and building a sustainable in-game economy are obstacles that GameFi must overcome to remain competitive.
Tobin pointed out that over 60% of players will quit Web3 games within 30 days. He believes that the lack of long-term incentives and poor game mechanics are the main reasons why Web3 games struggle to sustain growth. He told Cointelegraph:
'With the accelerated development of the attention economy, projects must prioritize player-centered design, focusing on immersive storytelling, skill-based rewards, and game mechanics that go beyond a 'profit-first' model, rather than relying on trends to attract attention.'
In 2025, developing better blockchain games will also require the integration of emerging technologies, such as generative AI, to enhance player experience. Tobin pointed out that GameFi projects that fail to adopt new technologies in a timely manner typically see player retention rates drop by 30%-40%.
According to a survey in the Web3 gaming industry, these issues are considered the biggest challenges facing the GameFi sector in 2024. Source: Blockchain Game Alliance
Building a sustainable in-game economy
Tobin emphasized, 'An unstable in-game economy is a major cause of project bankruptcies.' He believes that building a sustainable token model that controls inflation and is driven by data-based player rewards is key to maintaining player retention.
He further explained, 'Dynamic loot distribution, stake-based rewards, and player-controlled economic strategies through decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) could become best practices in GameFi development.'
Taking Hamster Kombat as an example, this clicker game made headlines in July, with user numbers surpassing 300 million in less than five months. However, following what is considered the largest token airdrop in cryptocurrency history, the game's active user count plummeted by 86%. As of November, the number of players had decreased to just 41 million, a significant drop compared to the summer peak of 300 million.
2024 Blockchain Gaming Industry Status
The Blockchain Game Alliance recently released the (2024 Industry Status Report), which surveyed 623 professionals in the Web3 gaming industry.
The report shows that about 53% of respondents believe that poor user experience and complex user interfaces are the biggest challenges hindering new players from entering Web3 games.
Industry insiders outlined the main issues facing the GameFi sector. Source: Blockchain Game Alliance
An early report from BGA indicated that 10% of users abandoned entering Web3 games due to the complexity of setting up crypto wallets.
At the Blockchain Futurist Conference held in August, Long Do, CEO of Anomaly Games, stated that abstracting blockchain functionality to allow players to interact with the chain unknowingly is key to driving adoption.
In addition, the BGA's 2024 report also shows that 33% of respondents believe that a poor gaming experience is one of the top three challenges currently facing the industry.
According to a survey conducted by OnePoll earlier in 2024, among over 2000 adults, most surveyed players lack understanding of blockchain games.
The survey shows that 52% of respondents do not know what blockchain games are, while another 32% of respondents have heard of blockchain games but have never played them.
Conclusion
With the rapid development of the GameFi industry, changes in player demand and market competition drive developers to innovate and optimize continuously. In 2025, how to maintain player stickiness, introduce new technologies, and establish sustainable economic models will be key to determining the success or failure of GameFi projects.