In 2024, Web3-level AAA console-style games are expected to appear. This was stated in an interview with Decrypt by Animoca Brands CEO Robby Yung.
According to the expert, the industry will move away from GameFi and casual games toward the aforementioned format, in addition to Life Beyond, Devourers and Phantom Galaxies being developed currently.
In particular, the first project “will appeal to more traditional gamers” — its founder Benjamin Charbit previously worked on Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed.
Yung pledged to further develop the Rev token ecosystem, which is used in Moto GP, Formula E and Revv Racing.
According to the expert, these games could help attract traditional gamers who have remained hesitant or even hostile toward the Web3 format.
“There are many stories of pushback, for example, with Ubisoft, when gamers expressed concerns,” he added.
The expert compared the situation to the rise in popularity of mobile games.
“A vocal minority of the community resists change. A case in point was 2009, when mobile games appeared. Many gamers, especially those who preferred consoles, at the time felt that games on a small smartphone screen were not ‘real’,” — he explained.
Yung believes the industry is moving toward a hybrid model, recognising the importance of the mobile and casual sectors, which together account for half of the market.
“When we look at the business, it is incredibly diverse, differentiated by gameplay style and platform,” — he explained.
According to the Animoca Brands CEO, the new model will combine traditional and blockchain games before fully embracing NFTs.
In the interview, Yung confirmed the company’s commitment to an open, decentralised metaverse in contrast to what Meta is developing. In the latter’s initiatives he sees an “already obsolete centralised and closed virtual reality.”
The expert explained that the true essence of the concept will require blockchain integration.
“Blockchain provides functional content interoperability, which is a fundamental aspect of the metaverse. Without such a property it would be just an app, not a real virtual world,” — he added.
Yung touched on the growing regulatory uncertainty in the United States, which has complicated Animoca Brands’ investment decisions. He also praised France’s authorities’ decisions and experts from that country.
In June, the company said it would scale back its presence in the United States and shift to “more progressive jurisdictions”.
As of 30 April 2023, the blockchain-gaming operator’s consolidated assets stood at $3.4 billion.
In November 2022, Yung predicted that it would take at least 10 years to build metaverses.