Exploring PlanetIX: Interpreting the mysteries of blockchain game operations

How to develop and operate a hot blockchain game project?

Written by: daniel@footprint.network

Amidst the bear market, PlanetIX grew to become the strongest Web3 game, taking the number one spot on the Polygon network. And its development team deeply uses Footprint Analtics' zero-code data analysis platform and GameFi's data API to improve users' game experience.

Footprint recently joined PlanetIX's CMO Melly to discuss GameFi's present and future, and how other projects can learn from it.

You can read the summary below or listen to the full Twitter Space to learn how to develop and operate the hot blockchain game project.

A weapon in Web3 marketing: airdrops

Airdrops are a common marketing strategy in blockchain projects, and refer to the process of attracting the attention of potential users by distributing tokens for free, incentivizing community participation and rewarding early adopters. Airdrops typically distribute tokens to users who meet certain criteria, such as those who hold a certain amount of tokens or complete certain tasks. Tokens are usually issued directly to the user's wallet, which is very simple and efficient.

While airdrops have become an important marketing tactic to incentivize users to participate in projects, some people use bots and other methods to automatically collect rewards, even if these addresses do not contribute to the project or its community.

Melly is very good at airdrop marketing. In his opinion, although some people will use the rules to create airdrops, the situation is not as bad as imagined. PlanetIX has ever issued the largest airdrop worth approximately $6 million.

"Everything is recorded on the chain, if you try to make money through airdrops alone, you will actually be defined as an active user, and the impact on the ecosystem may still be positive." But he added: "We are working hard Find more real players. For example, we are engaging real players in the game by incentivizing players to earn more in-game for those who use unique wallet accounts.”

In general, it is actually more valuable to look at the industry than to look at the impact of airdrops on individual projects. Airdrops have taught Web3 participants that everything has value.

“Most Web3 players understand that if you stay active and keep an eye on the latest protocols and the latest areas, you will likely get airdrop rewards,” Melly said. "When you look back at DeFi Summer, many people got rewards, and it was the same in the NFT field later. Many users got airdrops and received tokens."

How AI is Changing the Web3 Game

AI will change the Web3 game, and one of the scenarios is: AI will enable a large number of bot accounts on the chain. With the blessing of AI, more advanced robots will appear in the future. Fortunately, we can identify bots through on-chain and off-chain data. For example, robots typically operate around the clock. If you look at the heatmap of wallets, you may find some wallets that remain active at any time, or are active for suspicious periods of time, these accounts may be bot accounts. By combining on-chain and off-chain data, it is possible to identify bots and gain insights into users.

Melly said: "When entering this small and highly competitive field in Web2, you need to be as efficient as possible. AI is not going away, it will only become more and more important." He said: "I believe that in the future we will More use of AI."

How to create a successful and sustainable game

When developing a game, the token economy, gameplay design, and user retention strategies depend on the stage of the project and its long-term goals. PlanetIX is a project transitioning from Web2 to Web3, so it doesn't need to find new users when it starts building.

As Web3 games grow, many startups and projects are also trying to attract players from Web2.

“Instead of sticking to metrics, you should think about how to attract users,” Melly said. “If you just want to get users from the Web3 user base, it may be difficult because there are not many Web3 gamers.”

“Taking a step back, I think it’s more important that we think about how the Web3 community can work together to bring more users from Web2 into the world of Web3. This way we can grow together instead of everyone competing for limited resources. "

For PlanetIX, the key to attracting these new users is making them feel comfortable and safe in the on-chain world. For novices, the on-chain world can be full of uncertainties and risks.

He said: "When you first enter the blockchain world, you may encounter many unpleasant situations. Making these new users feel comfortable will produce better results."

“We believe that if you put a lot of effort into making new users feel comfortable, they will stay. For example, our growth lead participated in community organized events in Southeast Asia, and connecting with them...trust and links are invaluable. "

Difference between Web2 and Web3 Marketing

Melly said: “The way of advertising on Web3 is completely different from that on Web2, because advertising content related to digital assets such as NFT is difficult to exist in mainstream advertising channels for various reasons.”

“So we need guerrilla tactics, we need novel marketing methods. I think the best way is to enhance the strength of the community and the relationship with partners.”

“Because the current scale of users and projects in the Web3 field is relatively small, it is not particularly difficult to increase awareness. The difficulty is to impress new users. If your product is not good enough, it is difficult to attract users.”

Melly added that despite the constraints faced by Web3 marketers, new tools continue to be introduced in this space, drawing on lessons learned from Web2 marketing.

How to prevent the token economy from becoming a Ponzi economy

Footprint data shows that 90% of Web3 games become inactive within the first 30 days.

This could be due to poor game quality, poor design, irrational token economics, or a combination of these factors. Among them, the unsustainable token economy is an important reason.

For Planet IX, building a sustainable ecosystem is all about maintaining a symbiotic relationship between different types of players.

Melly said: "There are some players who are very focused on mining. They usually live in low-income areas and have a lot of time to devote to it. They don't need to make a lot of wealth to be considered valuable. There are some players with more funds , less time, but more money to buy digital assets to get to the top.” For Planet IX, the key is balancing these different types of users.