Avalanche Raises Concerns About Web3 Gaming Quality

Avalanche garnered attention at the Game Developers Convention with striking branding and eye-catching games that complemented it perfectly

“Web3 gaming sucks” is a regular refrain among several gamers who have disregarded the developing space. It’ not something that a team that created a renowned blockchain network would utter at one of the industry’s major events.

However, that is precisely what Ava Labs did at the Game Developers convention last week. The phrase was displayed on the large Avalanche Gaming stand and on banners that could be observed from all areas of the expo hall and by attendees using the escalator.

The Ironic Branding Likely Amused Crypto Critics Who Found It To Be Accurate

The ironic branding probably evoked amusement from crypto critics who found it to be spot-on. The booth also seemed to draw a lot of individuals who came to network, hang out, and engage in Avalanche hit games. It received positive feedback from Web3 builders in every kind of chain.

Surprisingly, the concept was initially discussed before the 2023 GDC occasion in San Francisco, however, Ava Labs wasn’t very confident in the premise at that time.

Andrew “Coop” Cooper, the Senior Marketing Manager of Ava Labs cited that the company did not do it the previous year because it wasn’t strong enough. He added that the team felt like they did not receive enough backing, so they had to wait another year to grow.

Ava Labs Aims To Redefine Perceptions Of Crypto Gaming

Ava Labs uses the booth to highlight upcoming games like the first-person extraction shooter Shrapnel, the survival game Providence, and the Overwatch-esque hero shooter BloodLoop.

All three games look like AAA-level experiences, with participants already engaged in the game and expressing satisfaction about the early access version of Shrapnel available on the Epic Games Store. Each game has its day of dedication during the event, allowing players to partake in the experience, which is available on gaming PCs at the booth.

The perceptions of crypto gaming are largely informed by earlier games from 2021, particularly the Axie Infinity, a monster-battling game, which defined the first play-to-earn trend. These earlier games were often repetitive and simple, looking more like DeFi applications disguised as video games.

Games that were funded and announced in 2021 and 2022 are beginning to emerge as more compelling and cohesive experiences. Shrapnel is one of them, featured on Avalanche, along with farming game Pixels on Ethereum scaler Ronin and Card-battler Parallel on Ethereum

Cooper and the team viewed the GDC initiative as a chance to embrace the skepticism that they might encounter at a conventional gaming event. The team aims to change a few minds in the campaign by highlighting games that are more fleshed-out and richer than some might expect.