Author: Dappradar
Compiled by: Felix, PANews (with some edits)
In April, the development of blockchain gaming was mixed. User activity declined, investment slowed down, and market attention shifted to AI and real-world assets. However, beneath the surface, real progress is happening: new infrastructure is going online, major publishers are increasing investment, and high-quality games are approaching release.
This report will explore the current trends shaping blockchain gaming, the achievements made quietly, the evolving narrative, and the implications for the future.
Key Points:
- User activity dropped by 10% in April, with daily unique active wallets (dUAW) falling to 4.8 million, the lowest point so far in 2025.
- Gaming's dominance in the dapp industry has also declined, now on par with DeFi at 21%, while AI is on the rise with a market share of 16%.
- Key games still maintain a high dominance at the blockchain level: Pixudi occupies 99% of Calypso, Off The Grid accounts for 100% on GUNZ, and World of Dypians covers 76% of Nebula.
- Despite the challenging market environment, the blockchain gaming sector raised $21 million, a 69% decrease from March.
- Arbitrum Gaming Ventures allocated the first $10 million from its $200 million fund to support projects like Wildcard, XAI, and Proof of Play.
1. Overview
It can be said with certainty that blockchain gaming will continue to develop. It remains one of the most promising fields for bringing Web3 to the mainstream. However, it's clear that user attention is shifting from games to real-world assets and AI-driven projects.
[Images omitted]
Data confirms this trend. In April, the daily unique active wallets (dUAW) for blockchain games were 4.8 million, a 10% decrease from the previous month. Gaming's dominance in the dapp industry is also declining. While it was once the leading category, DeFi has regained focus due to the meme coin wave. Now, AI is rapidly catching up, occupying 16% of the market share, while gaming and DeFi each hold 21%.
But development has not slowed down. Teams continue to build, and funds continue to flow into the sector. It is no longer as dependent on speculative "play-to-earn" mechanisms but is more driven by users interested in gameplay, asset ownership, and community.
Familiar names dominate the top game chain rankings, with opBNB again taking the top spot. A deeper analysis of game dapp activity on each chain revealed some patterns:
- World of Dypians occupies 52% of activity on opBNB and an impressive 76% on Nebula (SKALE).
- On Ronin, although Axie Infinity is the top-ranked game, its activity share is only 33%, indicating that Ronin is actively moving beyond its "Axie Chain" identity.
- Off The Grid occupies 100% of activity on its custom GUNZ testnet, and similarly, Age of Dino covers 100% of activity on Xterio.
These data reveal a deeper issue: some chains are clearly built around flagship games, while chains like Ronin are evolving into ecosystems with multiple games. As competition intensifies, it will be worth watching which chains can successfully develop into broader gaming hubs and which remain limited to a single IP.
2. Gaming Leaders in April
Each month focuses on the top ten games by activity, and April was not too surprising, with some of the most active projects continuing to make progress.
Off the Grid - GUNZ Mainnet Now Online
Off the Grid (OTG), a cyberpunk battle royale game by Gunzilla Games, made significant progress in April. Around April 17, the team activated its custom GUNZ blockchain on Avalanche and launched mainnet nodes, establishing core infrastructure for the in-game economy.
OTG is still in early testing, but the mainnet launch indicates it's getting closer to full release. Notably, this is the first Web3 game playable on PS5 and Xbox One Series. Gunzilla's ecosystem model includes node rewards and token buybacks through the GUN token, with increasing speculation about a potential full release in the coming months.
[Rest of the text continues in the same translated manner]
3. Ecosystem Development and Cooperation
April witnessed a series of developments and collaborations in the ecosystem, reflecting that Web3 games have entered a more mature stage. From major publishers testing new models to open blockchain infrastructure, the field continues to develop strategically.
Traditional Publishers in Web3
Mainstream game companies are still exploring blockchain technology, with some achieving greater success.
Sega officially launched 'KAI: Battle of Three Kingdoms', incorporating NFTs and "play-to-earn" mechanisms into a well-known IP.
Meanwhile, Square Enix announced the closure of the Symbiogenesis project in July 2025 due to poor performance (NFT trading volume of only about 125 ETH, with floor prices near zero in April).
Square Enix will remain in the Web3 space, but this outcome demonstrates that simply porting NFTs into games is insufficient. Sega's collaboration-driven strategy contrasts sharply with Square Enix's solo approach, highlighting a key lesson: native Web3 experiences are crucial.
In April, Ubisoft announced a partnership with Immutable. They will jointly launch a collectible card game in the 'Might & Magic franchise', bringing the series into the blockchain realm. The game is planned to launch by the end of this year.
Netmarble x Immutable
Netmarble, through its Web3 division Marblex, released a significant ecosystem announcement. This Korean giant plans to launch 7 blockchain games on the Immutable platform by 2025, including 'Tokyo Beast', a game that combines esports with NFT mechanisms.
Immutable's zkEVM will support these games, and both parties seem confident that this collaboration can bring blockchain games to a broader audience. Marblex also introduced a new mascot "Goby" and the slogan "Fun First", marking a deeper dive into Web3.
Ronin Opens to Third-Party Developers
Ronin, previously a single-game chain for Axie Infinity, has now officially opened to third-party developers. April yielded impressive results:
- Avarik Saga, initially on Arbitrum, expanded to Ronin to benefit from lower fees and a game-first ecosystem
- Realms of Alurya left the Treasure ecosystem and migrated to Ronin
- Community Gaming launched a prediction market dapp on Ronin (FORKAST)
As more games join, Ronin is transforming from an Axie-only chain to a broader ecosystem. However, this has also brought some troubles, with the developers of 'Ragnarok: Monster World' moving their game to another chain and allegedly breaching contract.
Arbitrum and Dedicated Chains
Through its Orbit program, Arbitrum is enabling custom game subnets. In April, Studio Chain gained attention - built in collaboration with Karrat and the Arbitrum Foundation.
Its flagship title is 'My Pet Hooligan', a battle royale game with in-game asset trading exceeding $78 million. Currently, the game is comprehensively migrating its token (KARRAT) and gameplay to Studio Chain. This signals a broader trend: developers are moving towards application-specific chains to customize game performance and in-game economies.
(Translation continues in the same manner for the rest of the text)
