Using 'Web2 Mindset' for Web3 Games: Nyan Heroes' GameFi Strategy Guide

One of the most debated challenges in blockchain gaming is the question, “If users come to the crypto market to make money, why would they choose Web3 games over Web2 games when it comes to playing games?” This dilemma has led to the phenomenon of bustling activity before a blockchain game’s airdrop, followed by a lack of interest after the token is listed.

StepN, a once-popular blockchain game, proposed a solution by focusing on operations and marketing to attract as many users as possible to the game ecosystem in the simplest way possible. The concept of earning money by running is easy to understand and serves as a killer feature to attract Web2 users, encouraging them to independently explore the game ecosystem and blockchain mechanisms. This demonstrates that for a blockchain game to succeed, it relies not only on the intricacy of its token model design but also on having enough users willing to play the game. As for features like game asset ownership and tokenized transactions characteristic of Web3, they are naturally instilled in players’ experiences during the game.

In this regard, one of the best examples in this cycle is the FPS shooting game Nyan Heroes. According to official announcements, Nyan Heroes has partnered with Bybit as its token NYAN’s TGE launch partner, and it is set to go live on Bybit at 16:00 (Beijing time) on May 21. Additionally, an airdrop is said to be forthcoming.

Nyan Heroes Game Introduction

Nyan Heroes is a shooting game developed by the 9 Lives Interactive team based in Singapore (formerly known as Rude Robot Studios, established in 2021), telling the story of a cat piloting a giant mech to save the world.

The gameplay of Nyan Heroes is similar to FPS games like “Overwatch,” requiring teamwork to defeat enemies using the abilities of the mech. However, Nyan Heroes incorporates elements of feline parkour, such as wall-running and jumping. Players can highly customize their mechs for battle, and there’s a setting where battle damage turns into kittens, allowing them to recharge. Because of this, the community affectionately refers to Nyan Heroes as “Cat Mech.”

Nyan Heroes offers a wide range of mech choices, a ranking system, titles, and leaderboard rewards, all of which closely resemble traditional AAA shooter game setups. In fact, the creators behind Nyan Heroes have deep roots in the gaming industry, with backgrounds in the development of major titles such as “Assassin’s Creed,” “Marvel’s Avengers,” “Destiny,” “Ghost Recon,” and “Rainbow Six.”

On March 14th, 9 Lives Interactive completed a $3 million financing round, led by Mechanism Capital with participation from Delphi Digital, Sfermion, and other institutions, to support the global release of Nyan Heroes. Shortly after, Nyan Heroes embarked on an intensive game operation phase.

On March 26th, Nyan Heroes released a Pre-Alpha demo version on the Epic Games Store. Prior to the demo release, Nyan Heroes had already made it onto the top 10 most-wished-for games on the Epic Games Store wishlist and attracted over 450,000 potential players to register.

During the Pre-Alpha phase, which continued until April 9th, Nyan Heroes showed impressive performance metrics. With over 1.3 million registered users, more than 200,000 downloads, and over 45,000 daily active accounts, it became one of the top 30 most played games globally and ranked fifth on the Epic Games wishlist.

In the Pre-Alpha phase of Nyan Heroes, a play-to-airdrop mechanism was also introduced, allowing players to participate in the game to earn opportunities for airdrops of Nyan Heroes’ native token, NYAN. However, the official statement mentioned that many players who downloaded the game during this test phase were non-Web3 players.

Nyan Heroes Tokenomics and Season 2 Airdrop Event

On April 25th, Nyan Heroes announced the token economics of its token, NYAN. The maximum token supply is set at 1 billion tokens. 33.5% of the tokens will be directly allocated for community incentives, including season airdrops, in-game rewards, and competition prize pools. 22% will be allocated to early investors, 18% will be distributed to the team and advisors, 16.5% will be allocated for ecosystem development, 7% will be allocated to strategic investors, and 3% will be used for liquidity and market-making. The airdrop allocation will be entirely sourced from the community fund pool and will be fully claimable at the time of the Token Generation Event (TGE).

The team has stated that NYAN will exist as a deflationary token, and in the future, it will be repurchased and burned through avenues such as market transaction fees, minting revenue, and studio income to achieve token deflation. The rate of deflation will depend on actual network activity and market trading conditions.

Nyan Heroes places great emphasis on the loyalty of game participation, which is closely tied to user benefits. Max Fu, CEO of 9 Lives Interactive, stated in an interview that Nyan Heroes’ airdrops will not only reward the most loyal holders and long-time community members but also reward those who simply play the game.

“We have tiered the airdrop rewards at different levels, some based on skills, and others based on participation and retention,” Max Fu said. He emphasized that Nyan Heroes is a skill-based PvP game with a leaderboard mechanism, so the amount of airdrop tokens received is heavily influenced by your gaming proficiency.

On May 8th, Nyan Heroes launched the second season of ranked matches, “Hunt For Catnip,” where users initially only need to complete simple social binding tasks to earn game points. Subsequently, by completing in-game tasks, users can not only enjoy the thrill of shooting games but also increase their game experience and duration to earn larger airdrop allocations. For those who want to experience the excitement of FPS games while also reaping airdrop rewards, this opportunity is not to be missed.

Although it is currently only in the game testing phase, Nyan Heroes has already outlined its project development roadmap. It has progressed to the Pre-Alpha stage, with future actions including land sales, the introduction of NYAN staking, the release of the Nyan Heroes closed beta, and the launch of Guardian NFTs, introducing new characters and elements into the game.

Solana+Web2 Major Platform, Where Nyan Heroes’s Advantage Lies

After introducing the impressive data and token economics of Nyan Heroes, it’s important to understand why Nyan Heroes deserves such attention. This is not just about the standout numbers, but also about the highlights, including strong community support and backing from major traditional gaming platforms.

Backed By Solana, With A Strong Community Foundation.

On May 9th, Nyan Heroes announced a collaboration with the Solana ecosystem NFT marketplace, Magic Eden, to launch the Nyan Heroes Open Edition NFT free minting event. Each NFT comes with a unique in-game player icon and a one-time reward for the Nyan Heroes Season 2 “Hunt For Catnip” event. The event runs from May 9th to May 16th.

As a top-tier game in the Solana ecosystem, Nyan Heroes has received official support from the Solana Foundation through multiple endorsements. It can be confirmed that Nyan Heroes will receive even more ecosystem resources in the future. It’s worth noting that the Solana ecosystem not only has highly active developer relations but also boasts active token trading and ecosystem users. This is crucial for game projects, highlighting the importance of community engagement and adoption.

Endorsed By Mainstream Gaming Platforms, Nyan Heroes Garners Favor Among Web2 Users.

Nyan Heroes is developed using Unreal Engine 5, which is the fifth-generation game engine announced by Epic in 2020. Epic, being a prominent mainstream gaming platform, is highly supportive of blockchain technology.

According to Nyan Heroes’ official statement, Epic Games has a very open attitude towards games with Web3 components. The only requirement is that there should be no direct purchase of any Web3 elements through the Epic platform. Any purchases or transactions must be conducted through third-party platforms or websites.

In terms of gaming experience, as long as there are no direct purchase options, Epic fully accepts games with Web3 components. This is crucial for Nyan Heroes’ future launch on mainstream gaming platforms, as it signifies a greater opportunity for mainstream recognition and adoption.

According to data from 9 Lives Interactive, during its two cycles on the Epic Store, Nyan Heroes ranked among the top 30 most popular games. Over 200,000 users downloaded Nyan Heroes, and it was also listed as one of the most anticipated upcoming games on the Epic Games Store wishlist.

This means that in the early stages, Nyan Heroes has already established organic appeal within Web2 and is the only blockchain AAA game to receive overwhelmingly positive feedback from traditional gamers. Additionally, Nyan Heroes has garnered support from well-known gaming platforms such as Razer, Xterio, Immutable, Superverse, NeoTokyo, Elixir, Hyperplay, and Saga. It has also formed deep partnerships with esports giants like G2 Esports, Fnatic, and Evil Geniuses, with plans to host major esports events on mainstream streaming platform Twitch in the future.

As mentioned earlier, 20% of Nyan Heroes’ players are from the Web2 community, and much of the game content is created by Web2 content creators. This close collaboration with numerous traditional gaming platforms is integral to its success.

While Nyan Heroes may appear to be just another blockchain game focused on earning rewards for Web3 users, in the eyes of Web2 users, especially those familiar with FPS games, it represents a unique style of shooter game with asset ownership attributes.

The Future of Nyan Heroes: A Top-Tier Blockchain Game Born From a “Web2 Mindset”

As heavily promoted by the official team, Nyan Heroes resonates strongly with Web2 content creators and their audiences. This effect stems from Nyan Heroes’ realization from the outset that Web3 games aren’t exclusively for users who understand blockchain.

Max Fu has expressed that players don’t need any prior knowledge of Web3 to enjoy Nyan Heroes. The game’s objective isn’t to force-feed players with the information that they’re playing a Web3 game. Instead, the idea is for players to encounter awakening items (referring to Web3 concept assets) in the in-game market and become curious about them. Through multiple exposures within the game, players will naturally explore and understand blockchain mechanisms due to their curiosity and desire to profit.

However, the official team won’t enforce this aspect. It’s not part of the game’s introductory tutorial, but rather presented as an optional tutorial, giving users complete autonomy. Therefore, this resembles a traditional Web2 game with an added Web3 component. If players are interested, they’ll naturally gravitate towards it.

9 Lives Interactive aims to release the full version of Nyan Heroes on PC early next year. Ultimately, players will be able to customize their gaming experience and trade in-game assets on the market. Max Fu also mentions that players who don’t want to engage with NFTs will be able to play “Nyan Heroes” freely without being forced to interact with the blockchain aspects provided by the game.

The first season of Nyan Heroes’ game testing has validated the logic outlined above, demonstrating that developing a Web3 game with a Web2 mindset is entirely feasible.

“We are, first and foremost, a game studio, and then a blockchain company. We firmly believe that the best way to make Nyan Heroes successful is to provide players with a high-quality gaming experience through carefully designed core game rules and world-building, supported by a player-centric economy while leveraging blockchain technology to make it sustainable and scalable.”

This “Web2 mindset” development philosophy gives Nyan Heroes a unique character from the start, unlike most blockchain games that primarily focus on attracting players who understand blockchain. While many Web3 games aim to attract investors or collectors of their NFTs, Nyan Heroes aims to ensure that anyone interested in playing an FPS game, such as Alice, Bob, or their friends and family, can do so just like they would pick any Web2 game from the Epic Games Store or PlayStation Store.

This means that Nyan Heroes not only needs to excel in the blockchain aspects of the game, protect asset ownership, and ensure technical compatibility but also provide excellent service to the Web2 gaming community. It is through such challenges that Nyan Heroes has a real chance of becoming a leader in the new generation of blockchain games.

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