SCOOP: I spent weeks investigating what's happened to the crypto shooter game Shrapnel, including its financials.
After analyzing blockchain data, we also found one cofounder appears to have sold over $670K worth of SHRAP since September.
You're gonna want to read this one:
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Crypto games keep shutting down because there are no players
That's the elephant in the room.
Some of the "biggest" gaming chains and games are dead, with no users, and despite showing numbers to the contrary (the numbers can be misleading, esp on permissioned chains).
Big shakeup being reported at The Sandbox:
-Over half of employees being laid off
-Founders removed from current roles
-Animoca CEO Robby Yung has stepped in
-At least 5 offices to be closed
-Apparently there's a memecoin launchpad in the works
if you're building a unique crypto app, I want to hear about it
i like speaking with founders directly + getting their takes on both their app and the landscape as a whole
i also want to hear from VCs investing in crypto's app layer
if you're keen, reach out via email!
Stop making multiplayer crypto games.
Stop making crypto battle royales and multiplayer FPS titles. Stop making crypto MMORPGs.
Unless you're making them all AI-controlled bots OR have over $100M and a plan to market to mainstream gamers and somehow overcome the longstanding
We have some big news to share! Starting June 26, 2025, Shatterline will be shifting its focus from online multiplayer to a single-player experience.
Check details in Shatterline Discord:
discord.com/channels/75070…
Big news — I'm joining @blockworks !
I'll be the content lead for The Drop, Blockworks' latest newsletter focused on all things web3: gaming, art, music, memes, tokens, apps, and more.
Hit me with tips and pitches: kate(.)irwin@blockworks(.)co
We're baaaack. 🥳
So Arbitrum offered Ronin $360K worth of ARB to become an L2 w/ them
Polygon then offered $11M+ in total value including $3M+ in direct grants (contingent on hitting certain goals)
Optimism offered $5M+ including over $2.4M in direct grants (also a contingent-on-milestones
So many are pivoting to launching a prediction market or a launchpad
Really says something about the current moment when innovation is being replaced by a desire to capitalize off gambling by copy-pasting an existing formula
This is bad for crypto.
I asked Coinbase why they continue to ban legal sex workers from their platform and they did not respond
Instead they emphasized that Base is “for everyone” (but Coinbase clearly is not).
My story digs into why Base is decidedly not sexy:
i was also impacted by the news today.
it was such a joy to work with @byKatherineRoss and @mpmcsweeney, who are fabulous editors, and the entire blockworks news team, which is now no more due to a broader company pivot away from journalism.
i'm exploring new opportunities