Web3 gaming is in its discovery phase. Discovery by players, who are exploring what the various gaming chains and studios have to offer and discovery by the developers who are trying to get a handle on the best way to leverage the benefits blockchain can bestow. While the debate over how best to harness the tech and present it in a consumer-friendly package rages on, one figure with firm ideas as to where the industry should be headed is John Linden.
The Mythical Games CEO has quietly gone about transforming his company into one of the leading developers of web3 gaming through a series of shrewd partnerships and strategic alliances. If Linden’s vision comes to pass, web3 gaming may one day lose its prefix and simply come to be known as gaming, with the blockchain components abstracted and used judiciously to enhance rather than dominate core gameplay mechanics. Think less Play-to-Earn and more Play for Fun. As concepts go, it’s not that radical but it appears the likeliest strategy to achieve the breakthrough the industry is craving: mainstream adoption.
The Quest to Make Great Games
While the quality and genre of web3 games today varies greatly, many of the figures overseeing their development share something in common: a background in video gaming. Engineering new game mechanics and player experiences using web3 technology to revamp a format that has scarcely changed in decades has proven an irresistible draw to many pioneers who’ve tired of the video gaming industry’s tried and tested formula.
Linden is best known for his work with Activision Blizzard, where he was involved with the acclaimed Call of Duty and Skylanders franchises. From there, he went on to become President of Seismic Games before answering the call of GameFi with Mythical Games. To date, the company hasn’t exactly been prolific in terms of the titles it’s put its name to: it has just one full release so far, with another, Blankos, launching soon. But the success of its flagship game has provided a statement of intent that indicates where Mythical – and the industry at large – is headed next. Its name? NFL Rivals.
Football for Fans
One area in which web3 gaming has enjoyed success is in targeting highly engaged fan bases that are passionate about their hobby. Sports is the perfect case in point. NFL Rivals has attracted football fans who know their stats, their plays, and their players and are happy to bring their knowledge to bear in crafting the ultimate team. With over 5 million downloads to date, NFL Rivals has proven a veritable hit.
It helps that Mythical was able to secure the NFL licensing required to bring the teams and players to life – quite a coup given how selective America’s premier football league is in entrusting developers with its precious IP. It also helps that NFL Rivals has hit that sweet spot between gameplay and strategy, coupled with the PvP competition that is at the heart of most successful web3 games, whatever category they occupy.
Mythical actually started out on EVM infrastructure before moving to Polkadot, but while the migration has benefited the company, it’s made little difference to players. Which is, perhaps, the whole point: if web3 gaming is working to its full potential, the underlying blockchain should make little difference to daily active users, who are more interested in what they can extract from the playing experience than the tech stack it’s built on.
The challenge now for Mythical Games is to follow its debut hit with follow up releases that are every bit as good. The onus is on the company to demonstrate that NFL Rivals was no fluke and that it’s capable of churning out a steady stream of games that resonate with players from across the full spectrum of gaming. Which is why Linden has set his sights on conquering new frontiers rather than taking the easy route of churning out another sports strategy game.
The Penguin Comes Out to Play
One of the most eagerly anticipated web3 games that’s currently in production is a Mythical video game starring Pudgy, the lovable penguin from the popular NFT collection. Converting a successful PFP collection into a global brand that transcends its original confines is no mean feat as Bored Apes creators Yuga Labs have discovered.
But Pudgy Penguins have achieved just that, expanding the IP to incorporate a range of fluffy toys that have flown off the shelves of Walmart and an Instagram account with millions of followers. The people like the penguins and now they’re about to get a chance to play Pudgy in his own video game. The release isn’t slated until 2025 so fans will need to wait a little longer to see how the collaboration turns out. But expectations are running high that the Pudgy game will delight existing fans while onboarding new players to the world of GameFi.
Where Next for Mythical Games?
John Linden has cannily endeavored to elevate Mythical into more than just a game developer; it’s also released an eponymous platform that third-party developers can use to create blockchain-based games. It’s a means of spreading their bets while capturing the upside should any of the games released through Mythical Platform capture the public’s imagination.
Mythical has also developed a fully integrated marketplace that can handle payments and trades of in-game items, freeing developers to focus on core game mechanics without getting bogged down in blockchain. It will take time for these efforts to bear fruit, but in the meantime there are plenty of signs that Mythical is moving in the right direction; the company was recently nominated by Pocket Gamer as Most Impactful Web3 Company. NFL Rivals has also been listed in the Top 10 Sports Games by Destructoid.
As for John Linden, he appears to have a firm idea of where Mythical is headed next, telling a recent interviewer that “We’re not just thinking about GameFi. We’ve also been thinking about SocialFi.” If Mythical Games can achieve even a fraction of the success of NFL Rivals with sophomore effort Blankos and nail the Pudgy Penguins video game, it will elevate the entire industry while inching it closer to the holy grail of mass adoption.
