As the prospects of Web 3 are starting to be revealed, more and more major corporations are starting to take it seriously. This includes mobile gaming mega-giant, Zynga, who recently announced plans to expand its mobile game offering into the NFT Gaming arena.
Those that pay attention to NFT gaming news may remember Zynga announcing a partnership with Forte at the end of 2021. This helped them add people who specialized in Blockchain technology to their team. This was clearly a sign that the gaming company had its eyes on NFT gaming in the future.
Here are some reasons this is important news:
– It’s Already Popular – NFT gaming is new, but it’s already moving forward with a full head of steam. Almost $4 billion was invested in the space last year by a number of gaming companies. It’s important to note that some of the most important online gaming companies have yet to invest in NFT gaming, so it only looks to explode even more in the future.
– Real-World Economics – NFT games can tie unique in-game objects to the Blockchain by minting them as an NFT. This means if you collect them, you are the only person in the world to have that object. This is different from Zynga games in the past. This adds an entirely new layer to the economics of the game in the real world.
Some people cheer the real-world economics of the games because they say they give players chances to earn money in real life while they play. Others say this doesn’t really do anything to improve the overall experience of the gameplay.
Forte was just the beginning for Zynga. The company plans on expanding its Blockchain dev team even more throughout 2022 and beyond. They plan to move from 15 team members to over 100 in the immediate future. It stands to reason that the company will do this by acquiring major NFT/Blockchain companies.
There are no actual games being announced as of yet, but the company said fans can expect a ground-up proprietary product by the end of the year. It stands to reason that the company is taking their time developing their first entry into the medium so they can make something truly great that will take the gaming industry by storm. They have the money and are creating the development team to do it too.
It is likely that the first games released by Zynga will be similar to its web 2.0 releases. An engaging interface with simple gameplay that isn’t too deep or immersive. The company understands what its current fans want and won’t stray too far from that.
You may remember the company’s first game, Farmville, which took over Facebook users’ imaginations because it was easy to play and interact with. Even first-time gamers could pick it up quickly.
Part of the reason Zynga may not be rushing its first NFT games is it understands that the developers there still have a lot to learn when it comes to developing games on the Blockchain. They are going to learn what their users want and deliver exactly that product. Their humble attitude should serve them and their players well.