As the year comes to an end, we’re asking some of the key members of the blockchain gaming sector what they thought about what happened in 2023, and what they expect in 2024. You can check out all our interviews in this series here.
Nicolas Gilot is the co-CEO and founder of web3 game distribution platform Ultra.
What was the most significant news of 2023?
In terms of the Ultra ecosystem, we publicly launched both Ultra Games, our PC game store, and Ultra Arena, our competitive gaming hub. Despite the challenging market conditions, we also made significant progress in developing key technical areas of our ecosystem, such as our ‘Uniq’ NFT standard.
In wider terms, I’d say it’s the quality games that came out – like R3V3NGE and Phantom Galaxies – which provide the kind of high-quality, low-friction gaming experience expected by fans of mass market AAA titles.
How did the focus of your business change this year?
We’ve always been working towards a long-term vision and strategy, so we kept our heads down and were largely able to stick to the plan. The smooth launch of Ultra Games and Ultra Arena demonstrate the huge strides we’ve managed to make.
Of course it’s easier when web3 and gaming in general are generating attention and excitement, but the challenging conditions helped us identify how we could optimise the applications within our ecosystem.
What do you predict will be the most important trends in 2024?
The quality of web3 games will continue to be hugely important in 2024. Talented teams have been working for years to develop high-quality games such as those I’ve already mentioned and the highly anticipated Shrapnel. Many of these like Phantom Galaxies will straddle web2 and web3, giving players as much choice as possible.
It sounds simple, but players want to play good games! When these are available, adoption will naturally increase.
What was your favourite blockchain game of the year?
The team at GAM3S did a fantastic job of highlighting some of the best blockchain games of the year and even have an awards ceremony coming up but personally, as a former CS:GO player, I enjoy ev.io a lot. Instantly available through a browser, its accessibility is so important in onboarding players whilst having a lot of potential within the realm of esports.
What’s your New Year’s resolution and what resolution would you enforce on the industry?
To keep building no matter what! This space is full of innovation and blockchain gaming is still an incredibly young industry. Yes, the past year has been tough, but the underlying use cases of blockchain haven’t disappeared and some of the teams out there have fantastic concepts. These concepts need time, so let’s continue to build responsibly and demonstrate real value to players.
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