The crypto and NFT gaming space is busier than ever lately, what with prominent games starting to release, token airdrops piling up, and a seemingly constant array of other things happening at all times. It’s a lot to take in!

Luckily, Decrypt’s GG is all over it. And if you need a quick way to get caught up on the latest moves around crypto video games, we’re happy to present This Week in Crypto Games.

Our weekend roundup serves up the biggest news from the past week, along with a few other tidbits you might have missed. We also showcase a few of our original stories from the week.

Biggest news

Pixels Chapter 2: Ronin-based farming game Pixels has just launched its big Chapter 2 update, which sees new systems implemented to help bolster the game’s sustainability. The team claims that the update isn’t a complete reskin and requires the player to “peel back the layers” to discover a “whole new game.”

Chapter 2 sees changes to resource collection and crafting, and introduces a new resource tiering system. Additionally, tools have different tiers akin to Minecraft and will lose durability overtime. Free-to-play land has also received a small rework which aims to help non-paying players to progress easier.

We spoke with Pixels founder Luke Barwikowski about the intention behind the update and how his studio underwent a brief identity crisis following the game's smash success, as he ultimately fought back the urge to "professionalize" and go slower.

Konami NFT Platform: Konami Digital Entertainment—the Japanese gaming giant behind franchises like Metal Gear Solid, Silent Hill, and Castlevania—announced Thursday that it will launch an NFT platform called Resella on the Avalanche blockchain.

This platform aims to make it easier for companies to integrate blockchain technology and issue NFTs, both for games and other types of applications. According to Konami, Resella eliminates the need for users to open an external crypto wallet or handle cryptocurrency at all. It will be targeted for Japanese domestic users, but plans to also accommodate global users.

Telegram boom: If you've been following our coverage lately, then you've surely noted the rapidly growing pile of Telegram-based games pulling in millions of players with promises of token rewards. It started with Notcoin earlier this year, but recent game Hamster Kombat has purportedly reached over 150 million players—and several more games are popping up.

We've started expanding our coverage into some of those other titles, including Pixelverse's PixelTap, Yescoin, TapSwap, and Catizen, with more to come around those games and other emerging crypto titles on Telegram.

OpenSeason airdrop: The creators of the Fortnite-like Ethereum game OpenSeason launched their token airdrop last week. Holders of the Fractional Uprising Studios NFT—which is currently required to play the game—started to receive tokens on Tuesday afternoon. 

The FU token (short for FU Money) on Arbitrum, an Ethereum layer-2 scaling network, is now valued above an $11 million market capitalization, according to CoinGecko. Through the airdrop, 10% of the token's total supply was automatically sent to NFT holders based on three previous ownership snapshots.

ICYMI

• Farworld Labs, a protocol building on Farcaster, raised $1.75 million for Web3 mobile gaming ecosystem.
• Ethereum mech shooter MetalCore announced it will launch its MCG token through Bybit.
• Time.fun, an interesting take on SocialFi that allows you to invest in time with influencers, launched last week.
• Heroes of Mavia, a crypto-tinged Clash of Clans clone, announced that it aims to integrate its MAVIA token into its gameplay loop with a new set of features.
• Ethereum sidechain Ronin announced that will offer the ability for developers to deploy dedicated layer-2 chains.

• NBCUniversal confirmed it plans to continue building fan experiences and games on Aptos, agreeing to a long-term partnership with Aptos Labs.
• Saga, a layer-1 blockchain with a focus on gaming, started the second phase of its "Over 9,000" airdrop.
• Fighting game AI Arena announced that its NRN token will go live on Monday, June 24.
• Notcoin’s airdrop finished, closing the chapter on 2024’s largest crypto gaming token launch of 2024. But Notcoin itself will carry on with more social games to come following the launch of earnings missions.
• Team Liquid and Community Gaming are hosting Teamfight Tactics and Hearthstone tournaments with a combined $20,000 prize pool that will be paid out via USDC on Base.

GG spotlight

Here are a few of our original stories from this past week that we think are well worth a weekend read:

Edited by Andrew Hayward